NAN SANDERS POKERWINSKI
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HeartWood
A blog about cultivating
creativity, connection and contentment
wherever you are

Oh, The Places We've Been

12/19/2018

12 Comments

 
It's a busy time of year, wouldn't you agree? You've got places to go, people to see. I've got stuff to do. So instead of burdening you with blather, I'm making my holiday gift to you a visual one. Today I'm sharing some favorite photos from our trip out West last fall. 

But before we head West, some photo-related news: Copies of my photo book, "Nature by Nan," are now available for purchase at Hit the Road Joe Coffee Cafe in Croton. The 8x8-inch hardcover book contains 20 of my photos of local flora and fauna.
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I hope to soon add copies of my second photo book, "Nature by Nan, Volume II," and to make both books available for order on this website. Stay tuned.
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Now, let's head out West!
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All aboard the Lake Express for the first leg of the trip, across Lake Michigan
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Leaving Muskegon, headed for Milwaukee
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As we made our way west, some of the scenery was quietly awe-inspiring
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Some of it was downright spooky
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Yet even the desolate scenes had their own kind of beauty
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I developed a fascination for ramshackle structures
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Some especially stunning in their decrepitude
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And I kept an eye out for wildlife, like this pronghorn antelope
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Fargo, North Dakota, provided the prop for our first goofy-tourist photo. The actual chipper used in the movie "Fargo" is inside the visitor center, but this replica is stationed outside for photo ops
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It's always a delight to find art in unexpected places, like this mural in a parking lot in Des Moines, Washington (who knew there was a Des Moines in Washington?)
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And this garage in Spokane
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And this utility box in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
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Also these delightful dandelions in a Coeur d'Alene park
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Lake Coeur d'Alene was dramatic on a blustery day
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Not a day we cared to go flying
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The views from nearby Cataldo mission were more serene
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Like this restful view
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The old mission bell
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Is the light really different out West, or does it only seem that way? The view from this spot overlooking the Columbia River was wondrous
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Another view from the same overlook
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The scenery in nearby Gingko Petrified Forest State Park provided stark contrasts
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The park's landscape is almost other-worldly
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A ferry ride in Washington offered glimpses of Mt. Ranier
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And took us to Kitsap Peninsula, where we visited Point No Point lighthouse
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On the way back to Michigan, we took in this monument to wild horses, designed and created by sculptor David Govedare.
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Little did we know we'd soon encounter the real thing (keep scrolling).
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As long as we're on the subject of monuments, no trip of ours would be complete without visits to oversized roadside attractions. Here's the world's largest buffalo in Jamestown, North Dakota
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And the world's largest sandhill crane in Steele, North Dakota
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You don't have to go to New York to see the Big Apple. This one's in Edgerton, Wisconsin, which is also the home of the world's largest Culver's Restaurant (which I didn't take a picture of because it looked just like every other Culver's, except bigger).
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A highlight of the trip was Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota
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Roosevelt's cabin has been relocated to a site near the visitor center.
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The sweeping vistas are spectacular
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But for me, the critters were at least as much of the attraction
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I could've spent all day watching the prairie dogs' antics (and if you ask Ray, he'll probably tell you it seemed like I did).
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If you tire of watching prairie dogs, you can track down some bison
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Or those feral horses I promised you
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What are some of your standout memories from the past year?
12 Comments
Marsha Reeves
12/19/2018 09:45:00 am

Beautiful Nan! I especially love your photos of the horses. They look so strong!

Reply
Nan
12/19/2018 11:14:00 am

Those are my favorites, too, Marsha. The horses looked so free and powerful.

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Anita Speese
12/19/2018 10:36:02 am

That truly was a gift! Thanks, Nan! Merry Christmas!

Reply
Nan
12/19/2018 11:14:32 am

Thanks, Anita! Merry Christmas to you, too!

Reply
Olive Ann Curl
12/19/2018 01:08:24 pm

I noticed the partial face in the clouds of the dandelion photo! You do such beautiful work 💕

Reply
Nan
12/20/2018 06:23:15 am

Sharp eyes, Olive Ann! I hadn't noticed the face, but now I see it. Woo-woo!

Reply
Sue Schneider
12/19/2018 05:26:35 pm

Beautiful images! The horses are so intriguing, strong, powerful, free.

Reply
Nan
12/20/2018 06:24:15 am

Also fearless. I thought I was stationed well away from them, but they came so close I couldn't use my long lens any more!

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Janet Glaser
12/20/2018 04:43:48 am

What a lovely gift. Your gorgeous photos and travelogue certainly started this rainy day off right. Congrats on your photo books!! What a great gift for Christmas!
<a href=http://jqrose.com>JQ Rose</a>

Reply
Nan
12/20/2018 06:25:42 am

Thanks, Janet. I loved making the photo books. Of course, that's another open-ended project. Once I've made a few, I keep wanting to make more . . . and more . . . and more.

Reply
Susan Stec
12/22/2018 05:01:09 am

Making memories- Beautiful.

Reply
Nan
12/22/2018 06:16:10 am

Yes, indeed. Thanks, Susan.

Reply



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    Nan Sanders Pokerwinski, a former journalist, writes memoir and personal essays, makes collages and likes to play outside. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, Ray.

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