Beautiful, followed by beautiful and dangerous, followed by beautiful and dangerous and loud.

Wow.
Wow
Wow

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In gratitude forever … .

Truly astonishing!

I hope for Mrs. Whistler's sake that you didn't take the latter two.

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Oh my!

That last pic is just incredible, Whistler!

I am fascinated with the form and power of tornadoes............fascinated and terrified at the same time, actually. Tolkien wrote of "terrible beauty", and for me, that's exactly how I feel whenever I see photos and films of them. Living where I do, I've only seen their distant cousins, water spouts, rising up from the ocean on occasion.



And then I turn the boat around and hightail it in the opposite direction!

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Who could be so lucky? Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.
Jalal ad-Din Rumi

One of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my life. Anyone recognize it? (Hint: It is not in the United States)

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In gratitude forever … .

Is that Lake Louise?

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Who could be so lucky? Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.
Jalal ad-Din Rumi

Indeed it is, my dear Athrabeth. When I was a teenager, I went on a "teen tour" that made a loop through the western part of North America (mostly in the U.S, needless to say). So many beautiful places! But the two main places that stood out in my memory more then any others were Yosemite and Lake Louise/Banff.

I'd give you a prize for answering the question, but the prize is my friendship, and you already had that in spades.

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In gratitude forever … .

Ooooooo...........I LIKE teh shiny prize!

The colour of Lake Louise is quite astonishing, isn't it? I've seen it a couple of times, and once it looked just like liquid emerald, and the other time, more like milky turquoise. I think it depends on the light and season.

Yesterday, I noticed that all the maidenhair ferns in my garden are now soggy brown bracken.

So, in anticipation of their spring awakening:

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Who could be so lucky? Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.
Jalal ad-Din Rumi

Some things are more beautiful than a photo can capture.

For years I assumed pictures of Crater Lake were retouched to heighten the blue into impossibility. That was pretty common in the 1960s and '70s. Then I finally saw it:



Yes, it is that exact, impossible blue. This is not my photo, because our photos were all "corrected" down to ordinary blue by the photo processor. I hope to go back soon with a digital camera.

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Wow, that's is an amazing blue!

Lovely mountains, Voronwë - I know several people who've been to Canada, they all went to Lake Louise/Banff and they all come back ! I want to go there, too, I think!

And yet, again my love for the beauty of the smallest things comes through: speechless and awed at your pic, Ath!

While we are on the subject of mountains: this is a favourite postcard a friend sent me earlier this year. I usually display cards I get for a while, but I'm keeping this one still leaning to a bowl on my sideboard, because I noticed that when I light a candle on the sideboard the light in the picture seems to come to life.



As to where this is, it's another guessing game for you!

I'd have to guess the Alps, but that is only a guess. I'll say the Matterhorn, though I am sure that is not right.

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In gratitude forever … .

Nah, VERY far away from that!

Okay, then the Himalayas.

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In gratitude forever … .

New Zealand? The photo certainly has the flavor of some parts of the films.

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Prim's got it right!

It's Aoraki/Mount Cook in Mount Cook National Park!

Here's a and a for a prize!

B-but I never win anything!

I'd like to thank the Academy. . . .

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

w00t!

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In gratitude forever … .

With such a moving speech, there should be a real prize cup:

Prim!

My husband and I got to Crater Lake on a camping holiday once. "Impossible blue" is a wonderful way to describe its colour. The closest blue that I can think of is that of lapis lazuli, which is my very favourite gem, which although classified as "semi-precious", is most definitely precious to me!

Hobby, I'm always impressed with how big New Zealand looks in pictures (and movies ), when it looks so dang small on maps!

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Who could be so lucky? Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.
Jalal ad-Din Rumi

I really should put this in Memories.

When I was very small ... about 4, I think, my mother and I came across a sight very much like this one. The forest floor carpeted with bluebells with beech trees (still, my most beloved tree of all) shimmering on an early spring day. I don't remember, but she always said I turned to her with a strangely awed expression and said, "We're in fairy-land now."
But I still remember the feeling and I can still see the bluebells and those trees.

I do so love trees.

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Ever mindful of the maxim that brevity is the soul of wit, axordil sums up the Sil:


"Too many Fingolfins, not enough Sams."

Yes.