Best Photo of 2020 That Reflects the past as It Looks to the Future

Circle of Life Sculpture, Charolais Corridor Trail, © Barbara Radisavljevic, 2020

 Is this the best photo I took in 2020? It's the best one to show the contrast between past and the future I hope for in 2021. It features Robert Roemisch's metal sculpture, "Circle of Life" which you can find at the beginning of the Charolais Corridor Trail in Paso Robles. That trail happens to be behind the tract where I live, so I walk it often, usually in the late afternoon or as the sun is setting. 

You can see in the sculpture that life goes on. The dark cloud of 2020 with all its storms seems to be disappearing into the horizon and leaving the sky above it clear and blue. I hope this will be the case. I hope some of the conflict and death that marked 2020 will be replaced with seeing what we have in common, the end of the pandemic, and a return to normal life. 

That being said, those things aren't under our control. We control only our own thoughts and the  actions that spring from them. Whatever is ahead, I will trust God to bring good out of it. I will pray my leaders will be wise in their decisions and seek divine wisdom. I will try to do what's right with what I have and in the way I treat people. All that God requires of me and others is to do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him. (Micah 6:8) And that's what I want to do. 

Let's all walk courageously into 2021 and see what awaits us. 

In case you're wondering, the most popular post on this blog in 2020 of the six I wrote was this one: Spring Begins with Wet Sidewalks and Gray Clouds. 

This blog is part of the City Daily Photo Blogger Network. See what other members considered their best photo of 2020, the theme for this January. 

How Blue Is The Sky?

The Sky Turns Every Shade of Blue

Dying Cottonwood Tree at Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

City Daily Photo Bloggers are answering the challenge this month to show what the color blue represents to them. The first thing that comes to mind for me is the sky. It's always above me, I see it every day, and it's been every shade of blue I can imagine. For any regular reader of this blog, it's no secret I'm a sky watcher. The sky is what I photograph most often.

In the photo above we see a light blue transitioning into a darker blue. It provides a contrasting background to show off the dying cottonwood tree at Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles.

A Deeper Blue

Blue Sky Over My Rose Garden, © B. Radisavljevic

I often photograph the sky in from my own yard -- especially as sundown approaches. I took this shot from the rose garden in my backyard. I'm guessing I took it in late afternoon. I liked the way the clouds were making a horseshoe around that patch of sky.

The photo below was taken before a rainstorm. I also took this one in my backyard. It was taken after our late afternoon meal on a November day. The blues are lighter with tinges of gray in places. I consider clouds part of the sky.

Sky Just Before a Rainstorm, © B. Radisavljevic

I took this next shot while walking the Charolais Corridor Trail at Dusk. Together the clouds and sky provide many shades of blue.

Charolais Corridor Trail at Dusk in May, © B. Radisavljevic

Blue Sky in My Zazzle Wall Art

 Morro Rock, Fishing Boats and the Embarcadero Canvas Print Poster: Tree against cloudy blue sky. Poster

Birds Love the Sky

I find it hard to catch birds in flight. They are usually too quick for me. Here's one I did catch in a very blue sky.

Bird in Sky Over Paso Robles Wine Country, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a crow I caught in flight.

See the full story behind this photo. © B. Radisavljevic

Usually I can catch birds high in a tree or on a wire. The shade of blue is a bit lighter in this photo of the bird at the top of this oak tree.

Bird at Top of Oak Tree, © B. Radisavljevic

This one is on a high wire.

Bird on High Wire, © B. Radisavljevic

Kites Also Belong in the Sky

The sky was very blue when we found this family flying a stunt kite at Moonstone Beach. I'd never seen a dual-string kite before and loved watching this.





I hope you've enjoyed our sky trek. There are more views of the blue sky in these related posts. Enjoy!

See how other City Daily Photo bloggers posted to this theme. 


Related Posts

Sky Journal with Day of Sporadic Showers: This past post shows everything from deep blues to grayish blues in the sky.

Down by the Station and Welcome Sunshine: This shows how the sky changed from late morning until sundown in several spaced shots on the day after a rainstorm. Lots of deep blue in these shots.

Old Wives' Tale Disproved: Have you bought into this folklore?

"The Circle of Life" on the Charolais Corridor Trail

Best or Favorite Photo of 2018?

This month's theme gives us a lot of leeway. But since we begin a new year today, I decided to chose Robert Roemisch's metal sculpture, "The Circle of Life," to feature. I've always liked this sculpture. It's the first thing that people notice on the eastern entrance to the Charolais Corridor Trail in Paso Robles. The trail itself leads to the River Walk along the Salinas River as it runs through Paso Robles. Roemisch wanted people walking the trail to be aware of the river's environmental and educational value as well as just enjoying it as a place to exercise. 

Over the years I have taken many photos of this sculpture. I like this one, taken at dusk, because it emphasizes the silhouette animals in the circle. It also serves as a window to allow a look through the center at the plants on the other side. I've never yet seen a bear along this trail, but I have seen plenty of rabbits. Most of them detect me and run away before I can capture them with a camera. 



Happy New Year!

See the favorite photos of other City Daily Photo Bloggers here. 

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God!

I Marvel at the Variations of a Single Sunset

Last evening I was chasing sunsets, as you know from yesterday's post. I got distracted when I saw an unexpected balancing act and wrote about that instead, only sharing a couple of the sunset photos. Sunsets change when you look in a different direction and as minutes pass. By the time I finished last night's photo shoot, I had 210 photos of just the sunset. It's really hard to pick only a few to show you. Here's one taken early in my walk. All photos were taken from Larry Moore Park or the Charolais Corridor Trail in Paso Robles.

I don't have a telescope or understand how every cloud is formed and what it means, but I cannot look up at a sunset without being in awe of my creator.

Pictures Cannot Do the Sky Justice

I can only share a bit of the glory of God here. 

Seeing a series of photos is like seeing pictures of food without being able to smell or taste it. To fully appreciate the splendor of the setting sun you need to be outside looking up in all directions. You need to keep looking until the sun is down. But all I can offer is the pictures, not the sky. So here are more photos. While you look at them, listen to the choir sing "The Heavens are Telling the Glory of God" by Joseph Haydn. The video is illustrated with photos by photographer Robert Stephens.





If you enjoy that music, you can download an even better version of it on MP3 or get the whole album, which is full of some of the greatest hymns of the Christian church.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth! Psalm 8:1

When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established; what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him? Psalm 8: 3-4

Here's another song that comes to mind as I look at these photos and whenever I see a sunset. It was inspired by Psalm 19.



Several versions of this song can be found on MP3 for download at Amazon. I like the Azusa Pacific Version best because I like choral music.

Now back to the sky show!

We are finally beginning to see some pink now.

From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised.! The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!   Psalm 113: 3-4                                                                                              

 `

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God upon the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds, he prepares rain for the earth, he makes grass grow upon the hills. Psalm 147: 7-8

The sun has almost disappeared now.  Let's listen to "Taps" as it sets.

Lyrics to first verse of "Taps." See the rest in the video above. Photo © B. Radisavljevic

If you know someone who might enjoy this, please share it. And next time you see the sun about to set on a cloudy day, spend a few minutes watching it. A sunset nourishes the soul. 

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An Unexpected Daring Exhibition

You Never Know What You'll See When You Take a Walk

Tonight I went out to Larry Moore Park to chase the sunset. It appeared the sky would be beautiful. I left as the sun was just beginning to set. There was just enough left to wink at me from the sky behind the clouds.

As I walked, the sky grew more magnificent by the minute. As I stood at the entrance to the Charolais Corridor Trail across from the park, I saw an eye of blue in the middle of the gray and I wanted to chase it. But as I started toward it, I saw this. Of course, I stopped to watch.

I haven't seen anything like this since I was a kid and we used to walk from yard to yard on the tops of block fences. But this young man is walking only on the tops of supports that have nothing in between them. We didn't do that as kids. Did you? Let's watch this in video, which the young man gave me permission to record and publish.




By the  time my camera started to record he was almost across, but you get the idea. Here's a larger view of the balancing act. It's the perfect size to share on Pinerest if you would like others to see this.

When is the last time you did anything like this?

As for the patch of blue I'd been chasing before I stopped to watch this daring feat, here it is. 

Enjoy your day. May it bring you pleasant surprises. 


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The World Beyond My Office

My Reality Has to Go Beyond What I Can See on my Computer Screen

Sometimes when I have a lot of writing to get done, it's hard to remember a world beyond my office. Yes, my husband interrupts to ask me to find things or do computer tasks for him. The phone rings and sometimes I have to answer it. But when I'm alone in the house and no one enters my office door but me, it's easy to forget there is a world outside the house when I'm working inside.

Most of the day I'm happy to have the time for productive work. But when late afternoon rolls around, I get antsy. I look outside my office window and see the tree above. Something happens inside me that almost catapults me out the door. Maybe it's the knowledge that a gorgeous sunset is on the way and I need to photograph it.

Maybe it's hearing the train whistle and knowing it will soon be roaring on the other side of the river overlooking the park. Of course I need to take a picture.

Sometimes I take to the garden and pull a few weeds, prune, or deadhead a few flowers just to get out into the world beyond my walls. Sometimes I even discover something new that God planted, like these seedlings nestled among the weeds, behind the Lamb's Ears. I believe they are either borage or mullein, but I won't know for a while. They may even be clary sage. They all resemble each other at this stage. When I know for sure I'll know what to do with them. What I do know is that they aren't weeds.

I can do most of these activities without leaving my yard. All of them help me ground myself and connect to my Creator and the world around me.

When I'm Especially Restless I Need to Go Farther 

That usually means I take a photo walk in Larry Moore Park like I did Saturday. I usually take these walks in late afternoon or early evening before dark. That's when I feel like I will jump out of my skin if I don't go somewhere outside.

This is a scene from my Saturday walk. Unfortunately, it was too dark to capture a photo of the bunny ahead of me on the trail. I came home from that walk better able to relax and get a good night's sleep.

Another easy walk is the Charolais Corridor Trail. I get a new perspective every time I walk the trail, depending on the season, the time of day, and who else is on the trail. I've been walking this trail since it opened a few years ago. This photo of the east entrance was taken on January 30, 2013 when the trail was still almost new. The trail begins on South River Road and ends on the western side across from the entrance to Larry Moore Park and the Salinas River Trail.

 Sometimes it's the practical matters that make me leave my office -- those pesky doctor appointments, labs tests, or errands. I often choose the early evening to shop. That's what I did tonight to get out. These appointments and errands aren't as much fun as photo walks, but I can still find nature in the landscaping, and the sky is always above as I walk to and from my car and wherever I'm going.

A Dose of Nature Usually Settles My Restlessness

Those sunsets I see between my trees every night help a lot. The sky always helps me remember how big my universe it and how powerful the One who controls it. I feel much less confined after a healthy dose of sky. And I can see sky anywhere I go outside.

Where do you go when you get cabin fever and need to get out of the house?

Sky Photos from Charolais Corridor Trail at Dusk

Back on the Charolais Corridor Trail for a Photo Walk

Life has prevented me from doing much walking in these past few months, but tonight I couldn't stand being confined and so I walked. I drove to the trailhead of the Charolais Corridor Trail across from Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles, camera in hand, as the sun was beginning to set. The weather was just right for a walk. 

Sundown from Charolais Corridor Trail, © B. Radisavljevic

Photos of The Sky from the Trail

I will show these sky photos in the order in which I took them so you can imagine you are walking with me. All photos, watermarked or not, are my intellectual property and may not be used without my written permission.

As I started my walk along the trail, a solid band of clouds was just in front of me above the treetops. As you will see later, the color deepened as the sun got lower and disappeared.

A Band of Clouds across The Sky Over the Trail, © B. RadisavljevicAs you 

As you look at these photos you will notice I love tree silhouettes against the sky, as in the photo below.

Golden Stripe of Sunset behind Tree Silhouette, © B. Radisavljevic

I also like unusual cloud formations like this one. I saw it from many different angles as I walked. It was always in front of me or off to the right of the trail. Here it appears to be disappearing into the oaks below it.

V-Shaped Cloud Formation on South Side of Trail, © B. Radisavljevic

The trail runs between two housing areas: Riverbank on the north side and the rural properties, many of them small farms, that face onto Oak Lane on the south side. The palm is in one of the yards in the Riverbank tract.

Palm in Yard Across the Fence Along Trail with Clouds Behind, © B. Radisavljevic

I was not alone on the trail tonight. Two families passed me with their dogs. I thought the boy was going to have to carry the little black dog. It was stubbornly refusing to keep walking. Finally, it decided to follow, but only after much urging.

Company on the Trail, © B. Radisavljevic

These large trees are on the side where the small farms are. I love their silhouettes as the sky darkens.

Whisps of Clouds behind Tree Silhouettes, © B. Radisavljevic

This is the same band of clouds I showed you earlier, but now some time has passed. Both its color and shape have changed a bit.

Band of Clouds Across Trail Is Turning Pink, © B. Radisavljevic

There are many more pictures I could have shown you -- over a hundred -- but this is enough to give you an idea of what you missed. This last photo was taken after I returned to the entrance. The trees are on the end of Riverbank Lane, near where I parked. If you live in Paso Robles and haven't walked this trail yet, it's very manageable -- even for those with disabilities. It's mostly level, and you can see it is paved with concrete. Walkers do need to watch out for cyclists, though. I often encounter them here.

Back to Where I Started as It Begins to Get Dark, © B. Radisavljevic

If you enjoyed these photos, why not share them on Pinterest?

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