Tag Archives: Photography

Life Imitates Art

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It’s been an insane couple of days here on Earth, hasn’t it? A lunar occultation, double meteor showers, giant earthquakes, tsunamis — in addition to retrograde Mercury and the Lion’s Gate portal — and we are definitely in the midst of a massive amount of cosmic energy. I’m not sure what it all means, but I’m on high alert, that’s for sure.

There were no earthquakes or tsunami damage around here, but check out this crazy photo! I was in the garden near a brick patio cleaning fallen leaves from the eucalyptus tree. It’s a really annoying job because my stupid city planted the wrong sort of street trees decades ago and not only do eucs make a giant mess, they’re also a fire hazard. I have to constantly pick up the leaves and the incredibly painful-to-bare-feet seed pods (known as gum nuts). No matter how many times neighbors and I lobby the city to get the tree removed, we are always turned down; another stupidstupid city decision.

In and around the bricks and rocks, I had positioned a few random tiles to add some color when a friendly real lizard stopped by for a visit. I’m glad my camera was close by to memorialize the meeting between art and reality.

Does art imitate life or is life imitating art?

Yes, you are beautiful!

You can see some of the offending euc leaves that fell right after I had cleaned up this area. It’s SO annoying!

Photo by Enchanted Seashells
#WordlessWednesday

Plant Seeds of Serenity

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With all the powerful planetary energies at play right now and everything else in this country that almost too horrible to even think about, it seems like a great time to get grounded, to literally get back to what’s simple and healing — and that’s where you’ll find me, in the garden planting seeds of serenity (and flowers).

A garden must combine the poetic and the mysterious
with a feeling of serenity and joy.
– Luis Barragan

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

“Hummingbird, don’t fly away…”

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It’s not often that a hummingbird will be able to stop moving long enough to take a picture that’s not blurry, but yesterday I got lucky. This little one darted from one monkey flower to another and my phone did a pretty good job of capturing her colorful exuberance. The nectar must have been sweet and delicious.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

“She’s little and I love her too much for words to say.” –Leon Russell

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

The lyrics to Hummingbird, another Leon Russell masterpiece, were swirling around in my head while I was snapping these pics. (This is Set 2 / Live At The Fillmore East/3/27/70 · Leon Russell Mad Dogs & Englishmen)

Zany Zinnia

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Sometimes you never know what’s going to thrive in your garden when seeds are sown, but this year’s zinnias have been spectacular. I’ll save all the seeds and try again since she’s really happy where I planted her near the front door.

This beauty brings so much joy! I especially love her little coronet of yellow flowers.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Zinnia is named after Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botany professor who discovered these plants and brought them back to Europe in the 1700s.

The center of a zinnia is made up of disk florets, which are tiny flowers that form a cluster in the middle. These disc florets are surrounded by larger, petal-like structures called ray florets. 

The circle of yellow florets is where the nectar is located. It’s where bees pollinate as they collect nectar and pollen. The center of the flower will start to grow larger as the seeds start to form. YAY!

An Apple A Day🍎

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If an apple a day is supposed to keep us healthy, what can I do with all of these?

This is the first year I won the battle with rats and squirrels. I netted and secured the entire tree and picked the most abundant harvest yet.

I counted at least seventy apples and now I’m left with a busy day.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

I’ll post the recipes later, but I plan to fire up the crockpot to cook and freeze applesauce, apple butter, and prep apple slices ready for pies. I’m feeling very much like Little House on the Prairie with this bounty. I am so proud of myself!

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

These apples were from one tree; there’s another tree on the upper garden with smaller apples but I’ll pick them today and add them to the crockpot, too.

The smell of apples + cinnamon is sooo therapeutic! 🍎

Watching The River Flow

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Not exactly a river, but a little rivulet next to the lagoon that seems to have no beginning, goes nowhere, and abruptly ends without a trickle. We haven’t had rain for weeks, months even, so there’s no real explanation for the existence of this body of water.

I can relate to the meandering path of aimless inertia; of stagnant apathy. I guess that’s the feeling for today, likely generated by last night’s powerful full moon energy.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

And of course because I’m obsessed, I searched for a Leon Russell musical connection. “Watching the River Flow” is a song by Bob Dylan; masterfully produced by Leon Russell. it was written and recorded in March 1971.

As always, I love Leon’s version the best…

I Found Love 💖

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I found love in the form of a perfectly heart-shaped beach rock. I looked down and there it was, right next to my towel.

Angel Girl calls them “love hearts” and isn’t that a wonderfully joyful and jubilant way to describe any heart?

This one is particularly heavy and solid, smooth to the touch — could it be basalt?

Of course this love heart came home with me to be added to my growing collection. Never forget that love is all around.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Whether it’s merely an indication of beaches and oceans and erosion, or a message from the universe, it always makes me happy.

💖

Incoming Tide

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Photo by Enchanted Seashells

There is no drop of water in the ocean, not even in the deepest parts of the abyss, that does not know and respond to the mysterious forces that create the tide. — Rachel Carson

This particular beach is a favorite for locals to surf and tidepool, so we are always a bit vague as to the specific location to protect it from being overrun by ill-mannered tourists who trash our beaches.

It Was a Good Day for a Protest and a Surf: THIS Is What Democracy Looks Like!

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🇺🇸 UPDATE: Conservative estimates place the coast to coast attendance of the #NoKings event more than 13 MILLION defenders of democracy! It’s considered to have been the most successful protest ever organized!

Before the rally, a peaceful ocean view with some decent waves…

And then everyone began to arrive for the protest. It didn’t take long until there were four to five people deep (and more at Offshore), and then we spread out all the way from Tamarack to north of Carlsbad Village Drive. I estimate between 7-10,000 defenders of democracy showed up to be seen and heard. I’ve never experienced such an incredible turnout along with powerful, positive energy. We didn’t witness any trouble from outside agitators, I’m happy to report, HOWEVER…

This is unconfirmed but I heard that a white supremacist group out of Carlsbad was allegedly planning to show up to the No Kings Day protest in armor and armed, with the intent to harm protestors and “non-white” people. According to what I was told, NCIS and the FBI have been monitoring the group’s leader and may already have him in custody—or will soon. But the situation is still uncertain, including whether the group is targeting a specific location. If I hear anything else, I’ll update this post.

One of the most energizing parts of the day was the neverending line of cars driving back and forth on Carlsbad Boulevard honking in support while decorated with their own signage.

San Diego also understood the assignment. SDPD estimates 60,000+ attended today’s No Kings Protest.

Credit to photographer.at CBS news

Did you see the videos from around the world? This is only the beginning and it’s a beautiful thing. Check out New York and Chicago. Here’s LA:

Did you hear about this? An elderly man from Gainesville was one of dozens of veterans arrested outside the U.S. Capitol Building as they protested against Trump’s stupid military (birthday) parade scheduled for Saturday. U.S. Capitol Police confirm Vietnam veteran John Spitzberg, 87, of Gainesville, was arrested for crossing a police line during a demonstration on Friday. HE WAS IN A WALKER FFS.

Officers say around seventy-five veterans were protesting peacefully outside the U.S. Supreme Court building. Later, a group of about 60 left and officers began establishing a perimeter.

Arresting an eldery veteran for protesting Trump’s BS parade shows how much this insane administration respects and appreciates veterans.

This is why we show up, chanting, “What does democracy look like? THIS is what democracy looks like!!” 🇺🇸

June Blooms

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Here’s a little sprinkle of alchemy from Mother Earth.

I grew these flowers: Forget-Me-Not, Zinnia, Calendula…with seeds collected from last season’s blooms. It’s a satisfying project to participate in the circle of life, almost like I gave birth to them, which in a way, I did.

It’s not just me: A query about saving one’s seeds reveals this:
Harvesting garden seeds offers a deep connection to the natural world, to become more self-sufficient, and to witness the unique adaptations plants make over time to their specific environment. It also provides a sense of continuity and independence from commercial seed companies. 

Yes! I do so love FREE things!

I try to save as many seeds as I can in the veggie garden, too. Cilantro and tomatoes perform well, as do certain types of lettuce. Cucumbers and members of the squash family won’t produce true to type if they’re hybrids, but it’s fun to experiment.

June is full of color around here. Soon enough, it’ll be too dry and everything will turn drab and brown, but the joy continues because I’ll salvage the seeds for next spring. It’s the circle of life all over again!