During the photo shoot for the white series, a petal became dislodged. And what an unexpected treat.
Archive for the ‘Nature Notes’ Category
like a candle burning bright
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, flowers, imagination, Inspiration, nature, perspective, Photography, tulips on March 11, 2014| 4 Comments »
a series in white
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, botanicals, colors, flowers, Inspiration, nature, photograhy, tulips on March 11, 2014| 6 Comments »
caught
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged balloons, Branches, colors, fantasy, imagination, Inspiration, Photography, The Red Balloon on March 9, 2014| 1 Comment »
The gentlemen at the muffler shop next door lost a bevy of their balloons but they were caught, quite gently, by the oak tree towering above the house. I was reminded of The Red Balloon, a movie that I have not seen since I was a child but I feel a need to look it up.
Also caught was a plastic bag that in this morning’s light with its twists and turns about the branches reminded me of a nautilus shell.
mustard green dishes
Posted in Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged cooking, family, food, food photography, Inspiration, leafy greens, mustard greens, Photography, recipes, storytelling on March 2, 2014| 3 Comments »
I mostly remember leafy greens on Sunday. My mother, with a few helping hands on occasion, would pick the leaves, rinse them to remove any grit, and then place them in a big pot with some ham. Much water would be added, along with salt and pepper. The pot would simmer for what seemed like hours. Once steaming green leaves were piled on dinner plates, sometimes chopped white onions would be tossed on top for a bit of crunch (that’s what my dad liked) and sometimes apple cider vinegar, depending on the type of green. Of all the greens, kale was my favorite, especially curly kale. After finishing the pot of any type of greens, nothing was better than to drink the remaining flavor-filled pot liquor. Mustard had a peppery bite, the intensity of which I was reintroduced to this past weekend in several interesting dishes that both stirred up these childhood memories and made me reach for my camera.
Mustard Greens
Steve bought one small bunch of mustard greens and began to experiment immediately. The first dish involved adding a small portion of chopped fresh mustard greens to a vegetable stir fry of broccoli, kale and red peppers. The second mustard-infused dish was a homemade hamburger made of finely chopped steak, hen of the woods mushrooms, parmesan cheese, mustard greens and one egg. The tiny hamburgers were formed, fried and served up on toasted bread with sliced tomatoes and red onions on the side.
Hamburger with Cheese, Mushroom and Mustard Greens
The third dish was inspired by a particular Japanese method of layering thin slices of seared tuna, white rice, wasabi and shiso. A spicy mouthful to say the least. This particular variation on a theme involved cooking white rice and mixing it with fresh chopped green onion and mustard greens. The rice was served with thin slices of tuna on top and wasabi and soy sauce on the side. While the tuna is now gone, there is still rice remaining. I’ve encouraged the chef to turn these leftovers into golden fried cakes. We’ll see what the new week holds.;)
White Rice with Mustard Green and Green Onions
still growing …
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged food, fungus, Inspiration, mushroom, nature, oyster mushroom, Photography on February 28, 2014| 2 Comments »
new posters available
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged being present, flowers, Inspiration, James Baldwin, nature, petals, Photography, posters, sensuality, snow on February 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »
New posters available in my zazzle shop. Just a few African violet petals, some shadows resting on snow and a rainbow cupped within a shell. As I originally studied these images, I thought them sensuous and I was reminded of something James Baldwin wrote in The Fire Next Time, “To be sensual, I think, is to respect and rejoice in the force of life, of life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of loving to the breaking of bread.” I sometimes worry that I am procrastinating as I watch sunlight settle upon a leaf … but then I just shake myself and become thankful that I could be present in the moment. 😉
even when no rainbows were sought …
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Inspiration, landscape, light, nature, Photography, Revere Beach, shells on February 25, 2014| 3 Comments »
… it became a game to walk along the beach for a stretch and then to whip around and see where the sun was layering its light.
can a rainbow always be found?
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, Inspiration, nature, perspective, Photography, rainbows, Revere Beach, shells on February 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Probably not, but it can be fun looking. These slices of color were found inside shells that lay on Revere Beach.
wonderfully out of focus
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged abstract, Branches, colors, Inspiration, light, musings, nature, Photography, prose on February 23, 2014| 3 Comments »
through two panes of old glass
rippled and bubbled
branches on display, barely lit by the setting sun
while reflected in the glass light from the lamp indoors
my camera in that moment out of focus
but my sight as I sat in a chair across the room
admiring such complex layers of light and life
quite clear quite clear
a little dance
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged abstract, colors, food, food photography, fungus, Inspiration, mushrooms, nature, oyster mushrooms, Photography on February 21, 2014| 5 Comments »
At first I saw a coral beneath the sea. Then, peering closer, I thought of ghostly maidens doing a little dance beneath the full moon. In fact, they are mushrooms growing in a “mushroom mini farm.” The first crop looked just like the image of oyster mushrooms on the box cover. This second round … well, I’m not so sure if what’s growing is edible but it sure is interesting visually.
Words + Images 