Delight in meditation and solitude. Compose yourself, be happy. You are a seeker.
Marigold
from the shadow of silky petals
an insect emerges
waving his tiny legs
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.
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.
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 - 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.
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 - 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 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 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 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”?