Losing Focus . . . Gaining Clarity May 4, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Life Balance, Mindfulness.Tags: Birds, Mindfulness, Photography, Weekly Photo Challenge
23 comments
Often, when we lose focus, we gain clarity . . .
The extraneous disappears, the essential remains . . .
Impressions created with broad brush oft times reveal the real . . .
Quote: A quiet mind, like the surface of a still pond, provides a more accurate reflection.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related post: Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Unfocused (WP Prompt)
Can You Spot The Strange~Her? April 28, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Amazing Animals, Art & Photography, Humor.Tags: Birds, Flamingos, Humor, Weekly Photo Challenge
48 comments
Something in this picture is all WRONG!
One member of this flock does NOT belong
An intruder has infiltrated its rank and file
Camouflaged in a pink shirt and a wide smile
Look closely . . . see if you can spot the strange~her
And remind her to let ”birds of a feather” flock together
Gators too . . .
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related post: Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Together (WP Prompt) * Sarasota Jungle Gardens * Pretty in Pink
Double Your Pleasure ~ Two Subjects April 13, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Amazing Animals, Art & Photography, Blogs & Blogging.Tags: Beach, Birds, Photography, Water, Waves, Weekly Photo Challenge
52 comments
Birds . . . and beach:
Beach . . . and bird:
Have you heard?
“Bird” is the word . . .
Watch out!
The early bird catches the “ear worm“ . . .
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related post: Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Two Subjects (WP Prompt)
Treasures of Wildlife October 25, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Amazing Animals, Art & Photography, Nature, Poetry.Tags: Birds, Henry David Thoreau, Nature, Photography, Poetry
48 comments
The landscape belongs to the person who looks at it. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
~ Frank Lloyd Wright
The lazy lizard
lounges in Shamrock Park, watched
by all, seen by none
All good things are wild and free. ~ Henry David Thoreau
White under-belly
exposed, the turtle heads to
its watery grave
The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.
~ Claude Monet
Coyotes roam through
fisherman’s village, searching
for tasty morsels
The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. ~ Zeno
Great Blue Heron stands
in meditative pose, wings
outstretched in prayer
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. ~ Rachel Carson
Heads bobbing in time,
dancing deck lizards groove to
that 70′s sound
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
~ Albert Einstein
Green dreams shatter as
drought-stricken dying palms wave
at the passing clouds
Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a songbird will come.
~ Chinese Proverb
Two swans on Swan Lake
swim with beauty, style, and grace ~
we stand on the shore
In the wilderness is the preservation of the world. ~ Henry David Thoreau
Displaced by torrents
of water, homeless hornets
regroup and rebuild
Let nature be your teacher. ~ William Wordsworth
Otters chittering
in Spoonbill Landings’ lagoon
join the birds’ chorus
An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language. ~ Martin Buber
Perico Island
offers a sanctuary
for our feathered friends
Keep your sense of proportion by regularly, preferably daily, visiting the natural world. ~ Catlin Matthews
Masked bandits at night
Fearlessly approach our door
Raccoons amuse me
We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understanding and our hearts. ~ William Hazlitt
Sailing through the air
Graceful in their awkwardness
Pelicans abound
When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. ~ John Muir
Children toss reptile
into on-coming traffic.
Snake shall breathe no more.
One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. ~ William Shakespeare
Frozen in my tracks
I meet the predator’s gaze
Bored, the hawk flies off
We do not inherit the Land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~ Native American Proverb
Forlorn foghorn cries
Fish splash, breaking the surface
Crickets harmonize
Each moment of the year has its own beauty . . . a picture which was never before and shall never be seen again. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Beach Bums October 23, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Nature, Poetry, Word Play.Tags: Barbara Hines, Beach, Birds, Gulls, Island Gallery West
40 comments
The gull swooped down, on a collision course with the rocks.
At the last moment, it swerved . . . laughing at my wasted concern.
Gulls
flying, soaring
laughing, crying, calling
dipping, swooping, hunting, searching
Scavengers at the beach
Artwork by Barbara Hines . . . available at Island Gallery West
Modern Conveniences October 22, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Gratitude, Home & Garden, Nature, Simplify Your Life.Tags: Birds, Florida, Home & Garden, Moving, Nature, Otters
40 comments
We have moved many times during the past 30 years ~ we’ve lived in South Carolina ( 2 places), North Carolina (2 places), New Jersey (3 places), Virginia ( 1 place), Maryland (1 place) and Florida (2 places).
Each move required packing up tons of stuff to move it from Hither to Yon.
Moving vans are a wonderful modern convenience for transporting stuff from Point A to Point B . . . much easier than using a buckboard or balancing items on horseback while fording streams.
Our last move, to a furnished villa near Anna Maria Island, required us to take inventory since we inherited beds, dressers, tables, chairs, sofas, love seats, TVs, linens, DVD players, pots, pans, dishes, glasses, cutlery, knives, crockpot, toaster, blenders, and other modern conveniences ~ water heater, stove, oven, microwave, and refrigerator/freezer.
Buying a furnished villa worked for us since we’d left most of our furniture in situ when we moved to Florida. The couple who bought our home in Maryland inherited our computer desk, garden tools, sofas, dining room furniture, beds, dressers, recliners, and lawn implements. The owner of this villa reciprocated:
* He left us a computer desk . . . we needed a computer desk.
* He left us his bike . . . we needed a bike.
* He left us his garden tools . . . we needed garden tools.
Buying a place filled with new-to-us furnishings and modern conveniences without having to shop until we dropped or drooped was a major convenience!
Even better than the modern conveniences are the views.
The villa is located on a small lagoon populated by pelicans, great blue herons, ibis and spoonbills. One day, while still debating the purchase, we spied baby otters chittering and playing on the far side of the lagoon . . . sliding down the banks into the water, and then racing back up the hill to do it all over again.
The baby otters (and the birds) sealed the deal.
A Moving Moral: Modern conveniences are grand . . . but nature nurtures.
Enjoy whatever the universe tosses your way because when one door closes, another opens . . . sometimes into a room with a view furnished just for you.
Related posts: Sidey’s Weekend Theme ~ All Mod Cons * Really Awful All Mod Cons (Colonialist) * All Mod Cons (Sidey) * A Modern Spin (Kate Shrewsday) * This is All that Came to Mind (Paula)
An Opportunity to Pause & Reflect October 22, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Amazing Animals, Art & Photography, Nature, Poetry.Tags: Birds, Nature, Photography, Weekly Photo Challenge, WP Prompt
26 comments
All life is obscured
by what we think of the past
Just let it all go
Nature is perfect
Each petal, leaf, and flower
reflecting the whole
To be the best we
already are . . . is all we
can ask of ourselves
Dangers of the deep
appear without warning when
we lose our focus
A garden of dark
thoughts needs constant care ~ we have
better things to do
Awaited answers
appeared, then drifted away
Upon reflection
Related posts: Weekly Challenge ~ Opportunity (WP Prompt) * Opportunity (Turtle Memoirs) * Opportunity (Under The Oaks) * Opportunity (Maggie’s Photography) * Opportunity (BeeBlue’s Blog)
The 12 Days of Christmas December 11, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Amazing Animals, Art & Photography, Nature, Poetry.Tags: Birds, Nature, People, Photography
12 comments
On the 12th Day of Christmas, I noticed around me . . .
Twelve Anhingas nesting
Eleven Ibis strolling
Ten Cormorants sunning
Nine Spoonbills glowing
Eight Wood Storks pacing
Seven Pelicans paddling
Six Herons wading
F~i~v~e . . .
Raccoons . . . Fishing
Four Otters playing
Three Turtles floating
Two Egrets soaring
Under a Bright Blue Cloudless Sky!
* * * * *
Be Here Now . . .
Ever mindful of the many gifts of miracle and wonder which abound.
Related posts: Ten Things We LOVE About Florida * Otters Outta Sight! * Why I Otter Kill You! * Florida Is For The Birds
