Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Female)
I'm rather shocked to see that my last posting on this blog was May 26th, almost three months ago. My absence during this period was not planned. I've simply been spending almost every summer hour in the great outdoors, far away from my digital devices. There is one exception, however. I have taken my camera with me every day, whether out for long walks or exploratory drives through the countryside. For whatever reason, my orientation this summer has been more visual than verbal, and the natural world has drawn me deeper and deeper into both its beauty and its mysteries.
That said, I will simply let some of my summer photographs speak to where I've been and what I've been doing for the past few months.
Silhouette of Blue Dasher Dragonfly
Fixated on Distant Light
Spicebush Swallowtail
on Lantana Bush
Barred Owl, Heard Nightly
and Finally Sighted in my Front Yard
Lily Pads After Rain in a Pond
at Bellingrath Gardens, Near Mobile, Alabama
Other Lily Pads in Same Pond,
Tweaked to Portray My Sense of How
Van Gogh Might Have Painted the Scene
Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Female)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Blue Dasher Dragonfly
Wary Male Cardinal
From the Lily Pond at Bellingrath Gardens
Spicebush Swallowtail
Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Female)
It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.
David Attenborough
These are absolutely gorgeous photos. You've been having a very good time.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Teresa. Somehow I forgot to reply to your comment until just now. I think it has something to do with the fact that you comments always get caught in my spam folder, which is checked on a fairly irregular basis. Whatever the case, please know that I always value your comments.
DeleteHi George, Welcome back... Your pictures look so vivid they feel 3D. Stunningly crisp! and from the looks of them you made the right choice of being out in that wonderful nature!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lovely comments, Gwen. Glad you liked the images, and, yes, I think I made the right choice, though it didn't seem like a choice at all. It's as if I have fallen into a state of prolonged meditation, a lovely place in which words disappear to make room for awareness.
DeleteWhat glorious shots of butterflies, hummingbirds and dragonflies in their most lovely detail!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Sandra. Delighted that these images resonate with you as well. For me, there is no better therapy than leaving the chatterbox mind and simply being at one with the natural world.
DeleteHi, Teresa! Yes, indeed, I have been enjoying myself. There are many areas of life in which I am unforgivingly impatient. With it comes to observing nature, however, I can be quiet and still for long periods of time (which is what one must do to make a suitable image of a hummingbird in flight).
Delete(Not sure my comment posted. Please delete this if it did.)
ReplyDeleteGreat joy to see you back and to feel these glorious colors of nature through your lens. You had me at the first photograph. I almost didn't want to go on. But I did, and the rest are fabulous too. It's brilliant that you've immersed yourself in nature, which is what I suspected during your absence.
Great to hear from you, Ruth. To the best of my knowledge, I didn't receive your first comment.
DeleteGlad you liked the photos. I didn't mean to stay away from blogging so long, but nature has pulled me away with a wondrous and wordless peace. I can never stay away from words very long, however, so I hope to be blogging more frequently in the future. Who knows? We'll see. It appears that you, too, have been taking a bit of a blogging break, relatively. Sometimes we must gesso the canvas, make it blank once again, so that the muse of creativity can return with new possibilities.
The greatest source indeed George - I couldn't agree with you more.
ReplyDeleteLovely to welcome you back into blogland. I have had a new computer since you last blogged and have just put you on my new side bar.
Thanks, Pat. Glad to be back, and congratulations on the new computer. A fresh start on a new computer is always fun!
DeleteGeorge, These photos make me almost glad you haven't posted. You were occupied with observing nature - you've shown us so much beauty. I actually have something I was thinking of E-mailing you. Now I will.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the photos, Barb, and thanks again for sending me the George Saunders speech. Very kind of you.
DeleteDavid Attenborough quote sums up a "rich" life very well. Your summer days have been spent well -- barbara
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Barbara. Thanks for the lovely comment.
DeleteBe still my heart! Your photographs are divine and speak to the fine company you have been keeping over the summer. Love the dragonflies and that sweet owl .... and your 'tweaking' of the lily pads is lovely. Summer with all its natural delights surely affirms that life, even with all of its attending challenges, is certainly worth living.
ReplyDeleteBe well, dear George.
Thanks so much for the lovely comment, Bonnie. Glad you liked the photos. In some respects, this summer has been an experiment in living more visually and less verbally. As a result, the judgmental activity of my mind has slowed down considerably, and that, in turn, has led to more peace and tranquility than I have experienced in a long time. How wonderful it is when we can simply breathe in the miraculous unfolding of life, including our own, without the need to identify, quantify, describe, and judge every single development.
DeleteAmen. :)
ReplyDeleteGood to see you're back.What a fabulous owl! I notice owls because we get them here a lot - in our case, barn owls. You drive round here, in the Dales, at night and if you're lucky, there's one on a fence post, or flapping across the road.
ReplyDeleteOff for a walk in the Howgills (near Sedburgh) tomorrow, weather permitting, just for the day.
Great to hear from you, Dominic. We hear owls here every night, but finding them on a limb or structure is a rare sight. Perhaps I should take a trip with my camera to the Dales just to photograph the barn owls. One thing is for sure: When I am engaged is the observation of wildlife or other aspects of nature, I am never worrying about the world's problems.
DeleteHave a great walk in the Howgills tomorrow and stay in touch.
I just discovered your blog and am your newest follower. Your photographs are beautiful! You were lucky to catch a picture of the owl. The colors in your pictures are wonderfully clear and bright.
DeleteThanks so much for your lovely comments, Susie. Thanks also for stopping by. Hope you will continue to pay visits and join in the conversation.
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