Tag Archives: Photography

Violet Memories

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A little violet plant surprised me today in the garden. I don’t know how it came to grow here, especially since Southern California is not the most suitable habitat. Violets prefer damp, well-drained ground and the sun-dappled protection of woodlands, none of which I have.

I was reminded of a special time with my mom. Every spring we’d bring willow baskets with handles and go to the stone bridge at Palmer Park in Detroit and fill them with purple and white violets.

When we returned home, my mom and I would fill every vase and glass we could find with the fragrance of these beauties. Sometimes I’d press a few in a book to find at a later date when it was dried and papery but still evoked the faintest perfume.

Since there’s no rational explanation, I’ll just thank my mom for her visit to guide my happy memories of those lovely times we shared.

Violets

Sugar Snappy Ambedo

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Ambedo – n. a kind of melancholic trance in which you become completely absorbed in vivid sensory details-raindrops skittering down a window, tall trees leaning in the wind, clouds of cream swirling in your coffee.

Or while you pick weeds under the loquat tree and look up to see sugar peas in a pod backlit by the sun.

The pea plants decided to have a life of their own and the tendrils became entwined in the branches of the tree because I didn’t stake them good enough.

I became lost in time, entranced by the simple green perfection. I l subsequently discovered there’s a word for that: ambedo.

Sugar Pea
(Click on the image to access full size)

#wordlesswednesday

Snail’s Pace Escape

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I discovered a snail that escaped from one of my yard waste containers so I rolled it closer to a spreading geranium and watched his ascent to freedom.

His excruciatingly slow movements had a very mindful awareness, as if he was channeling Thich Nhat Hanh.

“When you walk, arrive with every step. That is walking meditation. There’s nothing else to it.”

Snail tracks

Fly, Dragon, Fly

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Isn’t this the most vibrant orange? I’m in love with this little guy.

Flame Skimmer, Libellula saturata. 

Dragonfly species that are orange include a variety of skimmers, such as the flame skimmer, firecracker skimmer, golden-winged skimmer, or Needham’s Skimmer.

Orange dragonflies can symbolize joy, creativity, wellness, and sensuality. This relates to the second/sacral chakra, which is orange.

There is magic all around, if you stop and look.

As Robert Bly said, “To be wild is not to be crazy or psychotic. True wildness is a love of nature, a delight in silence, a voice free to say spontaneous things, and an exuberant curiosity in the face of the unknown.”

Sailing the Blue Blue…

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Sky!

Our sky is as blue as the bluest tropical ocean. For me, this cloud formation evokes a raft reminiscent of Kon-Tiki or a painting by an Impressionist artist.

Do you see the same shape or am I totally wrong?

At the time I looked up, Blue Bayou was playing in my ears. Synchronicity, anyone?

I know Billie Holliday did it first, but I don’t think it could compare to Linda Ronstadt’s version:

Barren Beauty

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No filters, no editing; simply barren beauty on a winter’s day in SoCal.

As I was looking up at the bluest of blue skies today, I had to add this:

Me and My Shadow

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I thought about this: I’m lucky enough to experience a great deal of butterfly interactions; a continual source of joy and delight.

No photographic evidence exists to prove I’m telling the truth, but yesterday, as I was planting a bunch of California natives, a mourning cloak butterfly was fluttering all around me and then sat on my arm for about two minutes.

I tried to get to my phone to document this magic, but I couldn’t, so you’ll have to believe me. I guess she really really approved the locations where I planted the coffee berry and manzanitas!

This planting experience was a team effort: my son was on the phone with me when I was at the nursery having done the research about which specific plants to buy, and he also determined where each one should be planted. It’s not as much fun as having him here in real life. but we had a good time.

She came back today, blocking my way on the steps, so I was able to finally snap a photo.

Me and my shadow and her own shadow!

Mourning Cloak

January 2022 | Early Days Photo Journal

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So far, January has been sending out pretty good vibes. I know we’re only five days in, but things seem to be looking up for sure.

January 2022

#wordlesswednesday

Peaceful Lagoon Views

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Every single time I walk to the lagoon, I’m continually grateful that we saved its beauty and historical significance from being raped by a disgusting LA developer who wanted to build a shopping mall on the south shore.

Only in Carlsbad would a completely out-of-touch city council support a project so harmful to the community and the environment, totally annihilating the significance of this land.

What a travesty that would have been!

Rancho Agua Hedionda was a 13,000 Mexican land grant given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Juan María Marrón. (Wiki)

Before the Spanish plundered their homeland, Agua Hedionda Lagoon and the surrounding lands were once the sites of two densely populated Luiseño villages. The Luiseño people lived and worked along the shores of the lagoon, making tools, preparing food, engaging in ancient ceremonies and holds possible sacred grave sites.

I don’t remember reading this at the time, but in 2005, centuries old remains of two horses and a burro were found on the land on the south side that is now populated by a hotel.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sdut-centuries-old-bones-of-horses-unearthed-in-2005jul17-story.html

Serenity…

Looking up…

Full Moon Walk

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A couple nights ago I woke up at 2am. It was so bright I thought someone had shone a spotlight in my bedroom window but it was the MOON!

Look who joined me on a late afternoon walk, over my shoulder and low in the sky. The photos are slightly grainy, so I enhanced and embellished them, but Mama Moon still shines big and bright.

If I had hung around a few more minutes, the moon would have touched the top of the tower, but I was getting cold and wanted to go home.

Also known as the Cold Moon, this the longest full moon of the year, making it the last full moon before the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

Three planets —  Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter — will form a roughly straight line from southwest to south going up at about a 45-degree angle relative to the horizon, with Jupiter the highest and Venus closest to the horizon. 

It looks like we’re going to have a clear sky tonight, so I’ll be on the lookout. I found an app that should help identify the planets since it’s hard for me to distinguish one from the other.

Happy moon day, everyone!