Recent Mists of Time

According to the dictionary, Mists of Time refers to happenings of long ago.  I associate Mists of Time with a dreamy feeling.  Sort of like seeing near and far memories through a blurred filter on the lens.  This is the feeling I have about some of my 2010 adventurers in Australia and New Zealand.  They are a bit hazy and multilayered.
The high point of my 17 (7 planes!) day trip was meeting a family with whom I had been corresponding for 40+ years.  We had experienced a great many joys and sorrows through the years and I dearly wanted to say hello in person.  That part of my trip will always give me the most cherished memories.  It is intriguing to "meet" people with whom you have had an ongoing and intimate conversation for a long time. I was wined and dined and taken to many beautiful sights, but most of all, I was, in person, taken into the family as I had been through letters and later emails and rare phone calls.  That deep family bond continues as it always will, enhanced and strengthened by my visit.
I also took about 6,000 photographs during my travels.  Occasionally I look at the images to remind myself of a particular moment.  I recently looked at some photos I had taken in Queenstown, a stunning lakeside resort town in southern N.Z.  I stayed in Queenstown for a few days towards the end of my trip, looking around and shooting the architecture and the "Lord of the Rings" scenery.  It was a golden time there: summer into fall, early April.  One day on a whim I booked an afternoon trip to Walter Peak Farm: a well touted tourist attraction and a functioning sheep farm.  I was not sure what I expected when I got off the boat that was the way to the farm.  It was about a half hour trip from Queenstown on placid waters.  This is what I saw as I walked through lovely blooming gardens towards the magnificent homestead.  A wonderful memory, slightly misted but reminiscent of an unforgettable time.

Approaching Walter Peak Farm: Queenstown, N,Z.

Leaving Walter Peak Farm: Queenstown, N.Z.

Art genre: Sepia art photography

Photography tip: Sepia can be cool or warm with many tonalities in between.  When using sepia as a value range, explore its many temperatures as these affect enormously the visuals of the image.  These images were enhanced with both orange and pink filters to provide a warm tone.

Location: Walter Peak Farm: Queenstown, New Zealand