Photo Journal

Silent Wanderings

Delight in meditation and solitude. Compose yourself, be happy. You are a seeker.

Gautama Buddha

09/06/2022 Someone hiding in the marigold

Marigold

from the shadow of silky petals

an insect emerges

waving his tiny legs

08/31/2022 Along the path behind my house

August 31, 2022

Walked the path leading from my house through the woods and around the neighbors this morning. Even when the sun is high in the sky; you can only see it filtered in streaming rays through the trees. I am so lucky to have neighbors who also love the woods and had the idea to cut a path between our houses. This is where I go to walk alone.

08/31/2022 The Three Sisters

August 31, 2022 The lake was a little choppy today; crashing in frothy white over the rocks I call the Three Sisters (because I am one of three).  The morning sky on clear days is like a muted rainbow; before the sun fully clears the trees.  I don’t know what causes the effect; but I do love its beauty.

08/31/2022 Sunset over the Bluff

August 31, 2022, Sunset - Instead of walking down to the water for sunset I walked the road along the lakeshore. After I long afternoon of sitting at my computer, I wanted to move my legs.  The wild plants growing along the bluff look like they are reaching out to try to catch the sun before it falls into the lake.

September 1, 2022 Reflection of splashing water

September 1, 2022 - Another clear beautiful morning.  Starting to turn cooler.  Taking photos of reflections is something I really like to do with the iphone camera, because it can be held so close to the surface.  Today there was a pool of water on the beach side of the Three Sisters, so I was taking a few shots in the still water when a wave splashed over the middle sister… the serendipity of a moment.

09/01//2022 Bees on the barn sunflowers

September 1, 2022 - afternoon - My studio is in a barn a few miles away from home. Some of our friends planted an earth friendly garden there, and today I noticed their sunflowers were finally blooming.  The bees were loving it.  These sunflowers have personality, one was bold as anything - face up to the sky; one was shy just peeking out from its petals, and another looked like a giggly little child covering its laugh. The are happy flowers when they open up. It was a difficult day to get photos because the sun was so bright and they either got washed out or were too deep in shadows; but these few turned out okay.

September 2, 2022 A swan pruning its feathers

September 2, 2022 - On my way to the farm market in Saugatuck from my yoga class in Douglas, I walked along the Veteran’s Walk, partly to avoid traffic but mostly because it’s so pretty.  It’s a boardwalk between the edgewater of Kalamazoo Lake and a wetland area on the shore.  When I got near the end, right in the little bay area of the public boat ramp, swans were pruning their feathers, stirring the water into circular ripples and geese were just waking up and wading into the water. All of us going about our Friday morning business.

September 2, 2022 Geese wading in the water near the Douglas Veterans Walk

September 3, 2022 Bee still on the giant hyssop

September 3, 2022 - I have been looking for monarch butterflies.  I know they are endangered, but I usually see some in late August and early September.  I thought there might be some on these giant hyssop blossoms; but there were only bees.  Which also made me happy.

September 3, 2022 Blurry bee in flight to bigger blossoms

September 5, 2022 A Walking stick on the eaves

September 5, 2022 - It has been a week of unexpected sights.  Today, while cleaning the screened porch outside; I saw a walking stick moving in its slow long steps up to the eaves. Usually, they are so camouflaged by the branches that you don’t notice them; but this one stood out in full tree-like color against the dark gray eaves.  Glad they move slow.  I ran in the house to get my camera, and when I came back, he was pretty much in the same spot.  Have to admit; at first, I thought the back end was the front end; so, I took a lot of close ups of the “wrong end” before I realized …

September 5 , 2022 Walking stick from a side angle

September 6, 2022 Daisy Fleabane by the road

September 6, 2022 - I took my little hiking camera on my walk today looking for macro subjects. This is a way to learn.  Step in, get close to a tiny subject, and take a very tightly focused photo.  Sometimes you even get a surprise – like the little insect hiding in the marigold; but almost always you see detail you didn’t expect, or when you get home; learn the name of a plant you didn’t know before.  Like that tiny daisy-like weed by the side of the road…daisy fleabane.  Now – I wonder why they call it “fleabane”?

September 6, 2022 Back to the marigold

Bursting

08/26/2022 Saugatuck Michigan - Atteva Aurea on Coneflower

Atteva Aurea  

Along the floodplain

Wild coneflower blossoms,

Yellow-

With a pale green core

and all around it

thin-bodied moths,

black, orange and white -

alight and explore,

like astronauts

probing another planet.

August 26, 2022 I walked to the Mildred A Peterson Nature Preserve today after yoga.  I knew from my running group that there was a trail through there into the northern edge of Saugatuck, and that it would probably be pretty peaceful on a Friday morning.  I was hoping to get some pictures of dragonflies… I didn’t.  BUT.  I saw these beautiful yellow flowers that I thought were daisies until I looked them up and found out that they are cutleaf coneflowers, native to North America; found mostly around wetlands like this. They were covered with so many different kinds of insects that I didn’t see until I got in close to get some pictures. An entire society living right under my nose.  So many colors, so many shapes – some familiar, like the bee; some alien to me; like the dragonfly-ish dark small-winged creature sitting on a petal.

08.26/2022 Bee pollinating Cutleaf Cornflower

08/26/2022 Wild white perennial pea

August 26, 2022 - Not sure what this flower is.. growing in the pond.

August 27, 2022 Three deer on the edge of the bluff as i was finishing my run

08/28/2022 Roadside daisies

August 28, 2022 I started taking pictures of yellow flowers for my sister, Rita, because she loves yellow - and flowers, but after I took a few, I understood. It’s like sunshine, even when the day is gloomy.

August 29, 2022 Not sure if anyone but me would find this touching; but the dried out, holey leaf looked so much like an old, much worn jacket hanging up to dry…and in a way, I guess it is.

August 29, 2022 Playing with perspective - a rock inside a shell with the sun setting like a cherry on top.

August 29, 2022 Wally. A toy walrus I found on a road trip through south Florida. He’s been traveling with me everywhere. I took him down to sunset to get his silhouette over the lake. Just for fun.