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Archive for the ‘Nature Notes’ Category

serenity

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Inspiration, landscape, leaves, nature, peace, Photography, reflection, serenity, Woburn on April 11, 2014| 5 Comments »

Why am I seeking serenity? Well, in short, I made the “mistake” of looking at the headlines of the New York Times but it is one of those deeds that must be done on occasion so you know, if only a little bit, about what’s happening in the world. After reading a few articles and sighing deeply, I decided I needed some serene images to pave my way for the rest of the day. So I went back through the files and selected these images taken a few years ago in a field in Woburn, MA. Hope you enjoy them and have a good Friday.

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scenes along revere beach

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beaches, colors, Inspiration, landscape, nature, Photography, Revere Beach, seaweed, shells, sunset, walks, water on April 7, 2014| 6 Comments »

These images are from a quick walk taken just before sunset

when the low-angled light was so bright and wonderfully illuminating.

The end of day was a bit blustery and I think the tide was coming in

producing ripples and waves wearing away at the sands.

I collected some rocks that I’m sure I’ll play with over time. Other items were picked up long enough to photograph but they were left behind and are now probably back beneath the ocean.

Such a walk was a nice way to end the day.

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red onions and white potatoes

Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged colors, food, gardening, indoor gardening, Inspiration, onions, Photography, potatoes, red onion, spring, sprouts on April 6, 2014| 5 Comments »

An unexpected find in the pantry drawer this morning. Tucked in the back, a small red onion and a few small potatoes had sprouted. My father used to treasure such finds at this time of year.

He’d claim them from my mother and save to plant in the vegetable garden. I consulted with my brothers who paid much better attention that I to the details of planting vegetables that have gone to seed.

I’m going to tuck these sprouts into some dirt in some big pots I have in the house. I don’t expect I’ll get much of a crop but it will be fun to see what does happen. Stay tuned … 😉

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sunset, like a wildfire

Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged abstract, beauty, colors, Inspiration, light, nature, Photography, sunset, textures, urban landscape on April 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, as the sun was setting, I decided to focus on the earth instead of the sky.

Between the angle of the light and the new color upon the budding bush outside my window, the branches did seem to have fiery glow.

That glow became a little less fiery after I stopped photographing the curtain as well.

But whether bark or cloth, it was all a beautiful sight in the fading sunlight.

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oak and rain

Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Branches, Inspiration, landscape, nature, oak tree, Photography, rain, spring, trees, water on March 30, 2014| 3 Comments »

As I waited for the coffee to brew, I decided to snap a few photos of the morning rain beading on the oak tree towering beside the house.

For the most part, I focused through one or two panes of glass though at one point I did open a window and stick my head out.

Despite the morning chill, it was neat to see the buds on the branches and the subtle colors emerging, suggesting spring blossoms and leaves will soon to be.

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orchid

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged colors, flowers, indoor gardens, Inspiration, nature, orchids, Photography, plants on March 29, 2014| 3 Comments »

The major stems, leaves and unopened buds are jade green while the petals are pale green and freckled with apricot. A lovely gift that now resides in the kitchen in the grayness of a rainy afternoon.

Many buds wait to open, and so we’ll see what happens in the coming days once the sun reappears in its gold cloak.

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yesterday’s sunset

Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Branches, Inspiration, landscape, light, nature, Photography, sunset, trees on March 24, 2014| 10 Comments »

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love

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged colors, compassion, daffodils, flowers, gold, hope, Inspiration, love, musings, nature, Photography, reflection, spring, yellow on March 23, 2014| 3 Comments »

Of late, I’ve met a man from a war-torn country who now lives and works in the U.S. He has described to me scenes of great brutality inflicted by man upon man for reasons like this person looked like someone from that country versus this country. He often has a smile on his face.

I am noted for seeing even an empty glass as half-full, but this man’s ability to find the positive puts me to shame. Why is he so happy? Not because he has a job that pays exceptionally well. He doesn’t. Not because he’s made many new friends in this country. He hasn’t. I think it is because, even as the soil ran red with blood around him, he remained open to the possibilities. He saw the beauty amidst the horror, like the flowers blossoming near that same bloody field.

He remained hopeful. Or, as he once told me, he has love in his heart and so long as you have love, what else do you need? Hmmm.

One day I did chance upon him not smiling. I asked the first question that came to mind. “Do you still have love in your heart?” He did not react with surprise to my words. His brow furrowed in deep thought. After a moment, he nodded, and then he smiled broadly. “Yes, Cynthia. Yes I do!”

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unfocused clarity, in a series

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged abstract, beauty, colors, creativity, imagination, Inspiration, light, Photography on March 20, 2014| 1 Comment »

I’m sure my mother would be appalled at how dusty I allow my windows to remain. Yet occasionally when I glimpse the morning, afternoon or evening light striking the chalky surfaces, what I see is a strange beauty.

And when such a sighting occurs … which is probably far too often … I try to capture something of what I see. I move fast and don’t think about camera settings, and so sometimes my camera is unfocused.

Or I purposefully try to zoom in ways that I know my little camera really can’t do but I do it anyway because I suspect I might see something really cool on the camera display. And I do.

What I see on the camera display will sometimes … not always, but sometimes … make me smile or make me wonder. No specific words will come to mind, just a sensibility that can sometimes be hard to explain. Those feelings are all the motivation I need to keep shooting for just a bit longer.