Trees under Water

Sometimes my mind thinks

 unusual thoughts...

Like wondering about other worlds 

that may be parallel to ours..as under the water worlds.

I wonder if the life under water can

see our world as reflections as we do...

Do they see the color of leaves 

and the sky

and the mountains..

or the sun and the moon?

Or is there no color..only shapes, dark and light?

Sometime I just wonder..

Is that world as wonderfully magical as ours?

I hope so!

Bits of Beauty

Red Leaves

I visited a place today that I thought to see inside but it was closed.  

Fortunately for me, something else found me!

I was completely alone so I was glad 

to have the camera to 

photograph this surprise.

Bits of Beauty waiting for me to see them!

Are Bits of Beauty finding you!?

Autumn Color

We have been in northwest Colorado for a month now 

and have witnessed the changing of the seasons.

Yellow seems to be the predominant color here in the West.

Along the water's edge....

Then the Aspens that are magnificent!

Like Nature's decorations..

Or gold coins along the path.

Other leaves display their autumn glory...

A miracle that happens every year..I am grateful for seeing!

Seeing the big picture

I am in Colorado for a few months. 

Compared to South Carolina, 

this is a big, wide open world!  

Being able to look out and see the sunrise 

in a big sky makes my heart happy! 

 The mountains are like temples; 

 the forests are sanctuaries.  

 Each place fills a corner of my heart and 

makes me thankful for the life I have. 

 I am thankful that I am not afraid 

to get out of my comfort zone;

thankful for my health that lets me walk for miles. 

Thankful for my sight that I can see all the wonderful places 

that I arrive at in my life journey!

Thankful for the "small stuff" that appears if

 I just take the time to look and see!

Thankful for the ability and skills which let me capture 

my life journey and share it with others!

Connections, with Gratitude.

     When I see a bee on a flower, 

 

some lilies on a pond,

  a feather on a tree branch, 

or a flower growing on the trail,

 

  

 a rock of a different color,

a hawk flying high, 

the changing of the seasons, 

a place of quiet beauty,

or a new day dawning, I am awed!

I know that I have seen the majesty of the Creator, been offered the chance to connect to the Light that continuously changes and constantly offers gifts for me. Thankful and humbled to see and behold these gifts.   

It is not where we look, but how we see!  Beauty is everywhere, even in the Dark.   See with your heart..


        

Reliable Joy

A new acquaintance that was taking the same photo class, Adventures in Seeing Summer Camp, came up with some words to describe the feeling that we get when we take photos of something that we know will make us happy...reliable joy!   Having a heart connection to people, places and things in such a way that we can always count on them to give our heart a happy bump and a smile to our face.  These are some of my "reliable joys"!

               Family

Nature

 

Reminders of the Past

Landscapes of the USA 

See with your heart and not just your mind!  Know all your "reliable joys!"

Looking and Seeing

As an adult I have always enjoyed taking photos, mostly of my children, family events, then my grandchildren.  It wasn't until we began going to Colorado for my husband's hunting trips that I really started "seeing" what was out there in the big world.  I can remember my first look at the Rockies as we drove up that steep hill leaving Denver heading west, going around a curve and POW..there were those high peaks still capped with some snow in July, stabbing up toward that blue sky!   Using a film camera and shooting through the front windshield to freeze that view for oohing and aahing later.  Who knew that would be the start of countless "drive-by shootings" that only increased with the digital age.  

Somewhere deep in my heart and mind was the capturing of light, lines, shapes, curves, colors, textures and all the other photographic qualities that drew me in..but I didn't know it at the time.  So many years have passed and now when I look back at my photos that are lodging in my computer, I can see that my eye and heart were seeking out those essences even without me knowing until I found a name for the type of photography that I was drawn into- contemplative!   Being contemplative and looking close..seeing the flower first but looking further to its essence..

 standing inside a tree leaves instead of taking a picture from outside of the whole tree,

 soft flowers with spiny protectors instead of just the pretty flower,

  shadows of a dead plant on the sand where most people would not even notice. 

This is what my photography is all about now.  A personal connection with the world. It gives me joy and a connection to life around me.   I feel grateful and awed that my eyes are seeing remarkable things in the everyday world where I live.  I saw this leaf in a friend's flower bed and she asked "Why are taking a photo of that dead leaf?"  I responded "  Look at the life lines all connected together and it looks like lace to me!"  She responded " I would never have seen that, it is just a dead leaf but now that you say that I can see the lines."   But she never saw the beauty or the life connection.   She doesn't know what she is missing!

Keep looking and really "See"!  Every thing is amazing!