a little peace

Infinity, from a garden hose.

Serenity, from the Lady on the Point.

Fluidity, from a big flat brook.

Tranquility, from a meadow bush.

Beauty, from the purple of a flower.

Praise, from the stem of an herb.

Joy, from the song of a bird.

Light, from a heavenly source.

Richness, from the earth, itself.

Simplicity, from the wildflowers.

For all my family, near and far, old and young.....  in Cissy Anne's honor.

And for my friend and her family and for Forgotten Stew.

And the sun goes down......

...on another day.

Correction

It's David Crowder, not David Crowler, for those who want to 'youtube' this musician's song I mentioned in my last posting.

All Creatures Great and Small - Worth Repeating

Friday afternoon I came home to find this really large dragonfly on the screen of our back door.  I took a bunch of pictures from where I stood, then got a bit more creative, getting a step stool....  changing the lens....  even changing the color of the background by hanging a sheet over the inside door (which I ended up not using)  But it was when I became really up close to it, that I saw was the insect was actually doing: it was taking it's right 'hand' and with swift motions, it repeatedly pushed up it's helmet-like head and rubbed what lie beneath it.  I was fascinated as I watched this occuring, and it seemed to not be deterred by my presence, remaining there for quite some time.  It reminded me of a similar expereince of many years ago which I'll share following a couple pictures of this dragonfly:

Many of you have been following my creative writing for a long time--way before blogs even existed--so this story might sound familiar, but it's worth repeating.  Many years ago, we had a pet African Tree Toad which was kept in a glass terrarium set up as a perfect habitat for it to thrive.  It was a cute little fellow; in fact, it's name was "Smiles".  Every week we'd go to the pet shop and quiver while we watched the lady stick her arm in a tankful of live crickets, grab a handful of them, and put the crickets into a plastic bag for us to bring home.  They'd hop and pop around the bag the whole way home, and we'd quiver again emptying them into the tank where Smiles lived.  While providing a challenging catch by the frog, they became it's food. 

One August evening, when the crickets outside chirped their loudest, I sat on the floor in front of Smiles' tank and looked in at the activity of the creatures inside.  With my face just inches away, I spotted one lone cricket with it's body leaning halfway into the little pool of water we provided for the animals.  Upon closer inspection, I watched with amazement, this cricket using it's 'hand' to very carefully, very slowly and very deliberately dipping it's 'hand' into the water, then grab one of it's antennae by the base, and with extreme care, slide it's 'hand' from the base to the tip of this antenna.  Over and over, it would dip it's 'hand' into the water and slide it along it's long antenna.  This cricket was grooming itself!  With it's purpose of living to be food for yet another creature (not that it knew any different) it took the time and care to groom itself.  Who would have thought that such a tiny creature would groom itself!  It goes to show you the value of each individual living thing and how instinctively we do what is important to our survival.  This photo is not of the pet-shop crickets, but one that was in our backyard recently, so you can see, up close, the thin, long antennae and appreciate the work it takes to keep them clean and functioning properly:

I also recall, just a few days after that incident that left me in awe, we were at a park for rescued zoo animals.  It was a scalding hot day, but we endured it.  We came upon the elephants in their very arid terrain of dried, tan dust.  I watched one elephant in particular, taking it's trunk and swiped the land with it in one huge sweeping motion, grabbing a trunkful of the dirt and by lifting it's trunk and releasing the dirt, it would shower all over it's immense body.  It did this repeatedly and I became as awestruck as that night with the cricket as I watched this elephant either cooling itself off or grooming itself under this dry shower.  The contrast between the two in physical size was astounding, but the message was no different to me.  All creatures great and small are equal and equally amazing to me. 

I do not have any photos of elephants on hand, but I do have a song in my head to share.  The  lyrics speak to me personally of all creatures, of all nature, and my strong spirituality that encompasses all I love and hold important.  It's an old Christian hymn, brought up-to-date by many contemporary Christian musicians, including David Crowler.  Feel free to seek out David Crowler's version of All Creatures Of Our God And King on http://www.youtube.com/ .  One version has the lyrics printed out which you'll see what I mean.  Another version has David and his band performing live.  [sidenote: Mr. Crowler reminds me vaguely of someone a few of you might find recognizable....]

Ground Level Sunrise Walk

We went for a walk at dawn this morning, with hopes that other wildlife was also stirring at that hour ~ specificallly bears.  Yesterday (as most mornings) on my way to work, a bear meandered through the fog, crossing the road right in front of my car.  It was a large bruin, compared to the smaller sows.  I managed, in my excitement, to quick-snap a few photos out my car window.  (Yes, I could live to be 105 years old, and I'd still become excited about seeing bears!) 

                                                                              


Today I wanted to be at ground level and walk alongside a bear.  Knowing they favor this stretch of road, we walked...  enjoying the quiet unfolding of ths beautiful autumn morning.  Here are a few things we saw along the way.

                               And then......   on the way back......   up ahead.......    I saw my bear!

It went off into the woods with us following a distance away, but it was not to be seen again. 



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I passed this scene as I continued on with  the rest of my morning's journey, inspiring me to I capture a few more of autumn's leaves ~ on their descent ~  paying tribute to the perfectly, appropriately-named nickname of the season! 

              Finally, off the side of our causeway, was this 'conga line' of turtles, as Kathy would call it!

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The Harvest Moon

                                        The full Harvest moon on the autumn equinox.

                                    

The Witch House

One of the most wonderful things about going around taking pictures, is the people I meet along the way.  Whether they come up to me or I approach them, we engage in conversations, sharing what it is that we do, what we enjoy, and our individual experiences.  I consider myself so fortunate and blessed to make so many connections, however brief they may be. 

Yesterday I stopped at a neighbor's house a few miles down the road to request permission to photograph some things on his property.  Although living nearby and passing his house regularly for the past 26 years, we've never met.  Little does he know, but throughout that entire time and while our kids were growing up, his house has been always referred to so fondly by us as "The Witch House".  Not that it was a scary place, by any means, but because every Halloween season a decoration was created of a very realistic-looking witch with glowing eyes, stirring a steaming cauldron.  Many of those years she stirred with a very frantic, scary movement; other years it was a  s l o w , eerie stir.  "The Witch House" is a very important landmark in this part of the woods, and I'm certain many other families also refer the it as "The Witch House".  A jolly Santa with bright eyes and big, rosy cheeks is displayed at another time of the year.  The man is an artist, which I kind of already knew, based on the fact that a huge tree that once fell on his property, was left as a natural sculpture once the debris and some branches were cleared away, and it remained as a natural sculpture that I admired for many months each time I drove passed. 

I spent a good deal of time at The Witch House yesterday.  I learned about the wrought-iron pieces on his property and on the adjacent piece of land, that his father made.  I learned the object I wanted to photograph because of the peace and respite exuded, had been originally placed there for exactly those reasons.  I learned that he is unique and gifted in his visual abilities and the 3-dimensional way his brain interprets what he sees, thus creating these astounding reflecting images he sketches onto paper.  And I learned about a flower he has growing--and hopefully I have the correct name: a tropical Night Blossoming Cereus--a plant with several blossoms--each one blossoming for just one single night before drying up and falling off the plant.  As it happens, he predicted the flower to blossom open this very night!!  In fact, they're probably enjoying the spectacular flower right this very minute!!  Here is a photo of the bud, ready to burst at just the precise moment.  If the bud looks like this, imagine what the blossom will look like!!  (Or Google the image!)  The other objects I photographed have been set aside for a project I'm working on.

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A Matter of Perspective

               This moth looks strangely to me like a bronze casting of some ancient king or something.

Omissions

Oh my gosh, how could I forget to include in my last posting, one of the prettiest flowers I saw on my morning walk!  Here it is.

                                      And this web makes a perfect cup for holding the morning dew.

There.  I feel better now.  I hate when I leave things out, only to come across it soon after I hit 'enter'.
Like coming across one more 'rusty' thing I had in a file that would have been perfect to include in my 'Rust Never Sleeps / glowbegone' posting!  Actually.....  I have the power to edit my posts, so I just may add it after all!



                                 ...but while I'm here right now....   



I passed this flock of turkeys on my Sunday drive.  The second photo of them makes me chuckle--each and every turkey is doing something different!  The third image shows them cresting the horizon, where one decided to spread it's wings.

Thanks for following.....

a woodland and lakeside walk

Some of the late-blooming flora (or in various other stages) and fauna, living woodland and lakeside, that I discovered on my mountainside morning walk of a few days ago.  I do not  know the names of any of the flowers; I acknowledge them and appreciate them for what they are apart from their identity.

A cormorant.

The only way I even saw this frog, as he blended in so thoroughly with it's surroundings, is because it hopped right in front of me!  The photo below this one depicts a different frog but the same scenario.

I was so energized by the time I got home from that morning's explorations, that I wanted and needed to be up on our 'own' mountain right in the backyard.  Making my way up top on the stone stairway, I came across this beauty.

                                     ...and this cave.....

And then I noticed this.  WHAT THE F**K??!!  and HOW THE F**K??!!

...hold on a minute....   I needed a closer look..........

Further investigation, and.....  ah-HA!

Amazing what you can find in your own back yard.....  there's no place like home!