Celestial fire over the Valley of Fire
Here’s what we saw at the end of our visit to Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park on October 24th last year.
© 2017 Steven Schwartzman
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Portraits of Wildflowers 
Beautiful
Chas Spain
February 3, 2017 at 6:11 AM
We were fortunate at the end of an overcast day.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 7:21 AM
That’s a Wagnerian sky if I’ve ever seen one. Any chance that you spotted some Valkyries riding by?
shoreacres
February 3, 2017 at 6:36 AM
That made me laugh, Linda!
Playamart - Zeebra Designs
February 3, 2017 at 7:21 AM
I didn’t spot any Valkyries in the Valley of Fire, but now that Wagnerian music is going through my head.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 7:23 AM
Unfortunately the sound of heavy equipment is the soundtrack here on the coast.. and hot? oh my the air is so thick with humidity i’m ready for a cold cerveza at 11 in the morning! toto, we’re not in the cloudforest today!
Playamart - Zeebra Designs
February 3, 2017 at 10:16 AM
On the Equator (Ecuador), altitude makes all the difference. Sounds like you’re eager to get back to the cloudforest. On the other hand, the coast has an ocean.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 10:36 AM
It’s ‘sobering’ here to witness those just trying to exist.. Will be working on photos and writing an update soon, but this morning I watched people ‘receiving’ kit houses of bamboo.. all parts precut and ready.. they pick them up drive to their lot and build the houses in a few days.. am heading to photograph the construction of one as soon as i log off… in a few days i’ll adapt to the heat!
Playamart - Zeebra Designs
February 3, 2017 at 11:02 AM
Then you’ll be in for some constructive activity.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 12:26 PM
Depending on what you had on your to-do list for the morning, that could be good or bad. Wagner might do for a meeting with the IRS or a dental appointment, but for photographing a sweet little flower? Maybe not so much.
shoreacres
February 3, 2017 at 2:26 PM
It was getting rid of fallen leaves from the front yard, for which energetic music seems like a good idea.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 3:12 PM
A friend attended Wagner at the Lyric, in Chicago. He said that the Valkyries were bouncing from the ceiling on bungee cords! That image will always give me a laugh.
melissabluefineart
February 3, 2017 at 8:04 AM
Maybe I should try that approach. People might find the resulting pictures quite moving.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 8:18 AM
Now I’m going to be seeing you bouncing about with your camera 🙂 🙂
melissabluefineart
February 3, 2017 at 8:24 AM
I will be, but horizontally rather than vertically, and without any bungee cords.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 9:45 AM
Beautiful with a touch of scary!
Andy Oldham
February 3, 2017 at 7:59 AM
It wasn’t at all scary in person, but a picture takes on a life of its own and you’re free to experience it as the spirit moves you.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 8:07 AM
Looks like a glorious end to the day.
melissabluefineart
February 3, 2017 at 8:05 AM
It was. I took dozens and dozens of pictures of the sunset as it evolved. Minutes before photographing the sunset per se, I aimed in a different direction to record the arc of a rainbow in a sky that was already getting colorful.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 8:14 AM
Aren’t we lucky to be able to respond to the beauty around us. This shot is just wonderful.
melissabluefineart
February 3, 2017 at 8:25 AM
We are lucky. You can draw and paint it, while I can photograph it.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 9:49 AM
I cannot imagine how you felt gazing at such magnificence. Nature has many sides, including forecasting disaster.
lensandpensbysally
February 3, 2017 at 8:24 AM
It was our reward for having endured an overcast and even for a while a rainy day.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 9:47 AM
Great dramatic sky.
rabirius
February 3, 2017 at 12:18 PM
It sure way, and I welcomed it at the end of an overcast day.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 12:43 PM
What a send off!!
Sarah Longes - Mirador Design
February 3, 2017 at 2:14 PM
Yes, it was. I think we had five good sunsets on the trip.
Steve Schwartzman
February 3, 2017 at 3:09 PM
You can’t beat a good sunset 🙂 Even when viewed from the same spot over and over they’re never the same, always something magical setting them apart.
Sarah Longes - Mirador Design
February 20, 2017 at 5:41 PM
We didn’t see a good sunset in New Zealand today but we unexpectedly saw a rainbow late in the day even though there had been no more than a few brief drops of rain.
Steve Schwartzman
February 21, 2017 at 3:29 AM
Wow, must have been a lot of moisture in the air I guess! New Zealand is a place full of the unexpected though 🙂 Wish I was over there with my family at the moment! We all keep in touch on Facebook but I miss my cousins.
Sarah Longes - Mirador Design
February 27, 2017 at 7:05 PM
Sounds like it’s time for a visit.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2017 at 3:20 AM
Way past time! Way too expensive 😦
Sarah Longes - Mirador Design
March 4, 2017 at 4:08 PM
Expensive, yes. Gasoline (petrol) costs three times as much in New Zealand as in Texas.
Steve Schwartzman
March 4, 2017 at 9:25 PM
Ha! It’s cheaper in New Zealand than here I think. It’s about £1.20 a litre at the moment. It’s the flights that cost too much 😦 Much of NZ’s living costs are better than in the UK except for groceries as I understand it! Apparently the cheapest fuel costs in the world are in Venezuela and the most expensive at the moment is the Netherlands.
Sarah Longes - Mirador Design
March 6, 2017 at 6:13 PM
The depth and color of this is striking, Steve – great photo!
composerinthegarden
February 4, 2017 at 12:28 PM
Thanks, Lynn. It was a welcome end to our visit, especially after the overcast skies that covered us all day.
Steve Schwartzman
February 4, 2017 at 1:24 PM
Oh how I love those skies at day’s beginning and end! I am always impressed by the beauty and variety of your photos!
Lavinia Ross
February 5, 2017 at 3:29 PM
Thanks, Lavinia. I find lots to photograph in nature.
Steve Schwartzman
February 14, 2017 at 2:50 PM
Awesome photo!
montucky
February 5, 2017 at 4:03 PM
The West knows how to do such things right.
Steve Schwartzman
February 7, 2017 at 11:27 PM
Sensational! I would have been falling over to grab my camera …
Julie@frogpondfarm
February 5, 2017 at 8:38 PM
I didn’t fall over because I was leaning against the car for stability with a long lens.
Steve Schwartzman
February 7, 2017 at 11:29 PM
Amazing!
victorialise
July 30, 2017 at 7:58 PM
It was a great ending to a day in a very scenic place.
Steve Schwartzman
July 30, 2017 at 11:01 PM