Peaceful Snowfall

Early Morning Snow - Virginia Mountains

Dec 20, 2009

Late Morning Snow - Iowa near Big Creek

Dec 20, 2008

Christmas Spirit

"May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; The spirit of Christmas which is peace; The heart of Christmas which is love."
 - Ada V. Hendricks ....and may you have lots of snow to play in!


So....I've been encouraged to tell the rest of the story....I got lost in the woods skiing this evening....and, I'd forgotten my cell phone. Somehow I got disoriented when it got dark. Not to worry....just follow the trail. Except it's snowing faster and harder and the trail is disappearing. Uh-oh. Time to call in a higher power....and guess what? Just then a lone cc skiier rounded the corner and pointed me in the right direction....I was about 2 miles out and going the wrong way deeper into the woods! So, there you have it....but, tomorrow I'll bring the cell phone. :)

Skunk River Paddlers Annual Waffle Paddle - Breakfast with Santa

Antics - Photo by Jim Grace

Ice Chippers, Obstacel Runners, and Portagers

 'Iced-In'..But Kept Going

Wilson Women

Il Neige !!

Yes, it's snowing!  Winter is here! :)

Hummingbirds

With the change in weather this week, I will have to conceed that Summer...and Fall are gone for another year. 

(Almost) Full Moon Sunset

Another beautiful evening with a gorgeous full moon......only thing missing was the water.  

Someday, I want to photograph a kayaker on the winter water with the snow falling - and maybe a few shots with a wreath (with a red bow) on the bow (front) of the kayak...and then, maybe, try the same shot with little Christmas lights around the cockpit....and if an eagle would land on the kayak just as I squeezed the shutter.....and the moon would be full, of course.... :)

More Post-Thanksgiving Baking

Serenity

Safe Places.  More and more I find that I paddle alone now.  The summer kayakers went home.  If I am quiet (and perfect my paddle stroke!) I can hear the music of the trees along the shoreline.  I struggle with the weight of my kayak, and at times the winds are stronger than my skills; but there are places that I need to get to - places that remain wild.  Safe places to wait out a storm.  Natural places for a peaceful spirit. Good places that must be protected.  Hickory Ridge is such a place.  There are other places too, of course - but I need a plane and a week off to get there. :)

Octagon - Festival of Trees

Paddle To The Sea

http://www.nfb.ca/film/paddle_to_the_sea/


A New Discovery.  Thank you Jeff! 
Bill Mason's film based on Holling Clancy Holling's classic book,
Paddle to the Sea is available online (free). Made available through the National Film Board of Canada.
It's a wonderful book about imagination and adventure...and how if you believe in something it can happen.  A small kayak (okay, canoe - but this is the only weak point of the book :) is carved by a young Indian boy and makes a journey from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean - I think it probably happened.....  

Surreal

Road To Yellowstone

Changes

When your style of photography changes, it usually isn't because of a conscious decision. Styles change naturally when people become bored with their old ways of doing things or excited by new prospects. - MarkRaymon,  Fine Art Photography

Walkettes/Walkcattes/Sisters

There are Special Friends -

 Sisters, who are always there for you, 

and just realizing that they are there is more than enough to make life better.

Between The Land And The Sea

                     ...are the blurry edges of reality.

Morning Mist

Kayakers

Rich, Get Well Soon - We're Waiting For You On The Water

Fairy Tales

“Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”  - G.K. Chesterton

 Wouldn't it be nice to come to a time in our journeys when we consider befriending the 'dragons' instead of 'beating' them.

Calm of the Morning

In the Quiet Stillness of the Morning is the Promise of a New Day

Observations

To recognize passion in life, yet aquiesce to idleness and mediocracy is largely the human condition. - DML 11/09

Dragons

Dragons have wings......

but dolphins can fly......

Kindness

Drop a pebble in the water:
just a splash, and then it's gone;

But there's half-a-hundred ripples,

circling on...and on...and on,

Spreading, spreading out from the center,

flowing on out to the sea.

And there is no way of telling

where the end.....is going to be.

Lines

'Wicked'

Reflections through the 'Wicked' windows: spectators line up to watch runners at the finish line at the Des Moines Marathon. Congratulations Ben!