A thought to leaf you with

A tale of two leaves … one still with life coursing through its veins and one that was intent on giving one last hurrah with a burst of color before it said goodbye.

I was at Englewood Beach on the weekend and the youthful bikini-clad tourists contrasted heavily with the aging snowbirds that occupy the place for the winter months. It would be easy to only take in the youthful beauty of the former but the little old lady who stopped by me as I took these shots, still had a loving twinkle in her eye and her own beauty shone as bright as the yellows and reds of the leaf we were both admiring.

True beauty knows no age …

Have a wonderful week!

Soaked to the skin

… this little Anhinga yesterday, stretched out his feathers to dry in the early morning sun. As I watched the steam coming up from his sodden feathers it made me think of how lucky we are to not have to hunt our food.

No need to creep through the underbrush, fighting off other predators, stealthily approaching the counter for that elusive quarter pounder with cheese.

As I wander the trails here in central Florida, I see life and death struggles play out on every trail and it reinforces that we are all just part of a circle of life.  And yet I cannot think of any other animal that kills for fun.

Hunting has become a sport for humans however we may view it and this week’s headline of that miserable excuse for a human, Bryan Harlan, paying over $100,000 to murder a beautiful, rare, and gentle mountain goat was not just shocking but repulsive. If you haven’t read the story, here it is:  https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/13/asia/pakistan-markhor-goat-trophy-hunter-scli-intl/index.html

Despite evidence to the contrary, I don’t believe cruelty is natural human trail but an aberration and maybe one day we will find the cure for it … I live in hope.

Have a thoughtful week and be kind to the little creatures you come across on your journey through it.

Did he say “meet” or “eat”?

Getting numb to the dangers while on a wild trail is never a good thing. It is one of the aspects that I try to remind myself of, but habitually forget. Just because a creature like this one (attached) is smiling at us, does not mean that he is happy to meet us.

On the contrary, alligator smiles are as deceiving as they are broad.

We got to within three or four feet of one of these large guys the other day on the trail and the speed of his leap caught us by surprise. Just happy his leap was away and not towards. ?

Familiarity (as in many parts of life) gets us to drop our guards and become vulnerable to those around us. I need to remind myself that not all that glitters is gold.

Hope this guy adds a little smile into your weekend.

Interfering clouds

There are moments (like this morning) when you head off to see what wonderful colors the rising sun might throw your way, only to find some interfering clouds hogging the horizon.

Those are the moments when you cast your eyes away from the horizon and watch the lone Osprey patrolling the early morning shoreline for his breakfast.

I guess what I am trying to say is that it reminds me of what the old adage says about when life gives you lemons …

Have a wonderful week and enjoy this lemonade.

Lady of the lake

It was the kind of week that brings defeat on so many levels that you wonder if you will even survive. But I refused to let it define my weekend and so I arose before the dawn and headed to the lake in order to rejuvenate the soul.

I decided to take inspiration from the Arthurian legend  of old and as I drew the sword from the lake’s edge, the horizon began to bleed until all about was the crimson promise of better days ahead.

Though the next battles await with the arrival of another week, I am ready to face them armed with the knowledge that Mother Nature (the true lady of the lake) is always by my side!

Hope these images from this morning add a bit of color and energy into your own week!

Not all stars are in the sky

Yesterday morning’s outing found me in the company of some friends near the Skyway Bridge at low tide. My science teacher friend, her kids and I meandered through the shallow pools finding all sorts of wonderful treasures.

All the starfish  we came across were still alive and we made sure they still would be when the tide returned. It is a true breath of fresh air to be with young kids that love and respect their environment. It gives me hope for the future.

Aiming for the stars and interplanetary travel are themes that feed fantasies of so many of us as we are taught at an early age about exploring space. Yet the true beauty of the galaxy lies here at our feet, if we will only take the time to look for it!

Have a lovely week!

Beauty

It is such an abstract notion. I learned years ago the truth that lived in the old saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

Which clearly determines that the “eye of the beholder” is the key ingredient in the determination of someone or something being beautiful.

This gorgeous old can, sitting in the salt waters of Tampa Bay, slowly but surely returning in mineral form to the world that gave birth to it … how could I not behold its beauty? The colors, the texture, the shapes … nature reclaiming a man-made item so that one day all that will exist of it is this picture. I hope you see the beauty here …

Have a wonderful week!

Sideways glance

So I have finished my sunrise shoot this morning and am about to get in my car, when I notice out of the corner of my eye how the golden sun is catching the dew that sits on my car roof.

It never ceases to amaze me how just taking that one final look can produce a memorable image.

This is why my mantra over the years has become that of slowing down and letting the eyes provide the window while the heart looks for its moment. I am just restating an old saying of taking the time to stop and smell the roses, but as we each head into another New Year, I wish for each of us a string of moments that our heart has seen and not just our eyes.

Bismuth

One of the most wonderful aspects of the Christmas holiday is when someone special in your life shows how much they know you with the perfect gift. It isn’t so much the monetary value of the “thing” but a statement of clarity in how well you are known and loved.

My artist daughter got me a number of fossils, and precious pieces that really made my day special but the most beautiful from an artistic perspective were these wonderful Bismuth crystals. In case you have never seen them, they are a naturally forming metallic crystal that forms these amazing shapes while cooling and then oxidation adds the wonderful colors to the surface that you see here.

Not that my own sense of wonder needed reinforcing but once again, this spectacular world we live in found a way to display its beauty through yet another magical form. Beauty is not always animal or vegetable, with mineral clearly shining brightly in such a precious manner.

I hope these images add a little color to your week!