The Wildflowers are Dancin'

High above the Salt Lake Valley  

in the heart of the Wasatch Mountains,

lies the Albion Basin.

And at the top of this glacially-carved canyon   

 is surely one of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

At least I think so.

Sunrise in the Meadow

 

And though it may be Summer down here in the valley,

up there, 

Spring has just begun...

and the WILDFLOWERS are dancin'! 

 It's their annual ritual

 once Winter's deep blanket of snow 

has finally melted. 

And it's our family's annual ritual 

to hike this glorious mountain 

to enjoy the bounteous splendor.

 We are never disappointed.

  This garden is tended by 

the MASTER GARDENER.

And we are mere visitors 

to His magnificent creations. 

Here birds and bees and butterflies reside 

to frolic freely through the blooms.

 While we feel reverence 

that lifts our souls

as we watch the dance.

A sweet reminder there are still places 

of great beauty and peace 

left on this earth.

 Hallelujah!

 Our Albion Basin Hike 2013 

was enjoyed with our eldest daughter's family.  

Life is just more fun when grandkiddos are on the trail.

 To view our Albion Basin Hike 2012 follow the link below.
More beautiful pics and a couple of surprise visitors.

 A Touch of the Divine

All content created by Carolyn Bush | Copyright © 2010 - 2013 

All Rights Reserved | This Grandmother's Garden

Highland, Utah, USA

Just a Picture Taker

I began a blog to share my gardens... 

but somewhere along the path I've discovered... 

I really do love the thrill of capturing an image.

And it tickles me when someone else delights 
in the scene I create.

Alpine Meadow in September

"How can This Grandmother’s Garden fantastic photo not be a winner?  She clearly understands the contest theme “Fill the Frame” – the photo is carefully cropped, using the entire canvas to achieve a nice balance of meadow and woods.  The focal point is nicely off center and I really get a sense of a vibrant, verdant mountain meadow.  I want to be there.

Thanks for your strong entry to the GGW contest. Really nice cropping allows you to fill the frame and have a precise focal point. I think a slightly lower down camera position might have allowed those main flowers (Rudbeckias ?) to be taller and fill up that side a bit more with your story."                                                                     
                                                                                                      ~Saxon Holt, Photographer

Sunset Magic

When the voices of children are heard on the green
And laughing is heard on the hill,
My heart is at rest within my breast
And everything else is still.
                    ~William Blake

"This photo teaches us a lot about thinking outside the box, ah … er, garden! This is a fun and endearing moment, and the accompanying poetry (William Blake !) sends the whole thing off the chart of our expectations. I really like the orange glow, the black silhouettes, the highlighted edges and the three quirky poses. A Silver Medal award to This Grandmother’s Garden shot of her grandchildren in silhouette. This is a photo that moves beyond the ordinary and makes art out of the ordinary.”    

                                                                                                           ~Charles Mann, Photographer

Columbine in  the Wild Meadow

I'm just a Picture Taker, not really a photographer 

and I have so much to learn...  

but I'm lovin' every step of my journey!

Bird Seed

Throughout this new year,
 I'll be sharpening my picture taking skills...
maybe I'll actually  learn to use my camera properly.

Who knows?

Maybe I'll graduate 
to become a camera-person someday.

More Please

"It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. 
You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. 
But in photography everything is so ordinary; 
it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary."

                                                                                ~David Bailey (b. 1938), British photographer

I think I better spend a little time
working on my imagination, too!

Welcome to my gardens!

Your visit here is cherished

and your comments sweet nectar that keeps me posting.

Click on the *optional link to your website on the comment form

to leave your blog's address... so I can visit you!

The Secret of the Quaking Aspen

On the other side of my mountain, 

Nature has planted Groves of Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Quaking Aspen in Summer

These beautiful trees stand tall and straight

on slender trunks of powdery white.

Photo by Jeff Mitton (since I couldn't find an up-close shot of my own)

Their leaves tremble at the slightest breeze 

and seem to whisper a melody of peace and calm.

Seriously, if you've ever stood in a grove of Aspen,
you would know this to be true...
the sound is nothing short of divine.

Quakies in their Autumn Glory

 As Autumn approaches, these small near-heart-shaped leaves

turn vibrant shades of yellow and gold and orange.
 
Come take a Sunday drive with me,
and I'll share the secret 
the Aspen Groves hold so dear.

Driving the Alpine Loop

Many people may not realize 

that Aspen trees are actually 
one of the earth’s largest living organisms. 

Hundreds or even thousands of Quaking Aspens 
can be joined underground 
by a single root network.

  

The Aspen sends out underground shoots 
that re-emerge elsewhere as new trunks.
This aggregate of roots 
is called a "clone".

The Backside of my Mountain

Some Quaking Aspen groves 
have been measured to be 200 acres wide.

Many in the Rocky Mountain and Great Basin regions
are at least 8000 years old 
persisting since the last glacial retreat.

 

Aspen trees within the same clone 

unmask their colors at the same time in Autumn 

making it easy to determine 

where a clone ends and where it begins.

In fact, the trees within each clone are identical 

and can be distinguished from those of a neighboring clone 

by a variety of traits such as leaf shape and size, bark character, 
branching habit, resistance to disease and insect attack 

and autumn leaf color.

How many distinct clones do you see in this view?

(Some have already changed their colors... others have not.)

It is fascinating to discover that the massive root network 

of the Aspen clone is of great benefit to their survival. 

A forest fire may completely destroy a grove of Aspen trees,

but the underground root network will soon spring to life 

creating new shoots to emerge as trunks 

replenishing the Aspen Grove.

Remarkable.

Simply remarkable.


What life lessons can we learn from the Quaking Aspen?

I have a few ideas of my own 
but would love my readers to share.

August "Walk in the Garden" Challenge: A Touch of the Divine

Nature always plants 

the most beautiful gardens.

The perfect composition of harmony and rhythm...

to inspire our soul.

The Albion Basin, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

 

A tradition our family looks forward to every year 
is our hike high in the Wasatch Mountains above Salt Lake City...

about an hour from our home.

The window to go is just a few weeks, 

as the snow leaves late and always comes early 

in these Alpine meadows, elevation 9,500 feet.

Where the Fairies Live

And of course, the best time to go is early in the morning, 
when the morning light 
just begins to brighten the sky.

Magic Hour in the Albion Basin

Our family calls it "the magic hour".

But you'll just have to experience it to know why...

mere words cannot begin to describe.

Around each corner of the trail is a new scene 

begging to be captured by my camera...

a photographer's delight!

Divine designs of stone and blossoms please the eye...

and captivate the lens...

as Wildflowers find fertile soil 

in walls of rock and crevice of stone.

Our hearts race as we're greeted by the local residents.
They seem to ignore us but wisdom tells us 
they may turn and charge at a whim.

Mamma Moose and Baby

Mindful that this is their home, 

we tread lightly 
and oh so cautiously.

We waited patiently for them to clear the trail.

Other residents seemed to be less aware of our presence,

though we were quite intrigued with theirs...

Why do these butterflies rest along the path?

This was a most common sight as we hiked the trail.

We came to the conclusion 

that they must be warming their tiny bodies 

in the heat reflected from the soil.

We made a few more discoveries...

the higher elevations meadows were filled with shades 

of blue and pinks.

Tickled Pink

While the lower portion of the trail

was scattered with blossoms of orange.

Brilliant!

The variety was alluring.

Lake Catherine

A Crown of Jewels lay at the end of the trail...

a beautiful mountain lake.

We hiked down to touch the water, 
but this is where we came upon the Mamma Moose and her baby. 

Just realized we never did touch the water...

the moose stole the show.

Next year.

♦   ♦   ♦

What have you discovered in your walk in the gardens? 

Perhaps you have a favorite Summer spot to hike.

Giving It My BEST Shot

          The thrill of the PERFECT image!
                                                            By my own standards of course.

Bird Seed

More Please

I've never really considered myself a

PHOTOGRAPHER

rather, I'm just

a PICTURE TAKER

Field of Dreams... Wildflowers!

Ohhh... but I do love the thrill of capturing an image!

Up Close and Personal... Splitleaf Indian Paintbrush

Mountain Meadow Splendor

And after months of sitting on the sidelines
cheering everyone else on...

I'm finally going to give it my BEST shot.

♦♦♦

I'm entering the GGW Picture This Photo Contest.

I've chosen as my "first ever" entry 
in a photo contest...

Alpine Meadow in September

       
       The theme is Fill the Frame.
    
      Wish me luck!


           For a slide show of all the picks in my post, 
           simply click on one of the images.

               BTW...

               Are you still walking?

                Don't forget my Autumn Walk Challenge

               It's not too late to enter!