happy transitions

We are back in Florida now. This image was taken the day before we left. The bay was crystal clear and the sea grasses were flattened by the high tide and strong winds. Doesn't the intense blue make you feel the frigid cold of the water? Now I'm going to experience the soft colors of the ocean sunrises and relish my bare feet in the sand.

small pleasures

If you watch them long enough you begin to get attached.  When I drive in they are always there to chirp at me! They may all take to the trees for a moment but they eventually come back to the feeder. They are so used to me that when I go with my bag of sunflower seeds they just wait patiently for me to finish and then flock back before I've even left, well many of them anyway. Small pleasures...

I'm going to miss them.

I wonder if they will miss me?

tree top

This is a very merry group near the bird feeder.

bird news

Just a little Broadway lights on the bird feeder this snowy day.

Puffed up and keeping warm after a hearty meal of sunflower seeds.

my little owl

The winds have been strong and the temperatures have dropped into the low 30's. I worry about the birds. I peer out the window at the bird feeder where the songbirds give me a visual thank you for the sunflower seeds. They are there in big wild numbers and that makes me happy. But still I worry about the birds, till I saw this very smart little owl who has hidden against the wind on the quiet side of things. Let the winds blow, he will stay here for a short while.

One has to look to find nature's treasures. Among the lichen this single snowflake presented her delicate design to me. A reminder that there is much hidden from us in our world. Put your boots on and go outside and explore.

the colors of a northern winter

Walking the beach takes on new meaning this time of year in the north. The only part of me that is free is my face, the rest bound in warmth against the cold wind and thinning sunshine. My iPhone comes out of my pocket when I simply can't contain myself any longer from capturing the beauty all around me. These are the anchors from the dock that have been dragged to above the high tide mark where Tully and I like to wander. 

checking in

I am a country dog.

Mom puts me in the sink after we walk along the beach. Then she dries me with her hair dryer then I get a cookie. I wonder what it would be like to go the fancy groomer like other dogs do. Hmmm

She doesn't like me to be off leash very much this time of year. She says I might get lost in the leaves because the world is now the same color as me.

I'm beginning to prefer being inside anyway, it's getting cold out there. Plus there are a lot of leaves falling everywhere and some of them stick to my private parts! I also dragged one around in my beard from the house all the way to the mail box.  I didn't mind, it smelled pretty good.

Well nice chatting with you, I was just checking in, didn't want you to forget about me.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am always grateful that I can see the world through my lens and then share it with you.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Life in a wave

Glass like smoothness, fleeting transitions and foamy confusion repeat over and over again.

Shake it off

My father used to say if you're going to dance you have to pay the fiddler. 

Well if you're going to be a serious photographer you have to keep up with technology. You may have noticed that I have gone missing for a while now. That's because I am in the midst of buying new computers, new hard drives and new printers,(replacing 7 yr old computers). None of which plugs in to what it used to. In other words my photography world has been turned upside down and I'm slowly wading through it. 

What has suffered is my creativity, I haven't spent any time behind my camera in weeks. I sit in my studio and fume and get so frustrated that I want to scream, which quite frankly I do on a few occasions. 

I took a long overdue walk on the beach today. Brought my camera just in case... Met this dog who captured my total attention. She ran up and down the beach chasing  a playful sandpiper who flew along the shore and then would dive in front of her four legged friend. The dog galloped back and forth for over an hour trying to keep up with the sandpiper. You know of course who won. Lately I feel a bit like the dog, chasing something that I'll never catch. Technology will forever be just beyond  my reach. Just when I think I've got it..... I don't.

But never mind I'm going to keep trying, I'm going to learn to shake it off. Once everything is up and running, if that ever happens, I will go back to what I do best. Stay behind my camera and soak up my world.

breathe deep

Letting go is hard. Living in the moment is hard too. In fact I think it is our life's hardest lesson to learn. Maybe it's really why we are here to begin with. 

I'm learning how from my dog. Tully patiently shows me the way but I'm a slow learner. She pulls on the leash to smell some wonderful delight and I give her a stronger pull away, she resists for a nano second and then lets go, gives a full body shake and moves on. She can't jump up on the studio couch the way she used to be able to. So she waits staring up where she wants to be and waits some more. She doesn't bark and get frustrated instead she choses to sit and enjoy her seat on the floor. My arms wrap under her belly to give an assist, she falls asleep up on the soft cushions where she couldn't get before. 

This time of year is full of letting go. I'm going to be a student of the concept. My yoga will help, my dog will help, and my photography will help. I'm going to breathe deep now.

Scotland

I love Scotland. 

I especially love the trees, they are so old and mossy. I love the heather and the bracken and the cold water that travels down the stream that meanders through all of this. I love the warm autumn colors. They are more intense than our colors at home, I think it's because the place is filled with ancient stories of magic and fairies and owls...

I'll be back

I'm off to Scotland for a while. 

I'm leaving behind the comings and goings of the neighborhood. It seems that mockingbird and squirrel have been spending time together lately. They are in the tree where I have placed a platform for future osprey to use as a nesting site. The osprey are not interested in it but the rest of the neighborhood spends a good amount of time there.

Mockingbird is the local entertainer, singing mostly.

Squirrel is usually too busy collecting stuff, I think he is our local hoarder.

I'm going to miss everybody while I'm gone.

Bald Eagles

What a thrill to see these powerful birds! Here is mom or dad, not sure which, sitting on a limb along the shores of St Andrews in New Brunswick, Canada. 

And just above the parent is this handsome juvenile waiting to be fed. 

Look at that beak! 

looking back

Why do I love this image, is it the saturated color, the light on the old fish nets, the reflections in the water, the mystery of the blackness? A simple pile of forgotten usefulness dripping into the green algae? Working hands touched every bit of it, probably coarse and callused hands. And now the beauty lies there for me to capture as I float by in the cold waters of Canada. 

falling in

This is a good time of year to get to the heart of things, to take time out to feel the transitions all around us. I've been spending time walking along the edge of ponds, almost fell in yesterday. My earth was soft and decayed and let me go when I least expected it. A fallen tree saved me. The sky and the earth are deep in communication at the pond. A reflective pat on the surface given by the cool blue sky as it reveals yesterday's fallen leaves. A deep mystery that pulls on me this time of year.

full cycle

Seasons change, and this palm warbler will soon be gone. Our trees and bushes offer a resting spot and some little insect to eat. I watch from my studio, windows flown open with my attempt at feeling closer to them. We are in it together, this full cycle thing. When these drying leaves give up and drop to the ground I'll be thinking of migrating as well. But for now my head is out the window trying to catch the last of the songbirds.

But I do see you

Peek a boo I wish I didn't see you.

This little guy was alone and inept at climbing. He lost his balance a number of times and rolled over to the under part of the branch, only to haul himself back up again. Wind blew the branches and he went with it, most of the time anyway. So small and so alone. I didn't interfere with nature on this one, I left him alone on that tree where I saw him. He was gone this morning, into the mystery of the woods.

transitions

It's getting to be that time of year again.

flutter good byes

Where do they go when the winds reach over 60 mph?

a walk in the woods

Follow me, we are going into the woods. Can you smell the balsam and that spongy fungus kind of a smell that hides beneath the decaying leaves? Can you feel the gnarly roots under your boots as you wander off the trail looking for a nursing log to rest upon. Can you feel your breathing slow down as you become one with the woods. The sun only slightly warms your back as it finds its way through the trees to you. Let's just sit here for awhile, the world will still be there when we go back home.

inside out

I've been outside playing and forgot to come back to the studio. It's that simple I just had too much fun outside. I've been wandering in the woods and climbing mountains, I've been observing most things around me. I've gotten in touch with nature, and therefore with myself. I've been connected to the earth and my mind has quieted. 

I came upon this leaf on a rock in the woods and it felt so familiar to me. It wasn't until I returned to my computer that I remembered why. The below image of the frog was taken three years ago very near where I saw the leaf. Look at the patterns and the colors, it is beautiful to me. 

We need to spend the outside time, wandering time, thinking time, to really connect to ourselves and our world. Life's simple pleasures.

What you see is what you get

 

What am I looking at you say?

Well you are looking at the front end and the back end of the babies. They have just been fed. And the one on the right is pooping out the birdhouse door. Yep you heard me right.

Mom and dad bring in the goodies and take out the goodies. 

I wondered why sometimes a parent would fly in without something to eat. My patience paid off as I began to realize that they were housecleaning as well as feeding. They carry off the white poop from all of their babies. Can you imagine?

Stop chirping, you'll wake the hawk, I'll be back once I drop this off.

a buffet

spider for baby number 2

moth for baby number 3

And repeat..... every ten minutes. 

Wait till you see tomorrow's blog, a first for me!

farm to table

Tiny creatures for tiny birds.

one fed two to go....

close quarters

While the three baby osprey grew up in their big

nest in the sky these baby wrens have an entirely different experience. They are jam packed into this tiny bird house with only fleeting glimpses of the great outdoors.  Must feel like a great blinding light as they search for their next meal from their parents.

rhythms

 Just as you begin to depend on the constant mesmerizing progression of waves lapping at your feet, a rip tide appears and changes your view. A reminder that nothing stays the same. We are wired to push back and resist change but when we give in to the pull of the tides our spirit can receive the energy of the sun.