My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
At the heart of all photography is an urge to express our deepest personal feelings – to reveal our inner, hidden selves, to unlock the artist. Those of us who become photographers are never satisfied with just looking at someone else’s expression of something that is dear to us. We must produce our own images, instead of buying postcards and photo books. We seek to make our own statements of individuality.
Galen Rowell
I find leaves are amazing but especially in the fall. Seems nature makes wonderful art with them. For this image I found the wind blowing so I had to compose and shoot fast before my composition changed. Every fall when I see the leaves fall I feel a bit of frustration and sadness that they are not able to continue their life cycle, as man has other ideas for their lives. I may have whined about this before. 😁 Anyway, I’m drawn to the details, shape, lines, texture and color of leaves in the fall. I know some people who see “leaf creatures” in images like this. I’ve searched but don’t see any here or lack the openness of a child’s mind to see them. However, our good friend and fellow photographer, Mark, does here, here, here and here.
watching the changes outside the window
mws
a witness to the sights and sounds of the fall season
as a cool wind rustles through the trees
red and yellow snowflakes flutter earthward
the trees offering their annual gifts along with
a promise of big white snowflakes soon to come
jotting words in my journal of what I see and hear
while including a list of todays simple gratitudes
so, I accept the gift of fall mornings and this mocha latte
Rain and wind predicted for today so the gold and yellow leaves will all be headed for Kansas by this evening. Thanks for stopping by.
Couple images taking on my walk yesterday afternoon
…and a poem by Mary Oliver called Song of Autumn
In the deep fall
Mary Oliver
don’t you imagine the leaves think how
comfortable it will be to touch
the earth instead of the
nothingness of air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don’t you think
the trees themselves, especially those with mossy,
warm caves, begin to think
of the birds that will come — six, a dozen — to sleep
inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
vanishes, and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
its blue shadows. And the wind pumps its
bellows. And at evening especially,
the piled firewood shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.
Creation flows from the fountain fullness
Ilia Delio
of creative energy,
Springing from a creative and dynamic Source of Love.
Relational, personal, generative, communicative
Love
Spilling over on the canvas of space-time;
Creation is like a song
That flows in the most beautiful of harmonies.
What could possibly account for such
Creative beauty bubbling up
Into life?
Could it be
The Beauty of Life itself,
A Divine community of Love? . . .
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
Mary Oliver
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
I spent an hour at one of the natural areas this afternoon. The sun felt good as I sat on the bench and looked out over the meadow, being idle and blessed. The trees along the edges of the reservoir are taking on the colors of fall, while some already stand naked of leaves. A fall wind blows in my face from the northeast. I watch clouds casting their shadows over the meadow and I could hear the prairie dogs bark as people walked along the trails. I was practicing how to pay attention.
“Some people prefer solitude. They say their peace of mind depends on this. Others say they would be better off in church. If you do well, you do well wherever you are. If you fail, you fail wherever you are. Your surroundings don’t matter. God is with you everywhere — in the marketplace as well as in seclusion or in the church. If you look for nothing but God, nothing or no one can disturb you. God is not distracted by a multitude of things.
Meister Eckhart
Nor can we be.”
I have lived alone for many years. During that time I have owned my own place and at times invited others in when necessary for short periods of time. That changes this week as I will be staying with friends in their spare bedroom while mold mitigation is done to my condo. So my surroundings are different. My lifestyle will be different. My solitude will be different. To top it off my car is in the shop for a couple days so I’m not as mobile. We will see if I do well in my new situation and temporary surroundings. 😁
I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.
Joseph Campbell
I probably drive 4 miles 4-5 mornings a week to be closer to nature, or at least distant from the noise of the city, and greet the morning sun. I usually take some photo as part of this morning routine. But one morning this past week I didn’t. However, when I got back to my condo I saw the sun peaking through the branches of this maple tree. I shot 5 images of the sun coming through the branches and 6 of the group of leaves that have already fallen. Interesting that the images as part of my morning routine were within 50 feet of my front door. Go figure.
sitting on a bench at the natural area
ms
I look out across the open meadow
a light wind blows from the south
softly whispering through golden grass
taking simple breaths I remain present
far from those places thoughts beckon
a blue jay chatters from a pine branch
joined by a chorus of barking prairie dogs
I’m listening…
but all goes silent with my unexpected sneeze
an engulfing quiet settles upon the meadow
silence is broken with a chickadees two-note song
inviting the prairie dogs and blue jays back
a squawking magpie joins in and so the
concert continues much to my pleasure
within this simple experience I am
offered one of the many gifts of nature
I’m listening…
When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.
Joseph Campbell
There are times when nature stops me in my tracks. It could be a familiar scene we see regularly such as these leaves. Today it was the life giving viens of these leaves that awoke my consciousness. And, I hear October tapping on the door. I’m ready for the transformation of the world around me into the season of fall. 😊