Photo Journal

A Party of Parrots

The parrots of heaven will be cracking sugar as we laugh together, you and I.

Rumi

For weeks I have heard them laughing and chattering in the alley and on the street

They seem the happiest of birds

never lacking for something to say

striking a pose for the admiring human on the ground

If you have discovered a truth, tell it first to a parrot! Every new truth needs an insistent repetition!

Mehmet Murat Ildan

A Party of Parrots

It’s 6:30 am -

and it’s a party.

You weren’t invited -

But it really doesn’t matter,

When the green parrots gather

you are welcome

and expected.

It will be noisy

and rowdy -

There will be shouting.

and singing.

There will be hopping around

from foot to foot.

When you leave,

they’ll be laughing

and nattering on

behind your back.

But still;

You’ll look for them

tomorrow.

Parrots are not native to Florida, but they are flourishing here. (Technically, these are Psittacara Leucophtalmus, a species of parakeet.) They are loud and lovely. This time of year, they are everywhere, but specifically, they are in the alley behind my apartment every morning between 6:00-7:00 am, and they are having a party. (If you want to hear the sound, click here. This doesn’t completely do it justice, but you get a little idea.) For me, this is fantastic. They help me start my morning off feeling a little lighter, a little happier. Hope you like them too!

Thank you so much for being here. See you next week.

glorious in green on a grey morning

Breathing

August 13, 2022 A fawn waiting for its brother

Saturday morning

I went down the bluff stairs

To the lake.

It was still dark;

And I was foggy with sleep.

To the north I saw movement-

a silhouette on the beach,

then another-

then two more;

running and pausing

dipping their heads in the water

splashing and shaking it off -

a family of deer

briefly sharing a moment

with me.

August 17, 2022 A tree reaches out to the moon

8/17/2022

Busy days behind and ahead. Social days.  Good days.  But I need some peace in all of this.  Moments to breathe.  The lake in the early morning is my refuge, with the waning moon in the blue sky.  This morning I decided to focus my photography on extremely simple, minimalist subjects to create in pictures what I crave in my life.  Simplicity and space, beauty and quiet.  So here is the moon, the sky and a leafy branch reaching out toward them both.

August 18, 2022 Cedar moss carpets the forest floor

August 18, 2022 Breathing is on my mind this week. I’m listening to Breath by James Nestor, about how we’ve lost the art of breathing well, and how it affects our health. This focusing of my attention has made me feel oddly tense; so today I walked the woods path slowly; and then down to the lake to breathe in the lake air (through the NOSE, of course - if you read the book; you will understand).

August 18, 2022 Just water and sky

August 19, 2022 Dune grass pushing through rocks

August 19, 2022. I saw this little bit of dune grass growing out from under a black stone, perfectly framed by it. Nature’s compositions and nature’s resilience in one image. The grass is growing through a pile of rocks my association brought in to help control the erosion of the bluff. It all looked unnatural for awhile, until suddenly - it didn’t .

August 19, 2022 Downcast Sunflower

August 19, 2022 Saugatuck

Just a week ago there were so many sunflowers blooming here; now there are only a few.  Summer is waning. And this lonely remaining blossom, not fully open, bows its head.

August 21, 2022 Corn field under overcast sky

August 21, 2022 On my Sunday long run i ran on farm roads. Quiet and solitary. Simple. Feeling every step, counting my breaths ( yes, i do) .

August 21, 2022 A roll of hay in a green field

August 21, 2022 Grasshopper on the glass door

August 21, 2022 I came home from my run and found a pretty green grasshopper on my front door; then realized his leg was broken; which was why he didn’t jump away while I was getting in close with my camera. I felt protective ; but couldn’t figure out how to help. By Monday, he was gone. I don’t know what happened. Life is so precious and uncertain.

August 21, 2022 Close up of grasshopper and reflection

August 21, 2022 Grasshopper from the side

August 22, 2022 A lost feather in the setting sun

August 22, 2022 A lost feather I stood up in the sand., vanes almost tickling the light of the setting sun.