A lecture and slideshow about an iconic photographer...

I had the day off today and after another hearty breakfast, decided to go for a ride. Trotting wore me out last week, so I opted for a loping (canter) ride today. In addition to the wrangler, ones of my favorites, there were three guests and me. Who doesn't love a guy in chaps?

I rode a sweet horse named Serenity today. She had a smooth gait and wasn't as round as the last horse I rode. I'll canter any day over trotting too.... much more comfortable ride ;)

We crossed flat meadows, climbed through sage brush, over a ridge and thick pine forest, through 2-3 deep, rushing rocky creeks, across 2 narrow bridges and looped back around through the park and onto ranch property after 2 1/2 hours. The morning was perfect, around 65 degrees, sunny and breezy.

 

Back at the lodge, I captured this butterfly grabbing a drink at our lemonade cooler ;)

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Dr. Michael Adams, son of iconic photographer Ansel Adams. It took place inside Grand Teton National Park at the Visitor Center, 9 miles from the ranch. It was a ticketed event (albeit free) and "sold out" online almost immediately last month. I was fortunate to attend. I don't remember when or where I first heard of Ansel Adams, but one of his striking black and white photographs of Big Sur hung on the wall somewhere where I lived or worked in my 20s, and I have always been drawn to his images and dramatic style of photography.

   At age 83, Ansel's son Dr. Adams is a retired Internist and Major General in the Air Force as well as the Chairman of the Board of the Ansel Adams Galleries in Yosemite where he grew up. He and his wife travel extensively giving lectures and slide presentations about his father's life and work. He was very personable, and when I approached him to ask for a photo, he extended his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Michael." I told him I had attended photography school in Atlanta in the early 90s and written a paper about his father, and he said he had just given a lecture near Atlanta recently in a small gallery there.

There was a reception before the presentation, and they served smoked bison, venison, elk sausage and duck tartare! So Wyoming...

The presentation included many slides of his father's work, personal stories about growing up as the son of a famous photographer and mother Virginia Best and pack trip on donkeys into national parks, as well as family photos. Apparently, Ansel Adams had planned to be a pianist and played very well, and we were treated to some 1945 recordings of his music that were recorded in NY and only recently presented to his family. At some point, his talent as a photographer surpassed his musical skills, and the rest is history. His stunning images of Yosemite, Taos, the Sierra Nevada the Tetons contributed greatly to some of those areas being designated as national parks. He was close friends with artist Georgia O'Keefe and also got to know the Rockefellers in the course of his travels throughout the west. Ansel Adams passed away in 1984, leaving his son to carry on his legacy. What a treat this was for a girl who loves to take pictures! Leaving the Visitor Center, I noticed this little plaque. More on this topic later.

As I crept back home through the park at dusk along the Moose Wilson Road, I looked for wildlife and enjoyed another beautiful sunset. Sadly, an adult black bear and a grizzly cub were killed over the weekend, both hit by cars in GTNP! ;(