under a cottonwood (for the love of trees series)

it was you
oh carefree cottonwood

giving shelter
and flight

to the fanciful dreams
of childhood


*I think my love affair with trees began as a young girl. Have you ever seen or read the book A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson? The copy i remember had a beautiful line drawing of a young girl lying under a tree reading a book. I didn't read my books under trees but i did often run through the pastures to my favorite cottonwood, lie down in the deep grass and watch the clouds pass over. That wise old cottonwood never said a word but he gave me hours of comfort and friendship.

upward (for the love of trees series)

"The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky." ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Wisdom of the Sands, translated from French by Stuart Gilbert


*If I were forced…absolutely forced to choose one thing in nature that I would find it most difficult to live without, I think I would say trees. Oh how I love them. I’m sure you do to. But it’s my hope that this series will cause you take a closer look at them as you drive down the street on the way to the grocery store, or walk your dog, or glance out your window. :)

in the scheme of things

Last night as the day was drawing to a close I stepped out on the deck to take in the last lights of the lovely September sunset. This little fella caught my eye. So I raced back inside to my office to retrieve my camera. This is how I saw him through the lens, suspended midair from what looked like nothing (above the deck railing.) It was quite a sight so I snapped several shots and now as I look at them I am puzzled as to what to name this photo. Since today is Labor Day I immediately thought of “at work”……but then I thought of “in the scheme of things” which I felt suited the mood of the image much better. Yes…..


i see you
tiny spider

the light of a star
making you known to me

we are together
this moment
juxtaposed against the
universe

living
breathing
creatures

still

at the end of
day


*In order to see the spider’s handiwork, I enhanced the black colors in the image and came up with the following:

on the way back home (an anything but ordinary morning series)

Walking down the hill on my way back home, I was struck by the unexpected beauty of these telephone poles and wires.  If I had to choose one thing that I think often clutters up the pristine  kansas landscape, I would pick billboards but coming in at a close 2^nd would be telephone poles and wires! That is why I was so surprised by the beauty in this scene. I could spend a paragraph telling you all the things that I think make it extraordinary, but I will let you pick your own. Isn’t my walking route amazing!

A new series coming next week…..hmmmm, what should it be?

through the trees, an anything but ordinary morning series

the trees were strong
straight
and glorious

the light;
bright
bold
victorious

and the air?
the air was
cool
upon
my face


*No matter how hard I stare at a scene like this one, I can’t seem to find anything “ordinary” about it. When again will those very leaves be witnessed by someone when the sun is shining at just that angle , and with the exact same amount of humidity in the air?



I had some fun experimenting with some different points of focus through these trees. I intentionally took everything out of focus on a few of the following shots and on a few I slowed down the shutter speed and moved the camera. It was fun and I thought the results were interesting so will share a few of my favorites:

 

 

 

 

 







web (an anything but ordinary morning series)



As I continue on my walk, I glimpse from the corner of my eye this intricate web. If it weren’t for the light hitting it just so, I would have missed seeing it completely. It is quite “anything but ordinary”. I found two quotes I like that use the “web” as a metaphor:

“Fiction is like a spider's web, attached ever so lightly perhaps, but still attached to life at all four corners. Often the attachment is scarcely perceptible. ” ~Virginia Woolfe

“The means to gain happiness is to throw out from oneself like a spider in all directions an adhesive web of love, and to catch in it all that comes” ~ Leo Tolstoy

It’s interesting what such a fragile, delicate creation brings into the minds of people. What is the first thing a spider web reminds you of (symbolically speaking)? For me, it’s a toss up between strength, diligence, and faith. Today I take from this particular web the thought of “diligence”.  Weave on little spider, you are inspiring me.

common? weed (anything but ordinary morning series)

So I head down the road on this “anything but ordinary” morning and before I’ve gone far, I see this common weed. How fantastically lovely I think. Whoever said that weeds are “common”? I’m reminded by this fragile beauty that the appearance of a plant or even a person is quite affected by the intensity and hue of the light upon it at the time it is observed.  How lucky for me to view this solitary weed in the softness of early morning light. How lucky for any of us to be viewed by others through a lens of soft compassion.