Ice Cream Sunrise by Bodhi Smith

Feb 26, 2021

"ice cream sunrise" a brand new impression and blog from me...
 
"high up in the eastern sierra just before sunrise, pink and purple pastels glow in the morning sky, reflecting their soft colors onto the fresh fallen snow...creating a colorful impression looking like strawberry mountains with a blue moon ice cream stream coming down from them, flowing through a valley of strawberry ice cream, with pools of hot water giving off purple colored ube ice cream steam...it's magical, like a tasty scene out of a willie wonka dream" ― bodhinku, ice cream sunrise
 
"ice cream fills up my vision, cold blocks in a multitude of hues, each one of them so frozen until a touch of warmth transforms them into sweetness" ― angela abraham
 
"i want to be pink, my love, alone with a syllable
of mangled silver, alone with a tip
of your breast of snow at sunrise" ― pablo neruda  
 
"there's a moment in every sunrise when light floats, there's the possibility of magic. creation holds its breath" ― douglas adams, the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
    
"the sun shines not on us, but in us" ― john muir, the unpublished journals
 
"i’m beginning to recognise that real happiness isn’t something large and looming on the horizon ahead, like a grand landscape photograph. but it's instead something small, numerous and already here. a deep breath. the smile of someone you love. a decent breakfast. a pink sunrise. playing frisbee with your doggie. the warm sunset. a goodnight kiss... your little everyday joys all lined up in a row" ― beau taplin (with additions by bodhinku), remedy
 
"sometimes, when we just look at nature and breathe, we often feel excited or unstoppable, and that is how we should also see new beginnings. we should feel good about starting over, the dawn of a new day, being refreshed. we should never let anything stop us from following our visions and taking the path to our dreams at sunrise" ― bodhinku, refreshed
 
this first song selection is an instrumental piece from a band who never does instrumentals...a beautiful rendition of modern rock that has the profound feeling of a colorful sunrise, deeply touching and fulfilling, the soul of soft pastel colors can be felt through the notes of this tune...this musical piece is both powerful and delicate at the same time...just a wow, just a wow... "sunrise" by coldplay ... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....
 
"to my surprise and my delight, i saw a sunrise. i saw a sunlight. i am nothing in the dark. and the clouds burst to show the daylight. ooh, and the sun will shine, yeah, on this heart of mine. ooh, and i realize who cannot live without, who come apart without it...on a hilltop, on the sky rise. like a first born child on a full day. on a full flight defeat darkness. breaking the daylight, ooh, and the sun will shine, yeah, on this heart of mine. ooh, and i realize who cannot live without, who come apart without daylight, slowly breaking through the daylight (slowly breaking through the daylight)..." ― coldplay, daylight
 
"there's an ice cream party in my house, an ice cream party in my house, please come over. there's no end to the ways that we can play and play and play, so please come over there's no end to the day..." ― modest mouse, ice cream party
 
"if i had a wish that i could wish for you, i'd make a wish for sunshine for all the while...sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy. sunshine in my eyes can make me cry. sunshine on the water looks so lovely. sunshine almost all the time makes me high" ― john denver, sunshine on my shoulders
 
"pink is a beautiful color, because it is one of the colors that the sun makes at twilight and in the dawn" ― c. joybell c.
 
"combine a fog machine and an ice cream maker to create delicious mystery. this is the heart of romance" ― jarod kintz, this book is not for sale
 
"i gazed at the mountain skyline. it was vibrant and alive, its pastel shades of pink and violet swirling together like billowy layers of ice cream. of all the places i’d been in my life, mountain sunrises were spectacular, the grandest i’d ever seen" ― cheryl bradshaw, hush now baby
 
"how sweet the morning air is! see how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo" ― arthur conan doyle, sherlock holmes
 
"if they ever saw a sunrise on a mountain morning...watched those ice cream colors roll by...they'd know why i live beneath these western skies" ― chris ledoux, western skies
 
"so much fun, so beautiful, so silent and calm, white whispers amidst the silence of the snowflakes...i know i was meant to see this and be at this spot, at this very moment in time...it was meant to be, so perfect a scene to capture with my camera for others to see and experience with my heart and soul...i was lucky, but it was not luck" ― bodhinku, silence of the snowflakes  
 
"seeing the virgin snow falling, suddenly a coolness surrounds you and you need not be false because there is no other human being to be false to. you fall together" ― osho, zen: the path of paradox 
 
"the snow is lovely because it has only one colour...and the snow is deep and knows its own qualities" ― paulo coelho, the zahir
 
"advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind" ― samuel taylor coleridge  
 
"life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away" ― vicki corona, tahitian choreographies
 
"nature is quiet with its white whispers. time stops. i can see the snowflakes floating, gently falling with no effort, no fuss. like this, i just close my eyes and allow my thoughts to fall gently into emptiness, disappearing without any effort, falling through the peaceful silence of the snowflakes" ― bodhinku, white whispers amidst the silence of the snowflakes
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MEANING
"as the sun was rising, everything surrounding me was cold, but looking so sweet, smooth, creamy and tasty. the thought of photographing such beauty was making me tingle all over in anticipation, warming me inside. what i saw before my eyes made me feel like a little boy again, eyeing a tall three-scoop ice cream cone made with my favorite flavors" ― bodhinku, ice cream sunrise 
 
this image is another revisit to my old playgrounds in the eastern sierra. my happy place where i would go as often as i could to split-boarder the mountain backcountry and snowboard down peaks from the late 1990s through around 2011, most often with my faithful doggie, the dude (grhs: dec 2003- may 2018)...
 
up until this winter, i had not been creating images from anywhere which had snow and mountains in them...almost had the feeling i was being unfaithful to my old pup anytime i went up into the mountain snow with out him, our old stomping grounds...even as i type this blog, i so awfully miss the dude, who passed away in may of 2018...
 
but i'm very much okay with revisiting the mountains again, only now with my new pup, besos...
 
more impactfully, though, is that i've come to a reckoning in my life. led by a major positive force inside myself that's instilled a refreshed vigor and desire to go out into the mountains, out into the snow, out into the white wintry landscapes of the eastern sierra and pursue visions in my head from my past experiences, impressions in my mind's eye reflecting my devoted love of this beautiful part of the world...scenes in my psyche from fond memories that i can now go back and rediscover, and then capture for others to see with my camera lens...
 
in all my years up in the mountains as a backcountry splitboarder, i've seen countless sunrises while climbing peaks on dawn patrol...and now i'm recognizing just how much i've truly missed all those beautiful sunrises over these mountains in recent years. it's been a glaring omission in my life that i'm now realizing was a huge void that i longed to fill...
 
how can you not fall in love with the spectacular sunrises over the eastern sierra? especially in the winter when there's always more pink and purple colors floating through the air just before the sun comes up...
 
i used to dream of mornings like this, and then i would fulfill that dream by getting up and getting out into the mountains to literally experience and live the dream with my own eyes...and with the adventure to get to this spot that you see here, it was nice to do it all over once again, and live in a real dream...
 
on this morning, a massive winter storm had just passed through the day previous and covered everything for as far as you could see in a white blanket of snow. the air was frigid and the misty wind had quite a bite to it. it was bitterly cold, like being in a deep freezer with the door closed. but as the sun was rising, my mind paid no attention to my shivering body, because my eyes were filling up with such sweetly rich eye cream so picturesque...
 
the sky was transforming into a palette of pastel colors floating above my head. the glowing pink sky was reflecting on all the snow, turning it into strawberry ice cream. the steam was rising from the hot water pools in soft purple hues reminiscent of ube ice cream. the water in the creek was shimmering teal blue in the brisk morning light, appearing like smooth flowing blue moon ice cream. all such a dreamy scene from a fairy tale, an ice cream sunrise...
 
so breathtaking that all i could do was sigh in grateful happiness. and despite the bone chilling cold enveloping me, everything surrounding me was warming my soul like a big tasty mouthful of a three-scoop ice cream cone. how can anyone not be sporting a huge smile from ear to ear?
 
"the sky aglow in soft pastels. a teal mountain stream with rising lavender steam, everything surrounded by fluffy pink snow...such a dream" ― bodhinku, ice cream sunrise
 
and this tune is so deeply beautiful, singing about how a dawning sunrise can shine the light on a belief in love, glow upon a hope of something so beautiful in your life, ending the song with the spoken words "you are what you love": "daylight" by taylor swift ... (just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)...
 
"my love was as cruel as the cities i lived in. everyone looked worse in the light. there are so many lines that i've crossed unforgiven. i'll tell you the truth, but never goodbye. i don't wanna look at anything else now that i saw you. i don't wanna think of anything else now that i thought of you. i've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night, and now i see daylight, i only see daylight...luck of the draw only draws the unlucky. and so i became the butt of the joke. i wounded the good and i trusted the wicked. clearing the air, i breathed in the smoke. maybe you ran with the wolves and refused to settle down. maybe i've stormed out of every single room in this town, threw out our cloaks and our daggers because it's morning now. it's brighter now, now...i don't wanna look at anything else now that i saw you (i can never look away). i don't wanna think of anything else now that i thought of you (things will never be the same). i've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night (now i'm wide awake) and now i see daylight (daylight), i only see daylight (daylight). i only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight. i only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight. and i can still see it all (in my mind). all of you, all of me (intertwined). i once believed love would be (black and white). but it's golden (golden) and i can still see it all (in my head). back and forth from new york (singing in your bed). i once believed love would be (burning red), but it's golden like daylight, like daylight, like daylight, daylight. i don't wanna look at anything else now that i saw you (i can never look away). i don't wanna think of anything else now that i thought of you (things will never be the same). i've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night (now i'm wide awake). and now i see daylight (i see daylight), i only see daylight (ah). i only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight. i only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight (ah). i only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight. i only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight...like daylight, it's golden like daylight. you gotta step into the daylight and let it go, just let it go, let it go. i wanna be defined by the things that i love, not the things i hate, not the things that i'm afraid of, i'm afraid of. not the things that haunt me in the middle of the night. i, i just think that you are what you love" ― taylor swift, daylight  
 
"change is extremely difficult, it is so scary, and it will feel like going through a bleak and never-ending winter. but once you’ve accepted that there is no other way to go but change for the better, you will start to see the world in a brighter way...you will see the snow as being beautiful; the cold as being crisp and refreshing; the gray clouds as being blankets of protection; so embrace the needed changes, your life will be refreshingly refreshed with a fresh new outlook on life...the refreshed feeling of living life as your true self is the teal river in the pink valley of life" ― bodhinku, refreshingly fresh
 
"rising with the sun, the eastern sierra puts on a show, 
floating pink and purple pastels in the sky glow, 
reflecting their soft colors onto the fresh fallen snow.  
creating a colorful impression that speaks, 
looking like strawberry mountain peaks. 
coming down, a blue moon ice cream stream, 
giving off purple colored ube ice cream steam,  
flowing through a valley of strawberry ice cream... 
making magic, like a tasty scene out of a willie wonka dream." ― bodhinku, ice cream sunrise
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MORE BODHIKU QUOTES
and now here are a few more quotes about peace and the snow from bodhinku from past blogs to help add to the deeper meaning of this blog today...  
 
"i can feel the sun, though i can't see her. and just because she has disappeared for a little while, doesn't mean that i can't still feel her warmth and love reflected in everything i see...even through all this darkness of mine, can't you feel the sun too?" ― bodhinku, can't you feel the sun?
 
"so what do you have to look forward to right now? you have everything, just cherish the sound of sunshine coming down, and the glowing smells of nature on the breeze, and all the colorful graces your body gets to feel...you are alive, embrace it...enjoy the simple basic fundamental of not being dead...love what you have right now, live your best day today, and tomorrow will be better, i guarantee it..." ― bodhinku, the sound of sunshine
 
"everything was so hushed by the blanket of snow, i was being politely slapped in the face with a resounding quietude filled with such alluring and irresistible wonders that my soul was blushing..." ― bodhinku, hushed
 
"in the calm all becomes better, like new fallen snowflakes quieting a landscape in a solitude of white whispers...when you infuse silence within your mind, calm within your heart, and simply let go, a peaceful warmth will blanket you. your soul will blossom into new depths of beauty" ― bodhinku, white whispers
 
"one of the thoughts that popped into my mind: i was quite sure that i was hearing white whispers as each snowflake fell down to become a part of the quiet white blanket covering everything" ― bodhinku, white blanket of whispers
 
"have you ever noticed how peaceful the world seems after a good snowfall? how a hush falls over the landscape whenever it snows? it's silent as the snow is falling down, and so serene and quiet after the heavy snowfall blankets everything...it's not just your mind playing tricks on you, snow absorbs sound, it's a true scientific phenomena..." ― bodhinku, quiet of the snow
 
"that silence that falls over the world after a fresh snowfall is likely only temporary, as fleeting as the beauty of newly fallen snow, which is all the more reason to get out there and find some snow, and experience it rather than just admiring it from a computer screen" ― bodhinku, silence of the snow
 
"breathe. exhale. listen to the sound of sunshine coming down. feel the wonderful silence. walk your path. smile. it's a beautiful day" ― bodhinku, beautiful sunshine
 
"fresh air. a fresh point of view. fresh brewed coffee. fresh legs. fresh squeezed orange juice. being fresh as a mountain's stream. market fresh. fresh chocolate chip cookies. a fresh mind. fresh baked bread. fresh water. fresh fallen snow. a fresh start to a new day" ― bodhinku, sunrise  
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STORY BEHIND THIS IMPRESSION
"how can you not fall in love with the spectacular sunrises over the eastern sierra? especially in the winter when there's always more pink and purple colors floating through the air just before the sun comes up..." ― bodhinku, ice cream sunrise
   
pictured here is a winter sunrise at hot creek with laurel mountain looming above, at brees point just after a major snow storm smacked the eastern sierra mountains of california...
 
a long long time ago, i had pre-visualized this shot: a picture from brees point in deep snow with the soft morning pinks, violets, and purple colors all glowing in the sky over the mountains, making the snow glow pink...a delightful scene split down the middle by the steaming teal blue hot creek, which also adds a colorful contrast and mystical mist to the image...
 
i had many dreams of this such picture. one that was reminiscent of all my mornings and days in the eastern sierra as a backcountry splitboarder. for i have spent many nights camping at this spot, to wake up in the morning to the beautiful soft pastel colors of the mountain sunrise as i sit and relax the mineral waters...and then, as i soak my tired muscles in hot creek, the warm waters refresh my body...and through the misty steam, my eyes soak in the breathtaking beauty of the mountains all around, the glowing colors of the sierra sunrise surround me and refresh my mind...
  
what you see here is a product of my vision...i monitored the weather and did everything in my power to give me the opportunity to capture this image on this day...
 
i know i'm lucky to see and photograph all the things i get to experience. i truly understand that life is good and just how lucky i am...but sometimes you have to make your own luck with careful planning and willful patience...
 
and in order to get this gorgeous picture, many things needed to happen, with the most important being a huge snowstorm filled with frigid arctic air to dump a few feet on the hot creek gorge...and then a clearing of the storm one morning in order to be able to photograph the mountains along with the steaming creek...
 
saying that i'm a weather geek is a huge understatement. so i took to all my forecasting models and weather apps for charting the weather. also did quite a few empirical studies by being in the area as weather systems came in, but nothing with the energy needed to produce the perfect conditions i required...
 
...then in mid-january the forecast models had the possibility of a major system coming through the eastern sierra in the next couple of weeks...so i had been watching this storm, hopeful that it would produce the snowy conditions needed at hot creek...and of course, did it ever!
 
it snowed pretty hard most of the week leading up to one last big dump on a thursday, closing all the roads in and out...so i grabbed my chains, got in my 4x4 grand cherokee and i headed up to check it out...i got there on saturday after they reopened the 395 at r2 to traffic at rock creek. it was nothing short of a winter wonderland. so much snow, so beautiful. the roads were the only problem. they were icy and buried in snow...the snow crews did a wonderful job getting the 395 cleared, but ended up blocking off all of the dirt roads that accessed hot creek (hot creek hatchery road and the whitmore tubs road). the area dirt roads remained buried in three feet of snow, totally impassable for my 4x4 jeep grand cherokee...
 
there would be no driving up to brees point, the only options were either to snowmobile or hoof it on foot...and since i do not own a sled, my only option was footpower. i have my splitboard, but opted for snowshoes and booties for besos. so i did some recon with the snowshoes on saturday...and i determined that hot creek would be doable that following sunday morning, it would be a short 4 mile round-trip snowshoe hike, starting off in the blistering cold wee-hours of the morning to snowshoe the two miles and be at brees point an hour before sunrise...
 
i was positive that sunday morning was gonna be perfect with the conditions i had long waited for, the morning to get that dream vision of this image from inside my head onto my camera. sunday was the day when the angels sang and smiling unicorns rode on rainbows for me and besos...
 
that saturday night it was cold around crawley lake...negative temperatures frigid at -10f, with a forecast for it to drop to -18f...so i drove down to bishop instead to car camp in a balmy 25f...i was beat from snowshoeing over 10 miles during the day doing some scouting and recon with my doggie, besos...so i fell asleep fast wrapped up in my -10F sleeping bag on the full-sized futon in the back of my grand cherokee...
 
i got up around 3am and headed up to hot creek in the dark...parked as close as possible behind the airport to begin the new adventure...it was cold, very cold at -18f...i was dressed for it, had all the warm snow gear to help me manage all the snow, but still, that number is just plain damn cold. to emphasize just how cold, my hair and besos' fur would freeze solid in the hike...
 
it took me and my pup less than an hour to get up to brees point, as we were able to snowshoe over the top of sled tracks which packed the snow down and made it so much easier to snowshoe...in the dark and foggy steam, he and i climbed down into the gorge a bit out on narrow ridge, and made a platform in the snow for ourselves and my gear. 
 
and i waited for the light to come in...and it was cold just waiting there. so cold. even poor little besos was all curled up and shivering. -18f is brutal...and the steam billowing up from hot creek down below us was freezing and coating him and me and my camera equipment with a hoar frost, coating everything...
 
just as the morning pink color was hitting the mountains above us, the light show was happening...breathtakingly beautiful. an experience never to be forgotten. great company with my pup, great colors. a great scene in perfect conditions. ahhhhhhh as the angels sang and the unicorns danced on rainbows in delight...this picture is my humble attempt to capture what i saw that morning...hope you love it as much as i do...
 
and here is another simply beautiful love song, this sarah mclachlan track comes from the album fumbling towards ecstasy. this tune is such a simple and beautiful love song built around the line: "your love is better than ice cream"... "ice cream" by sarah mclachlan ...  

"your love is better than ice cream, better than anything else that i've tried. and your love is better than ice cream, everyone here knows how to fight. and it's a long way down, it's a long way down. it's a long way down to the place where we started from...your love is better than chocolate, better than anything else that i've tried. and oh, your love is better than chocolate, everyone here knows how to fight. it's a long way down, it's a long way down. it's a long way down to the place where we started from..." ― sarah mclachlan, ice cream 
 
"as the sun was rising, my mind paid no attention to my shivering body, because my eyes were filling up with such sweetly rich eye cream so picturesque. despite the bone chilling cold enveloping me, everything surrounding me was warming my soul like a big tasty mouthful of a three-scoop ice cream cone. how can anyone not be sporting a huge smile from ear to ear?" ― bodhinku, ice cream sunrise
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HISTORY OF HOT CREEK
"as i soak my tired muscles in hot creek, the warm waters refresh my body...and through the misty steam, my eyes soak in the breathtaking beauty of the mountains all around, the glowing colors of the sierra sunrise surround me and refresh my mind." ― bodhinku, sierra sunrise   

hot creek begins its course in the eastern sierra nevada named as mammoth creek. it originates as an outflow of twin lakes, just south of mammoth mountain and above the town of mammoth lakes. the stream is primarily sourced from melted snow water at 8,500 feet (2,600 m) above sea level. it is quite cold, rarely being above 50°f (10°c).
 
as mammoth creek leaves the sierra and flows east into the long valley caldera, it is joined by warmer water from geothermal springs at the hot creek state fish hatchery. from this confluence, the stream is named hot creek, though its water temperature seldom exceeds 68°f (20°c) until it reaches hot creek gorge, 8 miles (13 km) east of the town of mammoth lakes. in the hot creek gorge, numerous hot springs near and in the stream bed add hot water into the stream. its mouth is at the confluence with the owens river upstream from crowley lake.

in hydrothermal systems, the circulation of ground water is driven by a combination of topography and geothermal heat sources. the system in the long valley caldera is recharged primarily from snowmelt in the highlands around the western and southern rims of the caldera. the meltwater infiltrates to depths of a few kilometers (or miles), where some is heated to at least 430°f (220°c) by hot rock near the inyo craters. the heated water, kept from boiling by high pressure, still has lower density than cold water, and it rises along steeply inclined fractures to depths of 0.3–1.25 miles (0.48–2.01 km). it then flows eastward through rock layers to hydrothermal vent discharge points at the surface along hot creek and around crowley lake. the water temperature declines eastward because of heat loss and mixing with cold water, and in the springs near crowley lake, temperatures are at only about 125°f (50°c).
 
the springs in hot creek all emerge along a stream section between two faults and discharge a total of about 8.5 cubic feet per second (about 240 liters per second) of hot water. this water flow represents nearly 70 percent of the total heat discharged by all thermal springs in long valley caldera. the thermal springs farther east all discharge less water and at lower temperatures.

the larger and more vigorous springs discharge from fractures in the volcanic rock in the gorge. rock fracturing happens because the thermal area lies within a region of frequent earthquakes and active uplift of the ground. when fractures become sealed by mineral deposition, spring discharge and temperature decline. when new fractures develop or sealed fractures reopen, spring discharge and temperatures can increase suddenly.

hot creek in the hot creek gorge section can harbor dangers as the locations, discharge rates, and temperatures of springs often change. the changes can be sudden and dangerous to unprepared visitors (especially if entering beyond walkways and fences).

since may 2006, springs in and near the most popular swimming areas have been geysering or intermittently spurting very hot, sediment-laden water as high as 6 feet (2 m) above the stream surface. at times this geysering activity is vigorous enough to produce "popping" sounds audible from hundreds of feet away. the geysering usually lasts a few seconds and occurs at irregular intervals, with several minutes between eruptions. fumaroles, or steam vents, are also located in the gorge. they can occur in the ground beyond the creek bed. the unpredictability of this hazardous spring activity led the u.s. forest service to close parts of the hot creek gorge in june 2006, and the closure has remained in effect as of february 2021.

hot creek gorge was a filming location in the 1969 film true grit, as well as the 1960 film north to alaska also starring john wayne, the 1966 steve mcqueen film nevada smith, and the 1971 film shoot out with gregory peck.
 
"just as the morning pink color was hitting the mountains above us, the light show was happening...breathtakingly beautiful. an experience never to be forgotten. great company with my pup, great colors. a great scene in perfect conditions. ahhhhhhh as the angels sang and the unicorns danced on rainbows in delight" ― bodhinku, pink light show   
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MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
and here is another tune by a favorite artist of mine...back in 2016, she is the one who pretty much pioneered the new alternative female vocal sound you are hearing these days, so many new lady musicians have copied her cutting and edgy style, along with her unique singing voice. kinda like how in the 1990s nirvana ushered in grunge rock and everybody started copying their sound... with great lyrics, albeit a bit darker and more piercing in meaning: "ice cream" by k.flay ... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection) ...

"this isn't math, it's a paragraph. it's a pot of gold in a garbage can. should've seen the signs at christmas time when the mistletoe didn't make you wanna make out. honey, here is the fuckin' truth: you'd rather be with her, and i'd rather be with you. oh, baby, this is the end of times. you want to call it off, and i wanna call you mine...you are my ice cream, you make my brain freeze. you are my ice cream, you make my brain freeze...this isn't nice, it's a bath of ice. it's an open book with no words inside. i was so naive, i was so deceived when i found out that adults are very confused. honey, here is the fuckin' truth: you'd rather be with her, and i'd rather be with you. oh, baby, this is the end of times. you want to call it off, and i wanna call you mine...you are my ice cream, you make my brain freeze. you are my ice cream, you make my brain freeze...if i let you go, i know you'll go, so i hold tightly. lost my self-control one year ago, i feel like fighting. if i let you go, i know you'll go, so i hold tightly. lost my self-control one year ago, i feel like fighting...you are my ice cream, you make my brain freeze. you are my ice cream, you make my brain freeze...this isn't math, it's a paragraph. it's a pot of gold in a garbage can. should've seen the signs at christmas time when the mistletoe didn't make you wanna make out" ― k.flay, ice cream  
 
"and then i feel the sun itself as it blazes over the hills, like a million flowers on fire...clearly i'm not needed, yet i feel myself turning into something of inexplicable value" ― siddhartha gautama buddha, the dhammapada  
 
"express yourself completely. then keep quiet. be like the forces of nature; when it blows, there is only wind; when it snows, there is only snow; when the clouds pass, the sun shines through to you" ― lao tzu
 
"the fact that the sun makes no discrimination where it shines is very significant. this is a wonderful metaphor for compassion. it gives you the sense of its impartiality and all-embracing nature" ― dalai lama xiv, the art of happiness   

"we are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us. our flesh-and-bone tabernacle seems transparent as glass to the beauty about us, as if truly an inseparable part of it, thrilling with the air and trees, streams and rocks, in the waves of the sun—a part of all nature, neither old nor young, sick nor well, but immortal" ― john muir 
 
"climb the mountains and get their good tidings. nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. the winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like fresh falling snow flakes" ― john muir, the mountains of california
 
"does the sun promise to shine?
no, but it will—
even behind the darkest clouds,
and no promise
will make it shine longer or brighter
for that is its fate,
to burn until it can burn no more.
to love you is not my promise
but my fate—
to burn for you
until i can burn no more." ― atticus, love her wild  
 
"if we resist the temptation to allow other people to define who we are, then we will gradually be able to let the sun inside our own soul shine forth" ― paulo coelho, the alchemist 
 
"the snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches" ― e. e. cummings, 100 selected poems
  
"this is not a love affair, brief and fading like the vivid blooms of summer; withering on the vine after the intense heat has passed behind the clouds. no, this is something sacred, timeless and deeply grounded. like the spiraling roots of an ancient tree holding fast to the earth below the snow in winter; ever-branching and ever-hopeful, reaching towards the promises blazing like a pink sunrise on the horizon beyond" ― c. ara campbell (with additions by bodhinku)
 
"i am the altar
upon which the winds of change do flow
here i wait in silent worship
surrendering at the edge of the unknown river
opening to all that lies beyond

at long last the sun rises
a jewel shining on the horizon
calling to the depths of my spirit
a feast of nightsong to sooth these weary bones
her great strength granted to my outstretched branches

sunrise,
here my spirit is born
here my eyes finally see
here where all things
are eternally free" ― c. ara campbell (with additions by bodhinku), the storm in my soul
 
"rise and shine. i’ve always held such fondness for that sweet old phrase. as though we are all little suns. as though we are all someone’s sunny day" ― beau taplin 
 
"i don’t think existence wants you to be serious. i have not seen a serious tree. i have not seen a serious bird. i have not seen a serious sunrise. i have not seen a serious starry night. it seems they are all laughing in their own ways, dancing in their own ways. we may not understand it, but there is a subtle feeling that the whole existence is a celebration" ― osho, the secret of secrets
 
"no prayer, no priest; you alone are enough to face the sunrise, you don’t need somebody to interpret for you what a beautiful sunrise it is" ― osho, the responsibility of being oneself  
 
"even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise" ― victor hugo, les miserables  
 
"each day is born with a sunrise
and ends in a sunset, the same way we
open our eyes to see the light,
and close them to hear the dark.
you have no control over
how your story begins or ends.
but by now, you should know that
all things have an ending.
every spark returns to darkness.
every sound returns to silence.
and every flower returns to sleep
with the earth.
the journey of the sun
and moon is predictable.
but yours,
is your ultimate
art" ― suzy kassem, rise up and salute the sun 
 
"snow was falling,
so much like stars
filling the dark trees
that one could easily imagine
its reason for being was nothing more
than prettiness" ― mary oliver 
 
"take long walks in stormy weather or through deep snows in the fields...if you would keep your spirits up. deal with brute nature. be cold and hungry and weary" ― henry david thoreau, walden 
 
"how sweet the morning air is! see how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo...how small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of nature!" ― arthur conan doyle, sherlock holmes
 
"if i've learned one lesson in all my days, it’s this: life starts new, every sunrise" ― richard bach, jonathan livingston seagull 
 
"every morning the sun rises to enlighten your heart, so that a flower of hope can bloom in your garden" ― deepak chopra, buddha  
 
"we wanderers, ever seeking the lonelier way, begin no day where we have ended another day; and no sunrise finds us where sunset left us. even while the earth sleeps we travel. we are the seeds of the tenacious plant, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind and are scattered" ― khalil gibran, the prophet  
 
"sunrise and sunset are beautiful moments but you can't hold them. let things move. there will be more sunrises and sunsets" ― shunya  
 
"some day i shall sing to thee in the sunrise of some other world, i have seen thee before in the light of the earth, in the love of man" ― rabindranath tagore, stray birds  
 
"it is sunrise, with hope as its arrogant rider" ― maya angelou
 
"if you were far out in space, you would see that the sun neither rises nor sets, but that it shines continuously. and yet, even after realizing that, we can continue to speak of the sunrise or sunset, still see its beauty, paint it, write poems about it, even though we now know that it is a relative rather than an absolute truth" ― eckhart tolle, practicing the power of now   
 
"the smile broke across his face the way the sunrise set the clouds on fire..." ― stephenie meyer, twilight 
  
here is another tune...this song is very upbeat and happy, something i always find myself connecting to with the music of the beatles. and that positivity reflects the message of the song with the message of my impression here and blog, quite perfectly matching it. and this classical song from the 1960s manages at the same time to bring you good vibes while listening to it as you view my picture here, as they both speak volumes about hope and faith in the beauty of life, and in new beginnings...i like to listen to this song at the start of the new year as a great mood boost filled with hope of a refreshing new beginning: "here comes the sun" by the beatles .... and here too is a really great reggae cover as well to give a listen if you choose:
 
"here comes the sun (the beatles cover)" by peter tosh ... (just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)...

"here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, here comes the sun, and i say it's all right. little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter. little darling, it feels like years since it's been here. here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, here comes the sun, and i say it's all right...little darling, the smiles returning to the faces. little darling, it seems like years since it's been here...here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, here comes the sun, and i say it's all right... sun, sun, sun, here it comes. sun, sun, sun, here it comes. sun, sun, sun, here it comes. sun, sun, sun, here it comes. sun, sun, sun, here it comes...little darling, i feel that ice is slowly melting. little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear. here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, here comes the sun, and I say it's all right. here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, here comes the sun. it's all right. it's all right" ― the beatles, here comes the sun  
 
another lovely tune, a little more upbeat about meeting at sunrise with the one you love... "sunrise" by kygo ... (just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)...  

"wake me up, my eyes are heavy and I need some sun. one hit, i'm ready for whatever comes. nothing can keep me from you. nothing can keep me from you. something 'bout the things you told me. oh, i wrote 'em down, yeah. i took 'em with me to the place we found, and i'll be waiting for you. yeah, i'll be waiting for you, for you. i follow the moon from the dark to the break of dawn. we let it loose, smoking weed and writing songs...meet me at the sunrise, at the sunrise, i can get you so high, so high. burning up the daylight, in the daylight. meet me at the sunrise, sunrise...call my name 'cause i'm so lost and i don't know this place. and i got this feeling that i just can't shake. nothing can keep me from you, nothing can keep me from you...i follow the moon from the dark to the break of dawn. we let it loose, smoking weed and writing songs. meet me at the sunrise, at the sunrise. i can get you so high, so high. burning up the daylight, in the daylight. meet me at the sunrise, sunrise, meet me at the sunrise, at the sunrise. i can get you so high, so high. burning up the daylight, in the daylight, meet me at the sunrise, sunrise" ― kygo, sunrise 
 
this next song is a new release from an alternative rock synth duo out of austin, texas. i really dig their music and have been following them for about 3 years now. and this new song of theirs, is such beautifully melodic song, sung so profoundly sad and hopeful at the same time, piercing me with its meaning...and the lyrics which bite into me hard, as i identify deeply with the words down into the fibers of my soul...i too am all alone here. by choice, it's a safer place to be. i'm scared to let anyone in, but hopeful maybe there's somehow someone somewhere. but my nights get longer and longer to the point where i'm becoming like the dark side of the moon. i can feel the sun, but can't see it's light, as the darker parts of me overtake and shadow my identity: "can you feel the sun?" by missio ... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....
 
"below the willow tree is where i hide the darkest parts of me. they're hiding underneath the broken lies that i just still believe. below the willow tree is where i sit and hate on my enemies. i drown 'em in my dreams, i think it's me who needs some humility...i'm alone here, i'm alone here. i'm alone here, i'm alone here...can you feel the sun? i do, but i can't see it. can you feel the breeze? i don't, but i believe it. i don't feel safe when i'm not alone. and i know, and i know what you're thinking: i like it on my own. but i'll let you in if you say it's okay...below the willow tree i get hung up on my insecurities. rose-colored dopamine, my soul feels like it could be make-believe. below the willow tree, i search to find some sense of identity. this weeping willow tree sits in silence, sheds no tears for me...can you feel the sun? i do, but i can't see it. can you feel the breeze? i don't, but i believe it. i don't feel safe when i'm not alone. and i know, and i know what you're thinking: i like it on my own. but i'll let you in if you say it's okay...i'm alone here, i'm alone here. i'm alone here, i'm alone here...can you feel the sun? i do, but i can't see it. can you feel the breeze? i don't, but i believe it. i don't feel safe when i'm not alone. and i know, and i know what you're thinking: i like it on my own. but i'll let you in if you say it's okay...i'm alone for sure, i'm lost to the world"― missio, can you feel the sun?    
 
"there has to be an invisible sun, it gives its heat to everyone. there has to be an invisible sun, that gives us hope when the whole day's done" ― the police, invisible sun 
 
"look into your eyes i see the colours of your soul and i recognise every single line, every single roadblock. we are two hearts that beat in time in their towers looking down on us, blocking out the sun that we need. maybe we can change our stripes and colours. you're the only one i see and i take it all or nothing at all. driving through the night till i'm at your door. go outside. stay up all night. and i take it all or nothing at all. driving through the night till i'm at your door. go outside. stay up all night. sleep through the sunrise, sleep through the sunrise, sleep through the sunrise...look into my past and i count the numbers of dreams that i left behind. i don't even care now that i've discovered a new kinda peace of mind. up above us, looking down on us, there's an angel i know. we don't need to worry or discuss much. it's time for me to hit the road and i take it all or nothing at all. driving through the night till i'm at your door. go outside. stay up all night. sleep through the sunrise, sleep through the sunrise, sleep through the sunrise. and i take it all or nothing at all, driving through the night till i'm at your door. go outside. stay up all night. and i take it all or nothing at all. driving through the night till i'm at your door. go outside. stay up all night. sleep through the sunrise, sleep through the sunrise (sleep through), sleep through the sunrise" ― rubika, sunrise  

"watch the sunrise. feel the rain shine through. it's a good life to be sharing with you. have a good cry. welcome back brand new. time goes on but it won't move without you. i know it's hard when things get low (oh-oh, oh-oh), but you just gotta take it slow (oh-oh, oh-oh). just gotta learn to let it go (oh-oh, oh-oh) 'cause you know that i'll be right here. you and i, we will see from the same heart. times are rough but that can't keep us apart. don't let go, stay real close, keep them locked eyes. follow me down the path to a good life. watch the sunrise. feel the rain shine through. it's a good life to be sharing with you. have a good cry. welcome back brand new. time goes on but it won't move without you. time goes on but it won't move without you. life keeps on moving and never stops. we'll keep on climbing 'til we reach the top (the top, the top, the top). let all of your worries rock away (aye-aye, aye-aye) 'cause we're not gonna let it all get in our way. listen. you and i, we will see from the same heart. times are rough but that can't keep us apart. don't let go, stay real close, keep them locked eyes. follow me down the path to a good life. watch the sunrise. feel the rain shine through. it's a good life to be sharing with you. have a good cry. welcome back brand new. times goes on but it won't move without you. time goes on but it won't move without you. you and i, we will see from the same heart. times are rough but that can't keep us apart. don't let go, stay real close, keep them locked eyes. follow me down the path to a good life. you and i, we will see from the same heart. times are rough but that can't keep us apart. don't let go, stay real close, keep them locked eyes. follow me down the path to a good life. watch the sunrise. feel the rain shine through. it's a good life to be sharing with you. have a good cry. welcome back brand new. time goes on but it won't move without you" ― kenny elrod, sunrise  
 
"huge, dizzying, clumps and clusters of snow falling through the air, patches of white against an iron-gray sky, snow that touches your tongue with cold and winter, that kisses your face with its hesitant touch before freezing you to death. thirty cotton-candy inches of snow, creating a fairytale world, making everything unrecognizably beautiful..." ― neil gaiman, american gods
 
"the sky blushes, letting go of its darkness. the fringe of the horizon is pink. it's sunrise" ― sarah crossan, one
 
"the sunrise is painting the snow pink. the best time of day for talking to angels and taking photographs, according to my grandfather. for admiring clouds that drift like feathers of a flamingo, according to sir arthur conan doyle" ― julia heaberlin
 
"watercolors couldn't have begun to capture the sky in that moment, just as it prepared to brighten for dawn. your world could be dissolving with grief or pain or anger, but the sky would still give you the most breathtaking sunrise of violet, warming to shell pink" ― alexandra bracken, the darkest legacy
 
“the grey of winter teases
to explode into something worthwhile,
into a dream of cold,
a starlight shower you can taste,
a cold that does not chill.
i've lost my memory
of my first snow--
did i gasp at a field of white?
or scream at the freeze
until my cheeks reddened?
the soft fluffiness underfoot is satisfying
and the thrill of virgin snow
 
"the storm front had finally broken, tatters of cloud pulling apart like cotton candy and sprinkling the landscape with the bright sugar grains of snow" ― leah raeder, unteachable
 
"sunrise paints the sky with pinks and the sunset with peaches. cool to warm. so is the progression from childhood to old age" ― vera nazarian, the perpetual calendar of inspiration
 
"maybe forgetfulness, like a kind snow, should numb and cover them. but they were a part of me. they were my landscape" ― sylvia plath, the bell jar  
 
"snow falling soundlessly in the middle of the night will always fill my heart with sweet clarity" ― novala takemoto, missin'
 
"thank goodness for the first snow, it was a reminder that no matter how old you became and how much you'd seen, things could still be new if you were willing to believe they still mattered" ― candice bushnell, lipstick jungle  
 
"there’s just something beautiful about walking on snow that nobody else has walked on. it makes you believe you’re special, even though you know you’re not" ― carol rifka brunt, tell the wolves i'm home  
 
"all heaven and earth
flowered white obliterate...
snow...unceasing snow" ― hashin, japanese haiku
 
"if you have love in your heart, you’ll see the sun’s bright rays wherever you may be—in everything, the sun can be seen through love, just like with the moon among the stars above" ― jalaluddin rumi, hush don't say anything to god 
 
"that sun, which the sky never saw even in dreams, has returned, and brought a fire no water can quench" ― jalaluddin rumi, the soul of rumi
 
"be melting snow. wash yourself of yourself" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
----------------------
 
ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"the sky was transforming into a palette of pastel colors floating above my head. the glowing pink sky was reflecting on all the snow, turning it into strawberry ice cream. the steam was rising from the hot water pools in soft purple hues reminiscent of ube ice cream. the water in the creek was shimmering teal blue in the brisk morning light, appearing like smooth flowing blue moon ice cream. all such a dreamy scene from a fairy tale, an ice cream sunrise, so breathtaking that all i could do was sigh in grateful happiness" ― bodhinku, ice cream sunrise
 
captured just as the sun was rising over the eastern sierra, above a steaming hot creek in -18f temperatures on january 31, 2021...this composition is comprised entirely of one long exposure (f/11 @66mm for 33secs, iso-64)...and this single frame was not merged with any other exposures like i often do with my photography to achieve the perfect lighting of the entire scene...  
 
in my photography, i always use filters to create longer exposure effects, saturate colors naturally, and balance the light in my composition in-camera...i often use as many as four filters at time, and i always use at least one filter in my completed impressions...
 
for this exposure, to get the effects and balance i was looking for, i used two progreyusa filters in the capture of this composition, a 3.0 nd progrey antarctica filter to bring the light in the image down 10 stops to create this dreamy effect with motion blur of the stream and steam clouds and naturally saturate all the pinks, teals, and purples in the image...combined with a 0.9 gnd progrey aurora filter to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it...in this case, to stop down the light in the sky at the top of the image an extra three stops, darkening the pink sky and at the same time permitting proper exposure on the details in the fresh fallen snow and hot creek in the lower portions of the composition...
 
i also used the progrey g-120z magnetic holder to hold the filters and secure them to my nikon d810 with a nikon nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8... 
 
and with this being a quasi-long exposure of 33 seconds, a stable and sturdy tripod is an absolute necessity in order to keep the image sharp...for this i used my faithful induro phq3 series 5-way panhead mounted on my dolica tripod 70" carbon fiber tripod, because it is sturdy, tall, and perfectly compact for travelling  
 
i wish to openly thank my sponsors who have always supported me through both the good and bad times...for truly this long exposure impression would not be possible without the use of my faithful induro phq3 series 5-way panhead mounted on my dolica tripod 70" carbon fiber tripod, in combination with the progreyusa filters which i use with every photo i take...
 
"if nothing else...if i open my eyes, if i cry, if i think, if i sigh, if i giggle, if i dance, if i love, if i breathe, then i have lived a full days worth of life...nothing is wasted, nothing" ― bodhinku, if nothing else
 
"contemplate without thinking. be certain only in your uncertainty. stop the world. slow down everything. let it all be. shut off the noise. relax. seize this moment. reconnect. feel and sense what surrounds you. listen to all the colors of light whisper as they envelope you. see the melody and harmony that float about unnoticed. taste the solitude of all this wonderment. smell the beautiful silence. now discover your peaceful serenity. then, reach out and touch your faith with all your senses. this is my world. awaken!" ― bodhinku, my world
 
"my photography is my way of keeping a diary" ― bodhinku, my diary  
 
i leave you today wishing that bright joy and spiritual peace fill your life...
imploring you to make every moment count, no matter what, always and forever,
for that is the only thing that truly matters...    
 
and above all else,
i hope this message and impression find you well.
 
namaste,
bodhi
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#inspiration #sierra #progreyusa #filters #induro #dolica #nikon #d810 #lowepro #columbia #sunrise #icecream #pink #snow #teal #stream #purple #steam #hotcreek #mountains #mammoth #brees #peace #tranquility #dream #namaste #impressionist #expressionist #minimalism #bodhinku #rumi #osho #coelho #neruda #buddha