The Painted Pathway by candacebartlett

A colorful clay pathway contrasts with a stormy, dreary morning out in the Painted Hills of Oregon. A few weeks ago I came to the realization that I recently marked my 10th year living in the great Pacific Northwest. Perhaps it isn't too surprising that I have changed a lot since I first moved here, as many people do over time, and I consider myself to be a completely different person from the young woman I was living back in Ohio a little over a decade ago. Almost six years ago to this day I purchased my first SLR and decided to take it on one of my hikes out in the Issaquah Alps. I had no idea how much I would grow to love photographing the nature and landscape around me, or how much the initial hobby would grow into a such a great passion. It's strange for me to think that had I never moved out here, there's a good chance I would have never seen the surreal landscape of the Painted Hills, the lush beauty of the Hoh Rainforest, the rugged, majestic North Cascades and so many other countless incredible places. Some are places that I am lucky to be able to see with my own eyes several times over the course of a year because they are in my backyard. I recently traveled to visit my family and some good old friends in Ohio for a week. It was my home away from home...a place where I grew up, where many of my loved ones are and will always have open arms. When I hopped on my return flight to Washington State and said a sad goodbye to everyone, it was very difficult for me, as it always is, and I miss everyone dearly. Yet, it was also comforting to know that I returned home. It is my home where I discovered my passion in this lifetime...where I met the love of my life and learned what true love is...where I felt, for the very first time, a profound connection and inspiration from the landscape around me. Follow me on Facebook Prints available on my website: http://ift.tt/1sJB0Zn via 500px