Leap

Leap, by Mary Stebbins Taitt.

I can't seem to let it alone.

those eyes...

A Ray of Light

Winter's almost over here. There are buds on the trees. Yea!



This is January in the Adirondacks.



My next post will be the first signs of spring ;].

"Winter Warrior"

Photo: Andree

Effect: Michael

Clam Beach

Here is Clam Beach today ... and an old sign I'd never photographed before at the scenic overlook.  Leaflady (Gail)

St. Clair de Lune (Eclipse over Lake St. Clair, Michigan

This is the eclipse as seen from Detroit Michigan over Lake St. Clair.
Sorry there are so many pictures, but I wanted to show the whole
thing, more or less. Difference in size and location in the screen
are due to my readjustments as I had to keep moving the camera as the
moon rose through the sky.

I took these pictures with a tripod and with a Canon 300mm zoom lens
and a Canon 30D digital SLR. It was very cold and both Biker Buddy
and I feel on the ice. (He got a huge goose-egg!)

Leaves for the Leaf-Lady

Leaves for the Leaf-Lady, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. This is a card I
painted for Gail for her birthday. Istarted it last night and
finished it this morning.

Garden

This photo was taken a year ago almost to the day of some flowers in my garden. Every year at this time, I start working in my gardens. Last year I didn't. I took it for granted. This year I don't have a garden to work in. Funny how much we appreciate things more when they're gone. I wrote the poem a few months after the photo, because I was feeling guilty about neglecting my garden. There's a bond, or spiritual connection, that grows with gardening. My aunt, who is a master gardener, gave me a book called "Tending the Earth Mending the Spirit" at the time I wrote this poem. It's by Connie Goldman and Richard Mahler. It's very inspiring.



Though she can't speak
She cries out very much.
Velvet petals of red and pink
Reach out for my touch.

Tender seedlings struggle
For their place in my garden.
Against a weeded jungle
My heart has hardened.

She senses my presence;
Flourishes when I'm there.
I'm quieted by her essence
In return for her care.

Pushing fingers through soil,
My cells will rejuvenate.
It's for love I should toil;
A spiritual connection to cultivate.

But I have neglected her,
And myself likewise.
Physically we need each other.
It's our Life Source we recognize.

Winter on the Farm

Silk Creek Editor Scott Carter in his barn door, ready to hike to the creek.

river

Yesterday I walked to the end of Azalea Ave. to see if I could access the river, which I can see from the road when I drive that way to the highway. I found one place. It was a sunny day and I was surprised to see the early signs of spring. Because much is green here in California all winter, I forget that some trees and bushes did lose their leaves. And some early buds are appearing now. There were a few patches of that green guaze that we back in Michigan see in mid April. And I saw a few more flowers.  Leaflady (Gail)

The Nature of Nature

"I only have a few thoughts tonight, because I have spent most of my day with a friend, and when you do that, your time and attention are compressed into that close association. With me, there is no other world, no space, no other time, no place beyond where we are at, together.

"We were not in the same room, and yet, we were... she was physically hundreds of miles from me, but she could have just as easily been ten thousand, or ten. In my mind this was not relevant, because our spirits clashed and touched and moved together through words along a fiber-optic network, in instants, for hours, and we did not want to leave this linkage until the incessant tick of time and responsiblities (and weariness) made it so.

"She takes pictures (mainly) and I write words (poorly) and together we stumble along searching, as I guess we all do, for what is real and true and dependable. We would like to say that Nature is that way, but of course she has never been, and will never be. Real, yes. True? perhaps, though she also can deceive and mislead you... usually when you think you have her ways decoded. Dependable? Well, you can depend on her to be unpredictable! That's all.

"After discussing things of this nature (no pun intended) my friend from far away and I drew closer to each other and yet no closer to the soul of Nature than we were before, but not through any failing of our own. Einstein once said 'you can't pick the mind of God.' In this case, you can't fool or figure out Mother Nature completely either!

"Should we try? Well, of course we should! So long as we realize the mysteries that she conceals will always outnumber the ones she graciously reveals. It is in OUR nature to wonder and struggle and admire and praise and curse when we confront what Nature hands us. That's what makes life...in our time and space and world and place... Life."

clam beach

I forgot to send these the other day too. That dead ray was big -- I bet he measured about 18" on each side. The foamy water just seemed like something eerie that you might enjoy seeing.  Leaf Lady (Gail)

Tribal Art Sea Turtle

Well my Tribal Art looks more Aborigine than Senufo. It's oil pastels on a scrap piece of matboard. It tells a story about an experience of mine in Acapulco last year.

I woke up one morning about 5am, and couldn't go back to sleep. I decided to go for a walk on the beach to watch the sun come up. My sister rolled over half asleep and wispered, "take my camera." My camera was being repaired, so I didn't have it this trip.

After walking a little ways, the first rays of color started to show on the horizon. I had paused to try to figure out how to work her camera, when I saw something dark crawl by my feet. I thought it might be a crab, but to my amazement it was a baby sea turtle scampering his way through the sand towards the ocean. I tried to get several shots of him, but I was unfamiliar with her camera, and then the batteries died. So, I just stood there and watched him struggle. When he made it to the water's edge, he would be washed ashore by the first wave that hit him. I watched him tumble in the surf, and then crawl back for more, three times before he finally made it out to sea. I wanted to help him, but I knew better.

I was so excited that I started to search the beach for more. I knew he wouldn't be the only one. It was still dark, so it was difficult to see. Then I saw a ferral dog running towards me. I thought, "oh no, he's looking for food." I was too late. He had one of the babies in his mouth. It was so sad to see this scrawny dog, who's hips and ribs stood out, carrying one of these precious creatures away for what would probably be his only meal for days. Unfortunately, Acapulco is full of these poor neglected strays. That beach is a well know breeding ground for sea turtles. It made me wonder how many we lose each year because of the dogs.


I did have my underwater camera with me, and took these photos below while snorkling. The visibility wasn't that great, so I tried to touch them up in Photoshop.

Senufo at the DIA

If there were tribes people living at Silk Creek, what would their art be like? They would be native Americans of the Iroquois Nation, probably, or they would be us, camping out there and making art--what would it look like. Post your Silk Creek "Tribal" art, if you would like to.

We went to the DIA today. It was very cold and windy and the sidewalks were icy and there was blowing snow, so we walked at the DIA and then looked around. I participated in a workshop on Senufo, an African artform. I joined near the end, so didn't have as much time as the others to either learn about it or do a good job, but I had fun anyway.

Spring?

Taken in Azalea Park, but I don't know what kind they are. Harbingers of spring, I hope.
by Leaf Lady (Gail)