Beyond Day SixMy sometimes-daily blog of a photograph or two with a few words, celebrating all the days of life that flow through creation into perspiration, inspiration, reflection, sabbath, and resurrection. They Will Fly Up
One of the passages for the fifth Sunday after Epiphany is Isaiah 40:21-31. It's a passage for times like this, too frequent in human history. The chapter concludes with these words: "Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He doesn't grow tired or weary. His understanding is beyond human reach, giving power to the tired and reviving the exhausted. Youths will become tired and weary, young men will certainly stumble; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired; they will walk and not be weary." (Common English Bible) And yes, I know, this is not an eagle. It's an osprey and its young. Gallery Guard
So many of our friends are dog owners; they love their pets. Both of our kids have dogs (I guess it's because we didn't have one while they were growing up). This is John Brady's gallery in Florida. His prints were stunning. I enjoyed visiting with him and hearing about his photographic adventures. Like Clyde Butcher, John takes an 8x10 view camera into the swamps of Florida to create wonderful images. The fun part for me is when he said he was beginning to use a new camera: one of the Sony mirrorless cameras. He said the resolution was fantastic and might replace the cumbersome view camera. Bluebirds Are Here
Bluebirds are showing up at the feeder this week to add to the abundance of birds in the backyard. We spend way too much time watching out the window. But we have never lived anywhere that has the number and variety of birds we have here in our retirement home. This year I have not seen any Northern Juncos (snowbirds) at the feeder. Not a bad sign. One Year AgoTime passes quickly. We have memories. I have pictures that remind me of standing on a bridge with the sunset behind me, watching the sky and water light up. This view is from Bonita Springs, Florida. Looks different from snow.
I See You
Hanging Around OprylandI've been spending several days at Imaging USA at the Opryland Hotel. I'll be going back today to get some personal consultation for my website. Yesterday, I roamed through the photo exhibition of the Professional Photographers' Association, and enjoyed seeing the incredible work that was presented. I am challenged to work on my own photographs to a new level. The photograph below is one of the first I sold in the gallery in Springfield. It is Little Wildcat Falls in South Carolina.
Shadows and SpringIt's a Ground Hog Day. In some places there is a pancake and groundhog breakfast fundraiser. I'm so naive that it took me a number of times seeing the signs before I realized they weren't serving groundhog, but pork sausage. Duh... It's also that great day of mythological spring predictions based on sunny or cloudy mornings. If the groundhog sees a shadow, back into the den and six more weeks of winter. But it turns out that the groundhog is less than 40% correct, and more often wrong. But yesterday, in the rain, as we went to a restaurant for dinner, I saw forsythia blooming in downtown Nashville. I think that's a better forecast than a groundhog's shadow.
February BeginsI'm teaching my Sunday School class this morning and the lectionary today includes 1 Corinthians 8. Paul responds to a question "Is it okay to eat meat sacrificed to idols?" At first, it may seem as an archaic matter for contemporary Christians, but it soon moves to a discussion that continues through chapter 10 about "strong" and "weak" Christians. So it becomes relevant for the church today that is divided by numerous differences, behaviors, theologies, and social issues. And the focus shifts to the "strong" Christians and how they conduct themselves and influence (in a destructive way) those who are "weak". I think Paul's answer is a challenge for those who are "strong", because essentially he says don't act in a way that is destructive to the church by disregarding the objections or the conscience of the "weak". Be sensitive to the concerns of the "weak", but without retreating from one's own convictions. I think this is difficult to live out. It will make for an interesting discussion.
Cold, But Not Like Last YearThis is the fourth winter of living in Brentwood (technically, it's my third as I was traveling back and forth to Illinois). The first winter we had our pool covered and serviced for the winter. But the pool company said a lot of people in Nashville keep their pool open year round. Really? We ought to try that. It worked fine the winter of 2012-13. The coldest temperature all that winter was 19. Not bad, we can do this. But last year...it was a lot colder, in the low single digits, and several times. And the surface of the pool froze and it looked unhappily cold. One night I thought I would take pictures and turned on the lights under the surface. And shot photos of the the fountain. Brrr...
Stopping for PurplePurple was my grandmother's favorite color. As we neared the Oregon coast, I noticed the hills were covered with these purple flowers. I asked to stop so I could take pictures. I had seen similar ones in Colorado and Michigan and Alaska. They are lupinus, a flowering legume, of which there are more than 200 varieties. Texas bluebonnets are lupines. They are found in a variety of colors, although the foliage is quite similar. Seeds of the lupin or lupine have been a food source (similar to soybeans) for thousands of years, but are grown largely as an ornamental plant in gardens. These plants were wild, which probably means they escaped from someone's garden. I suppose some people might even consider them weeds.
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