Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘On the Road’ Category

Fall Update

Posted in Contributing Writer, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, Publication Updates, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 5, 2010| 5 Comments »

Watching me from a nearby oak tree is a large male cardinal with bright black eyes.  My camera is across the room.  He will surely be gone before I can grab it and race back to the window.  What to do?  Just remain still and enjoy my unexpected encounter with a red-feathered friend.  Unexpected.  There is no better word to describe my life at present.  Since my last update, there have been lots of unexpected experiences.  Some have been as simple as spotting the cardinal at my window, or the above leaf as I walked to the grocery store.  Others instances have been more complex.  Their creative impact and outcomes remain to be seen.  Meanwhile, here are some brief highlights of experiences from the past month, with a focus on recent travels.  Enjoy! 😉

***

Virginia

In September I traveled with Steve to Virginia and West Virginia.  Virginia is my  home state.  While there, I visited one of my favorite nature trails along the Blackwater Creek.  See the little fish at the bottom of the picture?  Other sights along the trail:

And in a neaby national park  …

 

West Virginia

In Virginia, I showed Steve my old haunts.  In West Virginia, we journeyed to one of his, Seneca Rocks.  There I had several unexpected and memorable experiences, first attempting to climb a mountain, and then riding a horse.  When I wasn’t afraid of tumbling, off the mountain or the horse, I managed to snap a few photos. 😉

 

On the Horizon

Well, one of the most unexpected opportunities is an upcoming trip to Japan.  I don’t expect to encounter any horses, but Steve is determined to introduce me to octopus in all its varied culinary forms.  We’ll see about that one!

Also, I’m pleased to share that I will be making a guest blog appearance November 1st on The Evolving Critic, A Metro Boston Blog for Art, Architectural, Urban Planning and Community Explorations.  I’ll be sharing words and images about one of my favorite Boston sites, the Charles River Esplanade.

That’s the quick scoop from me.  Wherever you are in the world today, I hope you are healthy, happy and feeling inspired!

Read Full Post »

Climbing the Rock

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged , , , , , on October 4, 2010| 1 Comment »

As mentioned in previous posts, my travels this past month took me to Seneca Rocks, West Virginia. Steve and I have determined that when he first climbed Seneca Rocks I was probably sitting in a high chair smearing pink frosting on my face. I would have been celebrating my first birthday while he was celebrating the freedom of being a freshman at college on an outing with the Explorers Club. Over the years he would return many times to the mountain, sharing the experience of climbing with friends and family. He wanted to share the same experience with me.

I’d rock climbed in the past. Once at a gym where there was a climbing wall. Once in the wilds of New Hampshire with a bunch of middle schoolers participating in a summer writing program. All wonderful experiences. Were they enough to prepare me for Seneca?

Steve's Classic Gear

Steve Mapping "Easy" Route

Me All Dressed Up

So what happened?

We climbed. On occasion I swore under my breath. We finally reached a plateau where we could take a short break. Around us, others climbed.

At some point, gently, Steve reminded me that we had our own climb to finish. I tried focusing on what was before me and above, but at some point I made the mistake of looking behind me. And then looking down. And down and down and down. I will never forget the sight of both an eagle and a butterfly soaring above the clouds. We were all above the clouds it seemed. I looked at Steve and said, “I’m done.” I must have had “that look” on my face because he simply congratulated me on the distance I had traveled and then we sat for a bit in the quiet.

We just sat and shared the space, together, though I am sure our heads were in very different places.  Eventually, we rose.  The climb down was not so bad.  All in all, it was a good day.

Read Full Post »

Sunday Musings: Horse Sense

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 3, 2010| 1 Comment »

This beautiful, gentle-eyed beast is Shadow.  Recently, he carried me up Seneca Rocks, a famous West Virginia mountain, and brought me down safely.  But he wasn’t happy about it.   Since I was a child I have loved horses, but it was a love based purely on literary and cinematic exposure.  My favorite books were The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley.  My favorite movies included Black Beauty, My Friend Flicka and National Velvet.  It just so happened as an adult I found myself riding a water buffalo in Arkansas and an elephant in Thailand, but Shadow was to be my first horse. 

By horse standards, he was a teenager, his owner said.  And so it was with the recalcitrance of a teenager being forced to clean his room before supper that Shadow ferried me along the rock-strewn path up Seneca Rocks.  I swear he wanted to ditch me a couple of time, but he was well-trained.  Once back at the base of the mountain, we parted happily, he with a swish of his tail, and me with a much greater respect for horse attitude, not to mention the width of their barrel backs.

Read Full Post »

Simply Beautiful Images

Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged , , , , , , , on August 24, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Images by Frank on a little island in Maine

Image by Lorraine in a Brooklyn backyard


Read Full Post »

Blowin’ in the Wind at Belle Isle Marsh Yesterday

Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged , , , on August 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Read Full Post »

And August Begins with Questions

Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 2, 2010| 4 Comments »

First, is this a Great Blue Heron?  I think so but if you know for sure, please let me know.  Found this fellow standing quiet in the shallows at the Beaver Brook Reservation.  Beaver Brook is  the first reservation established by the Metropolitan Parks Commission, later the Massachusetts Department of Conservation.

Did you know that Queen Anne’s Lace is also known as wild carrot? So I discovered while reading Peterson’s Guide to Edible Wild Plants.  But be careful!  Queen Anne’s Lace and poisonous Hemlock look very similar.

On a day when I have spoken with, emailed, texted and chatted with X-number of friends and family who are all going through tough times, it makes me wonder:  why not turn the world upside down and shake things up a bit?  Sometimes the result can be startling and quite beautiful as in this inverted reflection of the heron, and of grasses in a mountain lake.

And, finally, books.  Yes, books.  My friend Steve is a complete and utter bibliophile who built his own floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that cover two walls of his living room, and yet he still has books piled high as columns every where.  I asked him the other day, if he were traveling indefinitely and could only take three books with him, what would they be?  He answered, “Well, two books come to mind right away, the bible and the Joy of Cooking.”  When he said he wasn’t sure about the third book and that it would depend on where he was traveling, I added, “Well, let’s say you’re stuck on a deserted island.”  He chuckled and said, “Well then that makes it easier.  I’d want the third book to be The Manual of Practical Boat Building.”

What books would you choose?  Send me a note.  I’ll post peoples’ responses in next month’s Words+Images update.

Read Full Post »

July A Month of Light and Color

Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 1, 2010| 1 Comment »

Pink is not my favorite color, but this July pink flowers kept catching my attention, as did blooms in white,

and in gold.

I love photographing trees reflected in water. But sometimes I was so focused on shooting such images, that I nearly missed the ducks for the trees, like these little fellows sitting silently in the bottom of my frame.

Spiders — yes, spiders! — continued to woo me with their wondrous webs. As imperfect as they are, I cannot help but share these images of spider webs I saw one July night in Maine. Layers upon layers of fog-covered webs illuminated by night lights.

Guest contributors added visual and culinary spice to our lives by sharing recipes and photographs. Links below will take you to recent posts. Expect many more tasty selections in the coming months.

Tell Me About the Petunia Wall

Sunflowers

And what does August hold? Hmmm.

* New submissions to writing and photography contests, magazines and other Call for Artists.

* Putting better business practices into place around my creative life, from fun stuff like new business cards to better systems for cataloging and tracking images and articles.

* Following up on recent opportunities to tell other peoples’ amazing life stories.

* Pulling together all my camera gear and giving everything a good cleaning!

* Writing. Writing. Writing.

Read Full Post »

More Pictures from “Down East”

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on July 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Read Full Post »

Galia’s Sauteed Wild Mushrooms

Posted in Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged , , on July 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Gather mushrooms in a wooded area. Be very sure of what you are gathering or root around with an expert. With a brush, paper towel or even a pocket knife, clean mushrooms by removing tough stems and dirt. If necessary rinse gently in water. Drain well. In saucepan, warm butter and olive oil. Add chopped onions. After onions cook down a bit, add in mushrooms that have been rough chopped. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. A lot of liquid will leak out of the mushrooms. Let it cook down. Once most or all of the liquid has simmered away, add a healthy of dollop of sour cream. Cook until mixture bubbles and thickens. Serve with crusty dark bread and chilled white wine. Also good ladled over pasta!

Recipe by Galia

Image by Cynthia Staples

Read Full Post »

Flowers Along the NYC High Line

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged , , , on July 13, 2010| 1 Comment »

For years, my cousin Timothy has introduced me to the sights and sounds of New York City when I have come to visit.  This weekend he introduced me to the NYC High Line Park.  What a treat!

As noted on the official website, “The High Line was built in the 1930s, as part of a massive public-private infrastructure project called the West Side Improvement. It lifted freight traffic 30 feet in the air, removing dangerous trains from the streets of Manhattan’s largest industrial district. No trains have run on the High Line since 1980. Friends of the High Line, a community-based non-profit group, formed in 1999 when the historic structure was under threat of demolition. Friends of the High Line works in partnership with the City of New York to preserve and maintain the structure as an elevated public park.”

An elevated public park.  It really must be seen to be believed.  Learn more here.  I was impressed by how the park engages the senses.  Not just sight, but through its Public Art, all of the senses are engaged.  I hope to write more about my experience in the near future, but until then here are a few pictures from our time on the High Line.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »