Driftwood and Lupines

by Mike Lee

Title

Driftwood and Lupines

Artist

Mike Lee

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photography

Description

There are two large flat reservoirs in Lassen County (California, USA) known as Hog Flat and McCoy Flat. They are basically large meadows that get flooded each year courtesy of a couple small earthen dams built by a long defunct irrigation district 100 or so years ago. Depending on the year, they either dry up pretty quickly, as in the case of drought years like 2022, or hold some water all year as in wetter years. In the latter, McCoy gets planted with mutant trout that can grow to epic proportions feeding on small crustaceans if they can just get a couple years of water in it.

When the water recedes, the surrounding meadows are littered with old driftwood of various sizes and shapes from trees that have fallen around the area over the decades. In 2022, even though we were in drought conditions, we had some late spring showers that I theorize contributed to a pretty nice, albeit later, wildflower season throughout the area. On this particular afternoon, while driving home from my son’s high school graduation I could see loads of lupine blooming at Hog Flat and figured I should get out there later in the evening with my camera. I also thought that I was dog tired (while my son was at sober grad the previous night his grandpa and I may have had done a little less-than-sober-grad celebration courtesy of a nice little bottle of Speyside single malt I picked up). I did ultimately drag myself out there and was really glad I did. It was absolutely gorgeous in the last hour or so of daylight.

Uploaded

June 13th, 2022

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