Posts Tagged ‘nature’
Blowin’ in the Wind at Belle Isle Marsh Yesterday
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged Belle Isle Marsh, East Boston, nature, Photography on August 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »
August is a purple month so far.
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged flowers, nature, Photography, purple on August 8, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Sunflower … with a Visitor!
Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged caterpillar, nature, Photography, sunflower on August 5, 2010| 1 Comment »
Like my cousin Lorraine, I often don’t notice what’s in the middle of a flower until after I upload the digital images. For a while now she’s noticed that something has been eating up her flowers.
Now she’s got a picture of the culprit! If anyone out there knows what kind of caterpillar this is, please let me know and I will share your answer with her.
Images by Lorraine
The Dove
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged dove, nature, pause, Photography on August 4, 2010| 2 Comments »
I have mixed feelings about mourning doves. I come from a family tradition that often viewed the doves as harbingers of death And yet it was the mourning dove’s haunting cry that made me pause this morning on my way into work. I looked around for the source of the sound but I could see nothing in the branches above. I could have, maybe should have, continued racing into the office, but that moment’s pause was enough to make me realize I had plenty of time to make my destination. I pulled a book from my bag and sat on a nearby stone wall. Barely a chapter I skimmed, but it was enough time for this lad or lady to settle beside without notice. I did not think it would allow me to dig around in my bag, secure the camera and then pull the camera from its case, but it did. And then it flew on.
And August Begins with Questions
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged Beaver Brooks Reservation, books, egret, hemlock, heron, nature, Photography, Queen Anne's Lace, reflections, wild carrot 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.
July A Month of Light and Color
Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged color, ducks, flowers, fog, light, nature, Photography, reflection, spider webs, trees 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
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.
Merwin Whose Words Evoke Images
Posted in Books I Love, Inspiration, tagged human condition, mushrooms, nature, poetry, W. S. Merwin on July 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I received an e-update today from poets.org that included news about W. S. Merwin, one of my favorite poets. He is succeeding Kay Ryan as the 2010-2011 U.S. Poet Laureate. His is a poetry that makes one pause. Maybe all poetry does that. 😉 In any case, in the bookstore where I work, in the quiet moments, I pull Merwin’s Shadow of Sirius from the shelf. I recently discovered that he’d written a famous poem about mushrooms. As someone who has habitually avoided mushrooms I am amazed at how often mushrooms are appearing in my life this summer!
Looking for Mushrooms at Sunrise
When it is not yet day
I am walking on centuries of dead chestnut leaves
In a place without grief
Though the oriole
Out of another life warns me
That I am awake
In the dark while the rain fell
The gold chanterelles pushed through a sleep that was not mine
Waking me
So that I came up the mountain to find them
Where they appear it seems I have been before
I recognize their haunts as though remembering
Another life
Where else am I walking even now
Looking for me
— W. S. Merwin
An Update of Sorts …
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, Photography Exhibits, Publication Updates, tagged nature, Photography on June 8, 2010| 1 Comment »
It’s been a long while. What to share? Well, mostly I wanted to share the above picture of a dandelion gone to seed. Allergies have hit me hard this season leaving me a bit blurry-eyed and forcing me to be more creative in my photography. To be sure of what I am seeing, I find that I am getting up close and personal with my photographic subjects resulting in pictures like this dandelion. The little motes remind me of stars.
In Other News …
Because I keep walking into the webs, I ‘m getting a lot of nice spider shots.
Local Treks
Recent treks included familiar spots like the Boston Public Gardens, and along the Charles River. Lime Quarry Reservation (map) presented new vistas. Future treks include the Arnold Arboretum and Boston Harbor.
At the Edges
While at work, where a park ended and a parking lot began, I found life on display from fresh beginning to untimely end.
At the edge where a stretch of farmland intersected with a stretch of city road, a friend and I found a farm stand with fresh picked produce.
Unexpected Opportunities
I’m being interviewed by Molly J. Anderson-Childers for the Creativity-Portal.com. Imagine that! More information available in July.
Unexpected Inspirations
- the color yellow, especially buttercups
- a dog named Fuzzy
- bird song
- rain/rain drops/rainbows
- ferns
Inspired by Family Always!
My brother recently sent me this picture of his son. Brings a smile to my face every time.
And on the horizon?
Working to meet the deadlines for several upcoming art shows. Following up on leads from friends and family about various contests and publication opportunities (keep ’em coming!). Learning more about photographic techniques. Identifying the next photos to submit for donation to the Art Connection. And just trying to keep my eyes open to the beauty around me.
Morning Glory After the Rain
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged flowers, morning glory, nature, Photography, rain on June 7, 2010| Leave a Comment »
A Lovely Assemblage of Parts
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged insects, nature, Photography, wings on May 29, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Words + Images 