“A cloud over the sun doesn’t mean there is no sun.” — Gregory Orr
Posts Tagged ‘travel’
Clouds …
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged beauty, Boston, clouds, color, Gregory Orr, Inspiration, nature, Photography, photos, pictures, poetry, sky, travel on October 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Hidden in Plain Sight
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged frog, great blue heron, Inspiration, nature, perspective, Photography, photos, pictures, reflection, squirrel, travel, wildlife on October 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »
As Steve and I walked through a wooded area this past Sunday, something rustled the dried leaves at my feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. A pale shape. Small. I followed. Soon I found myself kneeling in the mud inching closer to this little fellow, whose photo I took for a friend who loves frogs.
That same day, at an adjacent park, we walked around a pond and through the neighboring woods. In the middle of a bustling town the park was well-visited by local families. So, the animals were quite used to people. We walked through flocks of geese. Mallards looked up at us wondering if we had a treat. A chorus of gray squirrels chided Steve for not bringing them nuts. He promised to do so next time. But up high in a tree, more reluctant to be seen, sat a black squirrel.
Around grassy knolls we continued to walk. Then up a hill, past a little fort. Tucked here and there, in open spaces and sometimes beneath the largest trees, sat families. Some picnicked. I saw one man teaching his young daughter how to draw. Her little boy threw rocks into the pond and up high into the trees. I wonder if he noticed the beauty that lay at his feet?
The park was not large. And, truth be told, there were not that many trees, especially around the pond. Yet somehow, because it stood so still upon a dead branch, a great blue heron remained mostly obscured. Even as Steve and I stood there and stared at its quiet beauty, other people walked past us and muttered, “I wonder what they see?”
Returning to the Blue Hills
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged Blue Hills Reservation, landscape, Milton, nature, Parks, Photography, travel, water on April 10, 2011| 1 Comment »
In Fall 2009, Steve and I visited the Blue Hills Reservation, a state park covering 7,000 acres south of Boston. There we climbed an observation tower where I was able to snap these landscape shots, including one of Boston from afar. With the weather warming up, we ventured back there recently. Here are a few images from the day. No tower shots … yet. 😉
Japan Road Notes: Aquired Tastes
Posted in Inspiration, On the Road, tagged Kobe, octopus balls, road trip, travel on October 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I think they must be an aquired taste, octopus balls. I have seen them each morning in the hotel buffet. I even placed one on my plate and was encouraged by the golden crispy exterior. It looked like hushpuppies from my youth. Except hushpuppies are just deep fried bits of seasoned cornbread. Pry apart an octopus ball. Then the truth is revealed: pale puffed bread steaming fragrantly and nestled saftely therein , soft pink-gray tentacles. I stared long and hard at the little suction cups imagining how they might feel against my tongue. Not exactly the experience I wanted for breakfast. Though I consider myself a fairly adventurous person, I could not do it. I could not bring the fork to my mouth. I did take a picture. Stay tuned. 😉
Fall Update
Posted in Contributing Writer, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, Publication Updates, tagged autumn, Blackwater Creek, butterflies, Contributing Writer, horses, insects, lady bugs, leaves, musing, Photography, rock climbing, Seneca Rocks, stink bugs, travel, Virginia, West Virginia 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! 😉
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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!
Butterflies Everywhere
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged butterflies, insects, orange butterflies, Photography, travel, Virginia on September 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Recently I traveled from Massachusetts down to Virginia with a side excursion into West Virginia. More to share about that journey in a later post, but for now, I’d like to share this picture.
Butterflies seemed everywhere, in every color and size, especially Monarchs which appeared as big as birds in the sky. This creature is certainly not a Monarch. If you know what it is, please let me know!
Views from a Train
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged Photography, travel on April 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Recently, I had the pleasure of traveling by train from Boston to Virginia. Here are a few images, seen through the train window.
In Delaware
In Delaware
In Maryland
And Then There Was Costa Rica
Posted in Inspiration, On the Road, tagged Blue Morpho, butterflies, coffee, Costa Rica, solo travel, travel on November 15, 2009| Leave a Comment »
For a while, after successfully navigating my way through Thailand, I thought that I would do an annual solo trip to some exotic place in the world, with exotic defined as any place not here. The next really big trip I took was to Costa Rica. I didn’t have the same finances nor drive to travel there for a month. Finally I sketched out a one-week trip. Again, I wasn’t really into photography then so most of the images I have available today are in my head or included as part of my postcard collection. I still need to sort through the journals from that period, but even off the cuff, I can remember two things quite clearly, the taste of fresh made Costa Rican coffee and my first sight of the Blue Morpho.
Photo by RainyDays3
Memories of Thailand
Posted in Inspiration, On the Road, tagged Thailand, travel on November 12, 2009| Leave a Comment »
This morning I woke up with memories of Thailand. There was something about the sound of the traffic in the air. As my mind drifted with the gentle noise, I remembered the whole of the journey, beginning in Bangkok, the day trip to the River Kwai, the overnight train to Chiang Mai, the hike into the mountains and visiting with hill tribes, the butterfly and orchid gardens, and finally Krabi and the islands. It was such a novel experience for me, my first solo trip, and it was around the world. It was an adventure. It was cathartic. I wrote copiously on that trip. I have a box of journals that one day I may mine for some nugget of a good story or maybe even compile and get published as a travel memoir. Writing was my primary interest in those days, not photography. I have a few photos in a scrapbook that were taken with little plastic disposable cameras. Mostly the pictures are in my head.
Journal Excerpt:
“On the sleeper train to Bangkok. I finished my book. I’m not sleepy. Being in upper bunk isn’t too bad. Can’t imagine getting down though. … Okay, it’s morning. I zonked! I know I snore, but nothing I can do about it. Can’t belive so many hours to go, just to return to Bangkok. … As I sit here watching the scenery go by, I am mesmerized by the almost ubiquitous sights of Thailand, birds, butterflies and temples. All three are like gems in a green land.”
Words + Images 