Pinecone in the Needles

This photo reminds me of the high, cool, dry pine forest in the Rocky Mountain ranges. Even right now as I am writing this I can imagine the feel of brisk air rushing over my wind-chapped face. How it feels to suck in a lungful of thin, pure air so fresh that it makes my eyes water and my chest ache. The distict smell of pine needles in a shady grove of lodgepole, ponderosa, and spruce. The sweet, earthy smell of damp underbrush and shadows. The wonder of walking from the shade into a golden meadow with waist high grass and scrub. The teardrop leaves of the aspen quaking and rustling in the breeze. The pink and gray granite boulders scattered over the hills like marbles thrown from a giant. The pungent smell of sage and grease-wood. It makes me miss home.

As much as this reminds me of Wyoming, it was actually taken in San Diego's wonderful Balboa Park. It was taken in mid-December with my trusty macro, probably while one of my friends was waiting as I took a "walk-about" through the bushes because I was distracted by something shiny...or in this case something small. I added a watermark but made no other modifications in Adobe Lightroom. Some pictures are gems that need polished but this one came out perfectly without help.

Click here for the Pinecone Print on Etsy.