Taking in Life Around Me....#Sundaystills : Stark

This #sundaystills challenge is hosted by Terri from Second Wind Leisure. It's a great themed photography challenge that you'll enjoy. I love seeing the other participants interpretation of the theme each week...it causes me to think outside the box. I joined in hopes of it pushing me to get out and take more photos...I have to some degree, but I also like that Terri is okay with us finding photos in our archives, which is also a lot of fun. So check out my photos and then head over to Terri's page to participate or visit other's posts. There are some awesome contributors who always inspire me.

This weeks theme is "stark". I'm beginning this post ahead of time and I find myself pondering how to interpret this prompt. Stark is defined as severe or bare of appearance or outline. Similar words are bald, bare, basic. I think of the phrase "stark contrast". When I was in HS one of my good friends was fair and blond, where I was olive complected and had dark brown hair. One of our teachers called us salt and pepper. 

It's now Monday and I'm still scratching my head. I tend to avoid photos of things that I would be defined as "stark". I did find a few in my archives so we'll go with that. 

We don't really get this kind of snow where we live, but in Central Oregon in 2010 there was 2 feet of snow when we arrived and it snowed the entire time we were there. Away from the houses the landscape was covered in snow. 

Areas of Central Oregon (a place we love to visit) have, I suppose what would be considered "stark landscape". Above photo and below are on our drive to Sunriver, Oregon. I have always loved seeing this little church. 

In 2017 we took a trip to Central Oregon during a wildfire...the stark landscape below and the "stark reality" of the impact of fires on the quality of air. Above is the red moon one evening, and below, on our drive there, smoke takes over the sky. We checked the air quality daily. 

Another stark reality..the effects of Mt. St. Helens blowing..while it's been many years, you can still see the change in the landscape and it this photo it just looks so bare around it. This photo was taken a couple years ago.

Stark reminders of the past? This fireplace was found in the woods on a hike on Anderson Island. So fascinating. It's all that remains of what was known as Jacobs Homestead in 1916. 

In April this was still pretty dried up, I'm wondering if in the summer after the snow melt, how full this gets...at the base of Mt. Rainier. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin