Monks Among the Daffodils

March 22, 2014  •  Leave a Comment

Long, neat rows of yellow daffodils in full bloom in the Skagit Valley, Washington. Daffodils of Skagit Valley in Washington state. Some years the fields are bigger than others, so the concentration of daffodil yellow against blue skies and blue mountains is stunning - especially when the sun shines on the Skagit Valley. I have lived in the lovely Skagit Valley for more than a decade. Spring is always announced by the first blooms of our local flower farmers - daffodils - which create vast swaths of yellow carpet across our valley. 

Every year I think "I have enough daffodil photos, I can just look this year." And then the sun comes out. Or a stormy sky creates drama I cannot resist. And off I go to document another year of yellow.

The best part of just getting out in the fields is the lucky accident shot. A couple of years ago I got some amusing photos of tourists in the tulip fields.

This year I was walking along the road, capturing images of the largest expanse of yellow fields when I looked up and spotted what I thought were some women in wonderful, matching orange dresses. "Great color combo!" I thought to myself and walked toward them. It wasn't long before I realized they were not women in dresses - they were monks in robes. This falls into the category of lucky accident. Nothing amuses me as much as the unexpected encounter in what has become a spring ritual for me. The best part? They weren't meditating. They were actively shooting photos - just like me.

I'd like to know what images they took home with them. I'm guessing they are similar to the scenes I have captures. Happy spring!

Yellow as far as the eye can see. Daffodils sway in the wind in the Skagit Valley, Washington. Daffodils of Skagit ValleyDaffodils carpet the Skagit Valley every spring.

Migrant workers picking daffodils in Skagit Valley, Washington. Daffodil cutting fields in Skagit Valley, Washington. Migrant workers pick bunches of daffodils for sale as fresh flowers. The 2014 price is 3 bunches for $5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some fields (above) are set aside for fresh-cut sales. Others are grown for the bulbs and unlike the tulips, farmers let the flowers die on the stem.

A view from above the fields in Skagit Valley, Washington, shows a surprising swath of brilliant yellow where daffodils are blooming. Skagit Valley fields of daffodils.There are high points in the Skagit Valley where the yellow fields are easily spotted. The long row of cars behind the field belongs to the migrant workers who pick bunches for sale as fresh flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bright fields pop when viewed from vantage points on high.

Daffodils fields in the Skagit Valley still pop against dramatic, stormy skies. Stormy skies over daffodil fields in Skagit Valley, Washington.Even stormy weather cannot dampen the dramatic color of daffodil fields in the Skagit Valley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rain or shine, the fields bring dramatic color to the Skagit Valley.

Orange-robed monks offer colorful juxtaposition against the brilliant yellow daffodil fields of the Skagit Valley when they stop to take photos. Monks among the daffodils.Everyone who sees the daffodil fields of the Skagit Valley is compelled to stop. Here, monks stop to take photos with their digital cameras.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The monks I spotted were enjoying taking pictures of the flower fields.

An orange-robed monk checks focus on his digital camera as he takes photos of the yellow daffodil fields in the Skagit Valley, Washington. A monk taking photos is a surprising sight in the daffodil fields of Skagit Valley, Washington. This monk walked away from the others to get his own angle. Orange-robed monk squatting down to take close-up pictures of daffodils in Skagit Valley, Washington. Meditating or concentrating?An orange-robed monk squats down in the mud to get a closer angle for a photo of the daffodil fields in the Skagit Valley, Washington.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the monks I was watching stepped away from the others to get a different angle for his photos. He comfortably squatted in the mud to get a close-up. Just like I do.

A macro photo of a yellow daffodil in bloom. Into the heart of a daffodil.A macro photo reveals the intricate and delicate interior of a blooming yellow daffodil. Empty baskets at the ends of daffodil rows. Baskets are left in the fields during cutting season. After migrant workers have finished picking bunches of daffodils for fresh-cut sales, baskets are left strewn in the muddy fields. The abandoned baskets make the fields look as if someone dropped everything mid-task and ran away.

 


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