Road to Bountiful

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Actually, the image below is a road to Richmond, Vermont. I imagine though, beyond my horizon - a trip to Bountiful. The morning light over the aesthetic bridge sets the mood for reflection - reflection on what’s important to me given a theoretical five years. The time frame adds a sense of urgency; not to add stress, but to know that maybe I best not let the grass, under my feet, grow too long before honoring my priorities.

I hear keeping your plans to yourself is good advice. My belief is preparing to tell my world is thought provoking, and adds the element of - now my world knows - I better act, or be marked, just a dreamer. I also know, if you want to make God laugh, tell him/her your plans.

Juxtaposition the idea of a plan for five years with my mantra, Live LOVE now, and you may wonder, what’s the deal with Mike? Is he troubled with single hood after fifty-four years married to Patty? Actually, it’s a new world for me now, and I love it. I am getting clarity - it’s a little like my former associates at AIS Planning say with their new tag line - “Plan your tomorrow, so you can enjoy your today” I am thinking about traveling down a pretty short road. I am making my five year view, a rolling five years, though. Who knows how many healthy five year periods this aging body will roll along.

Here are my salient reflections about the next five years: deepen family and friend connections, listen to my Inner Wisdom while deepening my spirituality, communicate my understanding of live LOVE now, have soul mate(s), explore and photograph natural wonders, travel often to be with family and friends, reflect skyward and produce book including reflections to accompany images, play more - worry less.

Road to Bountiful



Love Lilies

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Susan Shelly loves her lilies - she is nationally known for her hundreds, maybe thousands, of lilies she so passionately tends to, on her hilltop property in Underhill, Vermont. She opens to the public to enjoy, not her variety of flowers, but her variety of lily flowers. What a treat.

I asked Susan - don’t lilies have a short life? Why just lilies? She said yes, they bloom for a short time, but there are varieties popping up all the time, even as late as September. She lost me in the details, but the flowers filled my cup - made my day. I love it, as I believe the other members of the Northern Exposure Photo Group that made the private showing at low light. I have ten interpretations of the beauty I saw at MESipe.com recent images, and flowers tabs.

Love Lily (my name)

Salient Seeds

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Nature is miraculous, isn’t it - a seed to a person, plant, a rare four leaf clover. Emmett and I took a walk on my newly mowed path in the front field, where I planted a number of Black Walnut trees. I have ignored tending them for a year of so - the nursery said they should be ok on their own after a few years. I thought I lost all sixty I planted, with the late Spring freeze - all the leaves dropped dead. Miraculously, new leaves popped - maybe a positive of heavy rains this summer. I see about two feet of new growth - wow. Nature doesn't stand still. All are part of Nature - what a wonderful gift. We grow - as One, together.

Salient Seeds

Four leaf clover

Wild in Richmond

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I loved having a view of Lake Champlain from our Overtake Condo in Burlington. I moved, a little reluctantly, to Richmond, where I am a good twenty minutes from the Lake. I gave in to my condition that we build our multi-generational home within five miles of the Lake, to go to the foothills of the Green Mountains in Richmond. I am happy though, because I get a new prospective of beauty being so close to the mountains. The rolling topography from our home at Purple Lark Farms is spectacular. We view Camels Hump and Mount Mansfield from a neighbor view from one of the seven hills that surround our acreage. I feel like I am in a valley, even though I am a 4% incline for two miles, from Richmond village. Visit if you can - you’ll love it.

Wild in Richmond

In Position

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It’s the 4th of July - actually the 3rd of July, at Joe and Barb Gaida’s place on Lake Champlain, feasting with friends, in prep for the annual fireworks show in Burlington. The warm-up is the sky - hard to match with man-made works - so grateful to take in! Boats in position, under Nature’s beautiful cloak.

In Position

Mutilation or Motivation

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I carried the OM symbol in my billfold for fifteen years. I thought it would be a good tattoo along side my Celtic butterfly, symbolic for: “happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it the more it alludes you. Put your mind to others and it comes and rests gently on your shoulder.” I recently tossed the OM symbol from my wallet figuring I would never be motivated to go through the pain and cost of the tattoo on my back that I, and most others, would never see. But because of my recent drive to reach the depths of my Inner Wisdom with meditation, I resurrected the crazy idea. Am I a masochist or what?

OM

Above the clouds

New Growth

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Looking skyward is amazing - cloud formations unlike former sights I recall. Have I been oblivious to what’s above? I know I have been unaware of all that’s within. I am searching outward and inward. I believe there is much to discover in the Nature I am one with. I long to know what’s up, what’s within. It is a wonderful trip I am on. I love it!

Come See

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A hospital visit is not what I normally wish for you. However, I just placed ten images on the Blue Path, on the main floor at UVM Medical Center in Burlington. BCA leases the art to the hospital and receives a commission on any sales. They are a valuable nonprofit service to both lessee and artist. Come see.

Also, don’t miss the Vermont Open Studio weekend. I would’t suspect you would visit all 143 open studio’s through out Vermont, but stop by Northern Exposure Photo Group’s open studio. All the info you need is below.

Museum in the Sky

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There is a museum in the sky. I suspect the reason you see so many wonderful depictions of skies in art, is that artists see the skyward beauty when they look for their expression.

My image WONDER, below, is an image I stumbled on when looking back on my many images while at Steve’s and Rosie’s North Shore of Lake Superior get-away. Unf……believable. So grateful to see wonder.

Calm Big Water

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What is it about water - calm big water - that relaxes me? I am drawn to water - especially calm big water; the ocean, the sea, others too, where the horizon is mostly water and sky. Sometimes you can’t tell where one stops and the other starts. Ever changing beauty. I love it!

My senses are aroused with a sun rising morning walk on a seemingly endless ocean beach - the rhythmic sound of water to shore, birds singing - even gulls, the ocean smell, a mild warm breeze caressing my body, and simple, beautiful sites to see. I expect my image of a ‘life time’ will be an image capture of a wall worthy ocean or sea, that delights me every time I pass by.

Plum island

Sun Day

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This Spring I have been finding myself saying unf..….believable, a lot - sites of rushing water, structure moving winds, wonderful cloud formations, uniform greening overnight - Wonderful sites I am sometimes able to capture. So much nature activity, overwhelming to think about. The buds bloom without seeing the movement. I am in awe! I am grateful.

Now it is time to notice the calm, the peace. Internalize. Breathe in, out. It’s a Sun Day.

sun day

The Sky is Falling!

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Water water everywhere. I’ve seen more flooding in Minnesota in years past. I have more appreciation and respect for water now, though. I see algae in lakes. I have been hospitalized with dehydration. I’ve seen the damage water can cause by floods, hurricanes, mold.

I also know the value of water. Life is not possible without it. You find water, you know life is near. No, the sky is not falling, but care we must. Nature and divine source, responsible for its existence, will take care of balance. Our responsibility is to take care, to the extent we can.

Twisted

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It’s a wonder the twisted, roots exposed, Northern White Cedar, that you see in the image below, survives the natural rock implant along the Gooseberry river. It’s quite the site, as were other Lake Superior falls, near my guest stay in relative’s well preserved Lunde camp. The sound and spray of rushing Spring water, in near winter conditions, was exhilarating. The slippery ice laden rock paths, made the adventure all the sweeter.

I am delighted to have captured a number of sky and water images during my short stay. See MESipe.com, recent work.

Twisted

Chaos and Rays of Light

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I am now into the idea of shooting wonderful sky images over the Adirondack. The few I have, make me believe shooting the same direction can result in surprisingly different stories - ever-changing skies - Never Ending Story - great for day dreaming and reflection.

I recently reflected on the power of affirmation. I have been affirming LOVE in the MOMENT, with about 100 of my tailored words for years, and by God, it works for me. I have not been able to live the, not so simple, Simple prayer though. Believing so strongly in the power of affirmations, I decided to affirm the Simple prayer. Instead of “make me an instrument of your peace”, I say I am an instrument of your peace… Where there is hatred, I love. Where there is injury, I pardon. Where there is doubt, I believe. Where there is despair, I hope. Where there is darkness, I shed light. where there is sadness, I bring joy…. and so on.

Using affirmations for the Simple prayer hit me during a recent recitation. It was confirmed for me when I understood that A Course in Miracles suggests using affirmations in its lessons. Believing and attention to it, make it so. How powerful our INNER WISDOM and subconscious are!

chaos

Rays of light


Treesert

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Looking skyward is a treat. Every sky different - like every face. Unbelievable. Miraculous. What’s to come? There is beauty in subtlety. I affirm to take the time to look skyward - look for the nuances - capture an image of a lifetime!

Treesert

Happy birthday to brother John, who has made the trip 80 times, and knows celebrating life! You take the cake, and eat it too.

Walnut Winter

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I planted sixty black walnut trees on Purple Lark Farm. I originally intended one hundred. Each tree is expected to produce thirty bushels of walnuts. It takes about eight years before you see any walnuts. I have no idea what the family will do with 1800 bushels of walnuts. I think it will be an awakening - a boon for the squirrels. My intent was the wood in thirty or forty years as financial security for grandkids and their kids. What an idealist! They most likely won’t want to cut the trees, for environmental reasons. Or, the property, if the nut falls close to the tree, will be long sold be harvest time.

I snowshoed by some walnut trees the other day, just to take a winter look. I captured the image below, with a nice winter backdrop.

Walnut Winter

Revelation

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Sometimes things seemingly so simple feel like big revelations to me. The other day, after attending my first meeting of A Course in miracles, at All Souls Interfaith Gathering, I realized that the tag line I used at AIS Planning - ‘Questioning, Listening, and Acting, to enrich lives’, is appropriate for me in this last stage of my life. With a little rewording, to focus on my present emphasis - LOVE - I now have a personal tag line - Questioning, Listening, and Acting, with LOVE.

The idea is not making assumptions, but asking and listening to understand. Especially relevant is to perceive the best in others and “where there is hatred, sow love, where there is injury - pardon, doubt - faith, despair - hope, darkness - light, sadness - joy. I seek not to be consoled, but to console, not to be understood as much as to understand, not to be focused on being loved, but to love.… It is in giving I receive. It is in forgiving I am forgiven” The words are from the Simple Prayer. They are not so simple for me to live, but an ideal to reach. I am expecting A Course in miracles will help me with spiritual perspective - spiritually selfish, but loving others better, as well.

All Souls staff are not leading the group. They encourage members to suggest and lead programs of spiritual growth and community union - what a refreshing approach - a special place where you feel the positive energy in the air. Below are two images with a feel for the special place. Pastors and members are down to earth people, non-judgmental, and have a special reverence for nature - my kind of place and people. I invite you to check it out. Join. Live LOVE.

ASIG Horizon

ASIG Meditation

Visualization

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I learned about photography visualization from Ansel Adams writings. It’s the idea of seeing the end result, the print of an image captured, as you are forming the image at the point of capture. It is knowing how the camera will translate on film, or in today’s world, digitally. Adams created the Zone Systems defining nine tones of gray, from the darkest black with detail to the whitest white with detail. Knowing how to implement photography visualization takes practice. Camera tools, like the histogram and metering systems help considerably. Taking pictures has been simplified materially.

In a bigger picture (no pun intended) I think of visualization as what I see happening with my plans. I planned to go to Plum Island, Massachusetts, at the Atlantic ocean, to shoot eagles and owls, with experienced bird photographers, Gary Reed (graylakephotography.com) and Pam Sullivan (pamsullivanphotography.com). My iPhone indicated rain. Rain was not an issue, and it was too warm, for eagles and owls to want to fly to the spot we planned to capture them. The saying “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans”, comes to mind!

Gary, who really knows how to photograph birds, managed to see and capture many bird species. I was mesmerized by the defused sun and sun reflections on the beach. Feeling comfortable to ‘go with the flow’ has made my life so much more gratifying than if I fixate on my plans. Beauty surprises me, every which way. Pam was delighted by seeing and capturing a curious coyote. Believing in beauty is seeing your beauty. Plum Island was a great journey, and not as I originally visualized.

Dreamscape