Days 49-50 – Hoodoos: Funny Name, Serious Splendor!

So I’ve again had spotty internet, but the last two days we have spent traveling to and exploring Bryce Canyon National Park (http://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm). Bryce is known for its hoodoos, which are pillars of rock eroded into odd-shapes. I haven’t had a chance to load pictures from our trip yet (they’re all on Marcel’s camera, and he’s off at a talk about astronomy right now- Bryce Canyon is an awesome spot for stargazing and their Astronomy festival is going on now), but here is an image I pulled off of Google Images so you can get an idea of what hoodoos and Bryce Canyon look like:

One of the best things about being at Bryce Canyon is that it’s significantly cooler than the other places we have been so far on this trip. It was somewhere around 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit most of today, and was even slightly overcast part of the day. This makes for much more comfortable hiking weather than blazing sun and 100 degrees, which has been what much of this trip has been so far. I used to live in Texas so I have experience with that kind of weather, but it’s a lot easier to hike with a baby when the weather is not so harsh. Today we hiked about 5 miles, and most of the time it was very pleasant. We did part of the rim trail, and we did the Mossy Cave trail, which leads to a waterfall! I love waterfalls!

The best part of the day was probably the rim trail. Bryce Canyon National Park has several viewpoints set up that you can drive to, and these are all pretty crowded during the day with lots of people snapping photos. Similar to the Grand Canyon, however, there are trails along the rim between the major viewpoints. The portion of the rim trail we hiked was pretty quiet. There were not a lot of people and the views were spectacular! I had never heard of a hoodoo before this trip, but looking down into the canyon at all of these funny shaped rocks and the pine trees surrounding them was quite extraordinary. The light dancing off the odd shapes really gives a lot of depth to the canyon when you’re viewing it from above. I’ve felt many times on this trip that you really have to see the natural beauty of these places in person to appreciate it, and today was no exception. I had seen pictures of the hoodoos on the park website, but that was no comparison to seeing them in person. Tomorrow we are going to hike some more trails and see more of Bryce Canyon. I’m not sure whether I’ll have working internet or not, but as soon as I do I’ll update and try to get a few pictures of our trip uploaded.

By the way, I am definitely still getting some good coffee even though I’m traveling around and camping. Mr. Coffeebeans brought a hand grinder with us and he has been grinding coffee beans fresh every morning, so I still get my coffee reflection time and my caffeine fix.

Ok, that’s all for now, I’ll have more updates as soon as working internet makes it possible!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 48 – Arches!

Today we finished up our time in Arches. We looked at several of the more popular arches, including the Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, and Window Arches. Arches National Park has over 2000 natural sandstone arches. The Arches were created by uplift and erosion. Interestingly, forty-three of Arches National Park’s arches have collapsed due to erosion since 1970!

We hiked a few short trails , but perhaps my favorite moment of the day was driving back out of the park at sunset. The road goes through some areas were there are vast fields with no arches or arches only very far away in the distance. I snapped the picture below of sunset using my phone, and I really like it! Now I’m ready to fall into bed and sleep that awesome sleep that a day full of physical activity always brings. More updates tomorrow!

Xoxo,

Diana

Days 44-47: Catch-up Time! More Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Canyonlands, and Arches!

I haven’t been able to upload my blog for a few days since the WiFi at our campground has been either nonexistent or not working, so I have a lot to catch up on! The “Coffee Bean Dreams” project is at an interesting point, anyways, since I’m lucky enough to be taking this road trip vacation, and my morning coffee reflections are being done at actual locations of natural beauty rather than just reading about them online. So here is a quick catch-up on what we’ve been doing. I tried to shorten it a bit since it’s several days rolled into one blog, but it still turned out kind of long!

Day 44 (June 21^st) – We visited the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. On the first day we did the Rim Trail. Portions of it are paved so we took Amelie in the stroller so that she would be nice and shaded, since it was sunny and hot! There are portions of the path that are not paved and don’t work with the stroller, so we took the free shuttle between those. I do have some baby carriers that I like to hike with her in, but it’s so hot right now that having her wrapped up in a carrier and right against me was just too much heat. It was not as adventurous as some hikes I’ve done in the past, but it was beautiful nonetheless, and I didn’t have to worry about Baby Girl getting too much sun or getting too hot. In the evening the temperatures at the Rim dropped significantly, and I ended up even putting on a hoodie while we watched the sunset over the canyon, which was one of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve ever seen! On the second day we were at the Grand Canyon, we checked out the desert view side, which had some great views as well. We didn’t spend as much time there, though, because we just drove the road and stopped at the lookout points instead of hiking- we wanted to get to our next stop, Monument Valley, before dark!

Enjoying Sunset and cooler temperatures at the Grand Canyon's South Rim

I should mention, since I’ve been talking about the seven wonders of the natural world, that the Grand Canyon is on the list! The Grand Canyon, while not the steepest or longest canyon in the world, is on the list because of its overall size and scale and beautifully colored landscape. It’s 277 miles long, has widths ranging from 4-18 miles, and a depth of over one mile. It was formed by erosion from the Colorado river over millions of years. You can read more about the Grand Canyon here: http://sevennaturalwonders.org/the-original/grand-canyon/ and here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon. I feel very lucky to have been able to see this beautiful canyon, and have seen one of the seven wonders of the natural world!

Day 45 (June 22^nd) – Today we explored Monument Valley, which is located in Utah right near the Arizona/Utah border. Monument Valley is essentially a series of huge rocks jutting up into the landscape. It’s pretty incredible to see. The rocks are at various stages of erosion: mesas are the first stage of erosion and are wide, stable rocks that look like tables; buttes are the second stage of erosion and are smaller than mesas; and spires are the final stage of erosion and are narrow, free standing rock formations. Monument Valley has a wide range of these giant rock formations in all of these stages of erosion. The land these rocks sit on was at one time underneath the Gulf of Mexico. Through millions of years of the sea withdrawing and uplift of the Earth’s crust creating the Colorado plateau, the forces of this uplift and erosion left behind these giant rock formations and now we have Monument Valley, which, of course, is still eroding slowly today. (More on Monument Valley: http://www.navajonationparks.org/index.htm).

There is a 17 mile round-trip unpaved road that takes you right into Monument Valley. You can pay a per-car fee to do a self-guided drive of this road. The road is a little rough and very dusty. Thankfully, we had a four-wheel drive vehicle, so it was no problem. In fact, Baby Girl seemed to love the rough spots in the road, and when we went over a particularly bouncy spot, she would often laugh, which, of course, made us laugh as well! The self-guided tour was awesome- you basically travel right through and around these giant structures. It was nice to be in the air conditioned car, too, because it was HOT! We only pulled Baby out for a few quick minutes to snap a photo of her- too much sun and heat for such a little thing!

The view from our campground at Monument Valley. Not too shabby!

Driving the rough road through Monument Valley. Notice the person and cars in the photo to get a sense of scale.

A quick photo op with Baby Girl at Monument Valley

Day 46 (June 23^rd) – We drove to Canyonlands National Park in Utah and went to the Needles Portion. (The Park is divided into three areas: Needles, Island in the Sky, and The Maze: these sections are not directly connected to each other so visiting more than one in a day is pretty difficult). The Canyonlands are another area of the Colorado plateau where rock deposits and erosion have left behind impressive rocky cliffs, mesas, canyons, and river gorges. (More on the Canyonlands: http://www.nps.gov/cany/naturescience/index.htm).

There are several challenging hiking trails, and many very challenging 4x4 trails. We hiked a few easy trails and just made sure Baby was covered from the sun with her hat and a light blanket. Although I enjoy challenging hikes, those will have to wait a few years now! Honestly, though, it was so hot that maybe it was nice to have a valid “excuse” for not doing the more difficult trails! In any event, the scenery available from the trails we did and the lookout points on the scenic drive was still well worth the trip!

Canyonlands. It's hard for a picture to give a true sense of scale here.

Day 47 (June 24^th) – Today we spent the morning seeing a few more scenic outlooks in Canyonlands, and then drove to Moab, Utah because we are planning to spend some time at Arches National Park. (We spent a few minutes at Arches watching the sunset, which was gorgeous!) The Anticline Outlook at Canyonlands was beautiful, although the bugs today were out in full force. I’m not sure exactly what they are, but there are all these little gnat-like bugs that were incessantly flying around every time we got out of the car. So today’s hikes were a little short, but we did see some beautiful spots in Canyonlands. And, bonus- our new campground in Moab has working WiFi, so I can upload these updates to my blog! I must say, however, there is something nice about being completely off the grid, unconnected to the rest of the world and just enjoying nature! I’m excited to explore more of Arches tomorrow, but as you can tell, it’s been a great several days full of many opportunities to take in some truly spectacular natural beauty! 

Baby Girl and I enjoying the sunset at Balanced Rock in Arches National Park

Whew, that was a lot! I hope you enjoyed catching up on the last few days!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 43 – The Real, Live Grand Canyon!

I’m taking a break from my regularly scheduled programming today, because our vacation has started! For three weeks, we will be driving an RV around seeing some national parks! Our first stop is the Grand Canyon- we arrived last night and spent today hiking the rim trail on the south rim. I’m exhausted but it was so amazing. The Grand Canyon definitely deserves its place on the 7 Wonders of the Natural World list – the view is incredible. I’ll talk more about the Grand Canyon later, but for now, here are a few pictures from our hike today!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 42 – From Fire to Ice: The Crystal Caves of Iceland

Since I talked about a famous Volcano yesterday, why not cool things off a little with some ice caves? Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park is famous for its beautiful ice caves, often referred to as the crystal caves. These glacier caves are created by geothermal springs running under the ice, and look like giant frozen waves. When rain has washed away snow and frost on the glacier’s surface, the light coming through from outside turns the inside of the ice cave a beautiful brilliant blue!

Since these caves are made of ice, there is a risk of them melting and collapsing. For this reason, visitors to the caves come in the winter, when the ice is coldest and hardest. Even in the winter, visitors can hear snapping and popping inside the caves. This is from the cave moving along with the glacier.

Iceland is a beautiful place if you love nature and natural beauty. It’s been on my list of places I want to visit for a long time, and these ice caves are a must-see when I finally make it there. They look very cold, but absolutely breathtaking!

Read about the ice caves here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2582027/Inside-amazing-crystal-ice-caves-giant-waves-appear-frozen-time-actually-moving-slowly-huge-glacier.html; http://www.travelmint.com/adventures/the-crystal-cave.asp.

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 41 – Surprise! Here’s a Volcano!

I’m jumping back to the seven natural wonders list today. I’m going to talk about Paricutin. Paricutin is a cinder cone volcano located in Michoacán, Mexico, about 200 miles west of Mexico City. A cinder cone volcano is a volcano formed by volcanic debris accumulating around a volcanic vent. Paricutin was named one of the natural wonders of the world because mankind witnessed its birth. It was a fast-growing volcano, reaching three-quarters of its size within its first year! In fact, the volcano reached five stories within a week! Can you imagine – one week, there’s nothing there, and the next week there’s this five story tall volcano thanks to the volcanic debris it has spewed out! At the time Paricutin was named one of the seven natural wonders of the world, it was an active volcano. Today, however, it is dormant, with its last eruption occurring in 1952. (http://sevennaturalwonders.org/the-original/paricutin/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%ADcutin)

Those who want to see Paricutin can do so by taking a 12 mile round trip hike to the top of the volcano. The journey can also be made by horseback. The trail to the top takes you past lava fields and buried village homes. I’m not sure how I feel about hiking a volcano that erupted in 1952… it seems like that hasn’t been that long and I’d be worried about it erupting again. This probably shows my complete ignorance about volcanoes, however, since I would imagine that people who actually know about these things can tell if there is significant danger of the volcano erupting soon. In fact, Paricutin is believed to be a monogenetic volcano, which means that once it has finished its initial eruption it never erupts again. I think I would hike the trail if I was there… I’d just be a teensy bit nervous the whole time, haha!

What do you think? Would you climb Paricutin?

Paricutin Erupting in 1948

 Paricutin today. 

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 40 – A Different Way to Have Your Head in the Clouds

After a few day of the world’s most incredible mountains, I wanted to talk about another way to get your head in the clouds. If summiting a mountain is not your thing, you might be interested in Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. It’s the world’s largest salt flat, and during the rainy season, a thin layer of water develops on the salty flat reflecting the sky above. Basically, it turns into a giant mirror! Although you’re not “literally” in the clouds, the mirror effect makes it look like you are!

Quite honestly, this place looks incredible. Out of all the natural wonders I’ve looked at so far, this one might be the one I want to see the most. And, if we’re talking about nature’s “art,” it’s hard to imagine many things more beautiful than a view like this:

Can you imagine a painting like that?!?

Here are few more pictures of this amazing location:

Another fun fact- Salar de Uyuni is a major breeding ground for several species of pink flamingos. Read more about Salar de Uyuni, and see more breathtaking photos of this gorgeous location: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/24/bolivia-salt-flat_n_3983573.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_de_Uyuni.

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 39 – But Wait! There’s Actually a Taller Mountain than McKinley!

So yesterday I talked about Mount McKinley, which is the tallest mountain, measured base to peak, above sea level. However, there is a mountain even taller than McKinley, it’s just that most of the mountain is below sea level: Mauna Kea, in Hawaii. Measuring a whopping 33,100 feet from its underwater base to its peak, it is easily the tallest mountain in the world when you aren’t only counting above water measurements. (By the way, I think it’s cool that the world’s tallest mountains based on both above and below water measurements are not only both in the United States, but in the two noncontiguous states of Alaska and Hawaii!)

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano, which last erupted 4,600 years ago. It now has an alpine climate at its summit and forest at its base. Because it has a high altitude at its peak (13,803 feet above sea level), is near the equator, has a dry environment, and has stable airflow, it is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation. Its peak is above 40% of Earth’s atmosphere and water vapor, and Hawaii has low light pollution. Mauna Kea’s summit hosts the world’s largest astronomical observatory. Not only is Mauna Kea one of nature’s beauties itself, but it is a vantage point to see more of nature’s beauty out in space!

Mauna Kea is accessible by hiking trails, and an access road which is paved up to 9,199 feet. Although care must be taken to adjust to the increasing altitude on the way up, the Mountain is much more accessible than McKinley or Everest: between 5,000-6,000 people visit its summit each year!

Read more about Mauna Kea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea; http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/post/63954119714/mauna-kea-heavens-time-lapse; http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/about_maunakea.shtml.

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 38 – Not so fast, Mount Everest: Meet Mount McKinley!

Although Mount Everest is the highest spot on earth, making it the highest mountain, it is not the tallest mountain. That honor goes to Mount McKinley, which measures about 18,000 feet from base to peak, making it the largest mountain above sea level. Mount McKinley is also the highest mountain peak in North America. It is part of the Alaska Range and is in Denali National Park and Preserve. The Native name for Mount McKinley is Denali, which means “High One” or “Great One.”

Mount McKinley is not as infamous as Mount Everest, and is regularly climbed today. However, it has still claimed the lives of over 100 mountaineers. The climb is also not quick: it takes roughly two to four weeks to reach the top! These mountains are no joke, people!

For those not brave enough to want to climb Mount McKinley and in search of a tamer way to experience its beauty, Denali National Park has a road cutting across the park which offers views of Mount McKinley. The road is 92 miles long, and although private vehicles are only allowed up to mile 15, bus rides are available beyond that. I love visiting national parks (I can hardly wait for our national park vacation, which starts later this week!!!), so viewing Mount McKinley by visiting Denali is something I would definitely like to do someday. In the meantime, here are few photos I found of the Mountain. (Bonus: one photo has a moose in it!)

Read more about Mount McKinley at these web addresses: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_McKinley; http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/visiting-denali.htm.

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 37 – Not for the Faint of Heart!

Switching gears from water wonders to mountains today- I’ll be talking about Mount Everest. Another one of the seven natural wonders, this mountain is the highest mountain on earth- with a peak at 29,029 feet. (It’s not the tallest mountain from base to peak, but it is the highest spot on earth). Mount Everest is located in the Himalayas between Nepal and Tibet.

Mount Everest is probably most famous for the difficult trek to its summit. The climb is no joke, and over 200 people have died attempting it. The climb to base camp itself takes up to 10 days, and climbers who want to summit Mount Everest spend six weeks there just to acclimate to the thin air. The climb is expensive, too- climbing permits alone are $25,000, not to mention numerous other expenses.

Mount Everest is one natural wonder I’m not sure I would actually want to go see. I have no interest in climbing it (not to mention it would take a lot of training to get me to the point where that was a possibility, if I even could get to that point!). You can see the Mountain by a guided air tour, which is obviously a much more accessible option. From the pictures below, you can see that the mountain is beautiful. However, with so many beautiful mountains in the world, is Everest worth the cost and hassle to see this particular mountain? (Even if it’s the “easy” way, by air). I’m not sure. I could also skydive Mount Everest for the low price of $25,000… tempting! (http://www.everest-skydive.com/everest-skydive/).

Whether or not I ever make it to Everest, looking pictures of this majestic peak is a treat in itself!

Read more about Mount Everest here: http://sevennaturalwonders.org/the-original/mount-everest/; here: http://business.time.com/2012/01/23/the-economics-of-everest/; and here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest;

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 36 – Another Water Wonder

Continuing on with both the water and seven wonders of the natural world theme, I’m going to talk about Victoria Falls today. Who doesn’t love a good waterfall? Honestly, I think if someone doesn’t like waterfalls there is something wrong with them!

Victoria Falls, located in Africa on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, is the largest waterfall in the world based on width and height. The falls measure a mile wide and 360 feet high. Explorer David Livingstone named it Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria, but the locals called it Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means “smoke that thunders.”

Many consider an air tour to be the most impressive way to view the falls. I love flying, so a helicopter ride over the falls would be just my cup of tea. As a bonus, those taking a flight tour of the falls often see African wildlife on their tour as well. (Elephants, anyone?!) Another option for viewing the falls would be to hike one of the many trails available to visitors. This sounds like a great adventure as well!

When I do finally make it to Africa, Victoria Falls is definitely on my must-see list! (Read more about Victoria Falls here: http://sevennaturalwonders.org/the-original/victoria-falls/).

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 35 – Great Barrier Reef: Because How Could I Not?

Continuing on a bit with the water theme I seem to have started, I decided to mention the Great Barrier Reef today. Because, honestly, on a list of natural wonders/natural beauty, how could I not include it? It’s commonly called one of the seven wonders of the natural world. (By the way, so are the northern lights, which I didn’t even realize when I was writing about them the other day!) This makes me think that traveling to all of the seven wonders of the natural world would be a fun goal. I’m already aiming to travel to all seven continents. Yes- even Antarctica! So far I’ve been to four: North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Perhaps someday I can check Australia off of that list by making a trip to see the Great Barrier Reef!

The Great Barrier Reef is located in the Coral Sea near Queensland Australia. It is impressive for a number of reasons: it’s the only natural wonder visible and recognizable from outer space, it’s the largest coral reef in the world, and the largest, individual formation created by living organisms in the world! It spans over 1600 miles and consists of over 2900 separate reefs. In other words, they don’t call it “Great” for nothing! Read more about the Great Barrier Reef here: http://sevennaturalwonders.org/the-original/great-barrier-reef/.

Scuba and snorkeling are the best ways to see the Great Barrier Reef. I’ve never been scuba diving, but I want to try it someday. (Although I have a little bit of an irrational fear of sharks. And jellyfish. Oh my god I’m terrified of jellyfish! You’d think since I skydive I could handle scuba diving, too!) I know literally nothing about scuba diving right now except that it allows you to go deeper than and stay underwater longer than snorkeling. Have you ever been scuba diving? If so, where? Dreaming about scuba diving at this beautiful natural wonder was definitely a good way to relax during my morning coffee today!

The Great Barrier Reef as viewed beneath the surface!

 

View of the Great Barrier Reef from Above!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 34 – Central America's Deepest Lake!

Thinking about the World’s most beautiful lakes yesterday reminded me of a beautiful lake I’ve been to but would like to visit again someday: Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. In the summer of 2011, I spent two weeks living with a family in Antigua, Guatemala and studying Spanish. On the weekend, I made the trek out to Lake Atitlán and spent a few days learning about the Lake and the local culture and people.

Lake Atitlán has been called one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. It is a very large lake, and the deepest lake in Central America. It’s flanked by volcanoes, and its surrounding land is populated by Mayan villages. There is no road surrounding the lake and connecting these villages. Many of them are only reachable by boat. The small bed and breakfast I stayed at was only accessible by boat, and I spent a whole day boating around the island with a group of new friends. Although solo travel can get a little lonely, it can also be a great way to meet new friends- Guatemala was no exception! (You can read more about Lake Atitlán on its Wikipedia page: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Atitl%C3%A1n). Here are a few pictures from my trip, although pictures, especially my amateur ones on a point-and-shoot camera, definitely do not do this lake justice!

There was a huge algae bloom on the Lake the year I went, and the areas near the shoreline were often full of dead algae, which turned the water brown and smelled not so lovely. Depending on who you asked, this was either a normal cycle of algae blooms, or the result of overpopulation and climate change. I’ll leave that debate to others, but in this picture, if you look closely, you can see some of the streaks of algae near the shoreline.

Although I love traveling, and have been lucky enough to see some amazing places, there aren’t too many places that I would actually make a point of visiting again. This is because there are just so many places I want to see, and time and money are such limited resources. Lake Atitlán, however, is one location on the list of places worth a return visit. Perhaps when Baby Girl is old enough to understand and appreciate the Lake, I’ll take her there and she can enjoy boating around the lake between the different villages. For now, it’s nice to reminisce and look at old pictures of this beautiful lake!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 33 – A Goddess’ Broken Mirror

Today I want to talk about Wuhua Hai, or “Five Flower Lake,” in China. I found this lake on a list of the world’s most beautiful lakes, and I have to agree, judging by this picture, that it deserves a place on that list. (http://all-that-is-interesting.com/worlds-six-most-beautiful-lakes). The colors are beautiful!

This lake is located in Jiuzhaigon National Park, in China. It is part of 108 multicolored lakes which, according to legend, were created when an ancient goddess dropped a mirror from her lover and it broke into 108 pieces. Perhaps the coolest thing about this lake is that the floor of the lake is full of ancient tree trunks. You can see some of them in this picture:

I love water- oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds. There is something so calming about it, and it’s so intriguing how many different colors water can take on. This lake is definitely something I would like to see in person someday. The colors of the water against the colors of the trees are a great contrast!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 32 – A Paintbrush Across the Night Sky - The Northern Lights

When I think of natural beauty, one of the first things that comes to mind is the Northern Lights. I have actually seen these in person before, because I lived in Maine when I was young, and on rare occasions you could catch a glimpse of them. I was only about six or seven years old, so I don’t remember them that well. I do remember thinking they were really amazing (or awesome, or cool, or whatever the “it” word was back then).

Now that I am an adult, I would like to go see them again. However, I want to go somewhere farther north than Maine, and see them in their full magnificence. I found a list of places that are good for viewing the Northern Lights: http://www.fodors.com/news/photos/top-10-places-to-see-the-northern-lights#!1-intro. As you might expect, it includes very northern places like Alaska, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, and so forth.

In case you were wondering (I was), the Northern Lights are caused by collisions between gaseous particles in Earth’s atmosphere with electrically charged particles from the sun that enter Earth’s atmosphere (http://www.northernlightscentre.ca/northernlights.html). Pale green and pink are the most common colors, but red, yellow, green, blue, and violet have also been reported. Check out this picture of this beautiful display:

What do you think? Have you ever seen the Northern Lights? Is it something you would think is worth the trip to see?

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 31 – Month Two: Nature’s Artistry

After spending a month looking at different types of art man created, I thought looking at some natural beauty would be a nice segue from there. After all, there are some spectacular places in nature that even the most talented painter could never truly portray. Even photographs cannot do true justice to some of nature’s best masterpieces. Some things just have to be experienced. Take, for example, Glacier National Park in Montana. I took a road trip there in Summer of 2012. Since there is a gap of a few months between taking the bar exam and getting results, it’s customary to take a “bar trip” during that time. Kind of a last hurrah for those who have finished up law school and are leaving the flexible schedule of being a student behind. Many of my classmates took amazing trips to popular cities in Asia or Europe, but I was short on cash and was feeling the need for some peace and quiet. I decided to drive to a few National Parks, one of which was Glacier. Below is one picture from my trip, taken at the end of a hike on one of Glacier’s many trails. I love this picture, and looking at it always takes me back to that peaceful hike. As beautiful as this picture is, you really have to see this scenery in person to truly take it in.

However, since it’s just not possible to visit every beautiful place I want to go, reading about these places and seeing photographs of them really is the next best thing. We are lucky to live in a time where a few searches on Google can give us information and images of so many places. Learning about the natural beauty on our planet always amazes me, and I feel as though it’s stress relieving to look at photographs of the world’s natural wonders. So, I’m going to spend the next 30 days of morning coffee reflections learning more about some of nature’s art: the beautiful places in nature that take your breath away. Who knows, perhaps I will someday have a chance to travel to some of the places that make it on to my blog. Having some places to dream about is never a bad thing!

Also, this is a great time for me to write about this particular subject, because we are going on vacation in a few weeks to see the Grand Canyon and a few other National Parks. I’ve wanted to see the Grand Canyon for a very long time, so I’m very excited! Once we are on the road, I’ll share some pictures from our trip.

In the meantime, are there any places you have either seen or would like to see that you think are great examples of Nature’s artistry? I’ve been lucky enough to visit some really spectacular places, and I’d love to find more spectacular places to dream about visiting someday!

Here I am on another favorite trip, at the end of a hike up to Norway's Preikestolen, or "Pulpit Rock." 

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 30 – Yes, I Do Like Art

Today is the last day of my Art Month of the Coffee Bean Dreams Project. In case you missed the beginning posts, my plan is to spend each month focusing on a different subject, and art was the first topic. In my initial post about art, I asked the question of whether I even like art. (Read it here: http://www.coffeebeandreams.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-1-do-i-even-like-art.html). I talked about how I’ve always listed “art” as one of my hobbies because I felt that you were supposed to do that, but I wasn’t sure if I really actually enjoyed art.

After spending a month researching just a tiny bit of art over morning coffee, I’ve learned three things. First of all, I do like art. I wouldn’t call myself an expert in any particular area or type of art, and I probably would not impress anyone with my knowledge of anything artistic. However, I have enjoyed spending this month learning new things about I never knew about paintings, different kinds of ancient art, and photography. Which brings me to my second revelation: learning about art is much more enjoyable when you’re learning because you want to and not because you have to for school or something like that. (cue snarky “thanks, Captain Obvious” comment). And third: it’s really fun to discuss art with friends who are also interested in it. I’ve had several people give me their thoughts and opinions on my blog posts over the last month, both commenting on what I wrote and also suggesting art that I might find interesting. This interactive learning has been what really sealed the deal for me. I found that art was so much more enjoyable when I was comparing my thoughts with friends on an honest level rather than trying to impress someone with my interest in or knowledge of art.

I tried to decided today what my favorite piece of art was out of the ones I’ve looked at this month. I don’t know if I can really pick one, but I will say I really enjoyed learning about the Impressionist paintings. I’ve always had a hard time trying to learn about painting, but reading about the Impressionists was interesting to me and I found a lot of paintings I really liked.

So that’s it for Art Month… stay tuned tomorrow for the next 30 day topic. As a final bonus, here’s a painting by Max Beckmann that I really like, Quappi in a Pink Sweater. I’ve had a print of this for years and I love it!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 29 – Surrealist Photography

Yesterday I talked about how photography as an art is evolving. The article I linked (this one: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/nov/16/sean-ohagan-photography-art-form) discussed how the prestigious Deutsche Börse prize in photography was won in 2012 by John Stezaker, who does not even take photographs. (Read his Wikipedia page here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stezaker). Stezaker makes surreal type collages by combining pre-existing images. Here’s an example. It reminds me of the surrealist paintings I looked at a few weeks ago.

Stezaker doesn’t take any of the photographs himself. Instead, he finds and combines things like old postcards So he uses photography, but doesn’t take the photos himself. Does this matter? I don’t think so. Art using found objects is still art. Think of modern art exhibits you've seen. It’s the creativity with which the artist arranges them that matters. I’m not sure calling this type of art “photography” is exactly correct, but what else would you call it? In any case, I think it’s pretty cool.

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 28 – The Changing Face of Photographic Art

I came across an interesting article today on how the digital age is changing photography as an art form. I really liked it and it’s an interesting read if you have a few minutes: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/nov/16/sean-ohagan-photography-art-form. The article discusses the most expensive photograph in the world to date, Andreas Gursky’s Rhein II. The image is digitally manipulated, with a building and dog walkers removed by Photoshop. The photo most recently sold for just over $4.3 Million dollars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_photographs). Honestly, I think the photo is pretty bland. But it’s interesting that it’s basically a fictitious construction of a modern river, impossible to obtain via photograph without digital editing.

Is this art? Photography has switched (is switching?) from the kind of expertise Ansel Adams had into a more digital type of expertise. Photography is more accessible than ever- most of us can take a photo on our cell phone. In fact, all I have to do is shake my Moto X phone twice and it’s instantly ready to snap a photo, so I don’t miss a shot because I was wasting time unlocking the screen and navigating to the camera. But has this overwhelming increase in photography hurt the art more than helped it? Or has it just changed the way artists make photographic art? I think it’s the latter. As the article I linked to states: “[N]o amount of technology will turn a mediocre photographer into a great one. Nor, in conceptual terms, will it transform a bad idea into a good one. For that you would still need to possess a rare set of creative gifts that are still to do with seeing, with deep looking.”

To be an artist, you must still be artistic. Although the way photography as art is perceived has changed, and is changing, good photographs still come from a good creative artist. I’m still not sure what to make of the Rhein II photograph, however!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 27 – We’ll Always Have Paris!

Something I’ve noticed during my brief foray into the world of fine art is that Paris has played a major part in art’s history. This is probably another one of those moments where you are rolling your eyes at me and saying “Yeah, NEWS FLASH, Diana.” But hey, I just never paid enough attention to really notice it before. Anyways, given that Paris has played such a central role in art, I was intrigued when I came across a photographer famous for photographing Paris itself. 

One of the most influential photographers of the 20^th century was a well-known Parisian Photographer, Gyula Halász, who went by the pseudonym “Brassai.” (http://famous-photographers.com/brassai/; http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/BRASSAI.html). Born in Hungary, Brassai’s family spent time in France when he was a young child, and he would eventually become famous for photographing Paris. He had a great interest in art and even studied sculpture and painting at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts. Eventually, Brassai’s path took him back to Paris. He loved the city and photographed it extensively, both by wandering the city at night and by taking pictures of the city’s high society- its intellectuals, operas, and ballets. His first book, Paris de Nuit, showcasing his pictures of Paris at night, was a great success.

Brassai was known for his writing and filmmaking as well, but his photographs of Paris at night were beautiful and are what really captured my attention. Look at a few examples, below:

Xoxo,

Diana