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NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY DAY

August 19, 2025

NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY DAY

“The camera sees more than the eye, so why not make use of it?” Edward Weston

Today (19 August) is National Photography Day. It seemed appropriate to celebrate since I have been taking photos since about 6^th grade when I was given my first camera. Over the years, as my time, interest, and cameras changed, I focused more and more on photographing Nature.

Nature is such a marvelous subject, showing its wonder, beauty and glory. Slowing down to capture a “good shot” allows the photographer to experience the solitude, peace and contemplation inherent in visiting Nature. If you let yourself, you see so much more than a flower, an animal, a bird, or a mountain vista.

I decided the best way to celebrate today is to share Nature photos, starting with some photos of a glorious bouquet of flowers from a friend’s garden. What could be better!

“Nobody sees a flower really: it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time—like to have a friend takes time.” Georgia O’Keefe

“To photograph is to hold one’s breath when all faculties converge in the face of fleeting beauty/” Henri Cartier-Bresson

“Photography is the beauty of life captured.” Tara Chisholm

“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” Karl Lagerfeld

“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” Eudora Welty

“Photography is the only language that can be understood anywhere in the world.” Bruno Barbey

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National Water a Flower Day!

May 30, 2025

I never knew there was a day dedicated to properly watering flowers. But there is! And today (30 March) is that day. Its purpose is to emphasize the need to properly care for your garden to ensure the flowers and plants are healthy and happy. This official day was established in 2014. I would suggest you also talk or sing to your plants, maybe play music.

Regardless of any special day or even if you are in a garden or out and about, I suggest you marvel at the beauty around you. Awareness and appreciation of the wonders of Nature always seem wise to me.

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower, clearly our whole life would change.” Buddha

“So plant your own gardens and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.” Jorge Luis Borges

“Just living is not enough. . . one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” Hans Christian Andersen

My celebration is to simply share photos of some beautiful blossoms!

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Wind Wolves Preserve: Spring Is Approaching

March 31, 2025

Looking for evidence of Spring, I took a drive out to Wind Wolves Preserve last week. It was a sunny, warm, breezy day: perfect for a drive. I headed over the Grapevine first to see if any poppies or lupines were coloring the hills over the pass or sprouting along the Gorman Postal Road. Not yet. Even the shrubs along the highway dividers were devoid of their usual white and pink blossoms. There was one Redbud Tree in bloom at the Fort Tejon Rest Area.

As I drove the country roads heading to the Wind Wolves Preserve, I passed fields and orchards. Most fields were starting to green up. Most orchards were green, the blooms having come and gone from the trees in February right on schedule.

The hills provided a green backdrop for the Wind Wolves Preserve. No color was evident yet. Past years, the colors unfolded week by week, adding yellow, pink, purple to the fields’ palette.

So far it is just the trees near the Visitor Center that are starting to sprout their leaves.

It was a nice solitary drive. There were a few other visitors as a couple cars passed me on the roads and were parked near the Center. Otherwise, it was me and some critters. No kit fox or coyote came out. Birds seemed abundant singing and chittering in the bushes. I caught glimpses of crows, meadowlarks, a host of sparrows and even a road runner. Only crows posed long enough for a photo.

Bunnies and prairie dogs were enjoying the afternoon as well.

Cows were around too.

I’ll try again in a few weeks to see what may have changed. But it is a pleasant place to visit anytime.

Here’s a colorful post from March 2023 at Wind Wolves.

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HOPING FOR SPRING

March 23, 2025

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.” Henry Van Dyke

“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.” Proverb

Spring officially started a few days ago. We’ve had some good rain lately too and warmer than usual temperatures. Those signs bode well for a beautiful vibrant Spring.

But so far, Spring is being coy. On a drive through town I only saw isolated buds peeking out on a few trees and wandering across some parkways. I am hopeful, it will be a good spring full of color and variety. I better start checking for Wildflower Alerts and wandering around some local hills.

Until Spring fully arrives, here are some past photos showing Spring’s wonder.

“The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.” Gertrude S. Witzer

“Spring is a time of new beginnings, new possibilities. What quality would you like to grow this spring?” Tara Killen

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Embrace the Joy of Christmas! Pray for Peace!

December 25, 2023

It’s Christmas Day! Often, we get caught up in the presents and dinners and visiting friends that we do not stop and embrace the true meaning of Christmas: The Joy, Wonder, Hope, and Promise of Christ’s Birth. I wish you and your family love, joy and peace this Christmas Day–and ask you to pray for the same for the entire world.

Here are a few favorite hymns and a hope voiced by John Lennon.

Merry Christmas!

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CHRISTMAS: DECORATIONS, MEMORIES & ELEPHANTS!

December 24, 2023

My childhood Christmas memories typically focus on decorating the tree. Dad would very meticulously place the lights—and then we would all help place the ornaments and even tinsel. Bubble lights were a delight! Mom and Dad had a set of five angels, one for each of us girls, as well as some older fragile ones. Each year brought new ornaments—some handmade and others from Hallmark.

The trees were always big and full.

And eventually—several times throughout the season—Dad would fall asleep in his chair. That pose always generated ornaments and figurines.

When I started putting up my own tree, I mimicked Mom and Dad’s in type and size.

When Mom and Dad moved into a care facility and no longer had room for all their decorations, their “stuff” found homes in the family. They kept some items to decorate their room. But the Village went to one home, the Nativity to another, and we each selected some favorite ornaments and figurines to add to our holiday décor.

Nowadays, my tree is a table-top version that only holds a few favorite items.

Of course, other decorative items are strewn about the place. I have fun. Some of my decorations are rather traditional, like Santas and angels and bears and even mice.

But I especially love my set of Christmas Elephants. [What? Not everyone has a set of Christmas Elephants?! That is just a shame.]

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday, no matter how you decorate or celebrate. May the Love, Laughter and Good Memories that make my season so special fill your hearts as well. Chocolate helps too, of course, but that’s a given! Enjoy!

Take some time sit, relax, and reflect on the beauty and wonder of Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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NATIONAL AUDUBON DAY 2023: For the Love of Birds

April 26, 2023

“I realized that if I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes.” Charles Lindbergh

Today is National Audubon Day, established in 1949 to help highlight the conservation and educational efforts of the National Audubon Society.

“In order to see birds, it is necessary to become part of the silence.” Robert Lynd

The National Audubon Society was founded in 1905 in the name of John James Audubon (1785-1851). Audubon is best remembered as a noted naturalist and conservationist who worked tirelessly to document the more than 700 bird species of North America. In that process, he identified 25 new species. His incredibly beautiful and detailed illustrations have been recorded in his book The Birds of America. He began work on this seminal bird identification source in 1827.

“Never give up listening to the sound of birds.” John James Audubon

“If only the bird with the loveliest song sang, the forest would be a lonely place.” John James Audubon

“Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come.” Chinese Proverb

“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his father, but borrowed from his children.” John James Audubon

I first became aware of Audubon and his work with bird identification when I moved to Corpus Christi in 1980. A new friend introduced me to the activity of “birding,” and I have been hooked on the beauty and wonder of birds since. I didn’t take photographs back then, but below are some of the images I have captured as I have marveled at birds over the last few years.

“may my heart always be open to little birds who are the secret to living” e. e. cummings

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SPRING ON THE CARRIZO PLAIN: 2023

April 22, 2023

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Spring is definitely here in all its joy and wonder!

“A flower blossoms for its own joy.” Oscar Wilde

“The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day He created spring.” Bernard Williams

“Spring is when life’s alive in everything.” Christina Rossetti

“No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere.” Sheryl Crow

A good place to appreciate the glory and beauty of spring as it spreads across the land is the Carrizo Plain in San Luis Obispo County, California. Measuring roughly 50 miles by 15 miles, these native grasslands are the largest remaining in California. Within this area, 246,812 acres are designated as the Carrizo Plain National Monument.

The color slowly starts showing up along Highway 58, heading to the north entrance to the Carrizo Plain.

Such a swatch of color in the hills along Highway 58

Near the intersection of Highway 58 and Seven Mile Road, yellow blooms seem to spread across the whole Temblor Range.

A short video look at the Temblor Range

Another video view of how far the color stretches

Soda Lake Road showcases flowers along its sometimes unpaved route. Well, of the 46 miles of Soda Lake Road that connects Highway 58 and Highway 166, about half is not paved. Its gravel foundation is often riddled with deep ruts and potholes. But do not let that aspect of the road deter you from taking this splendid drive.

Heck, I go slow anyway to gawk at flowers and stop for photographs.

Video of a colorful stretch of Soda Lake Road, looking over to the mountains.

Winds are a constant companion.

Closing in on the south entrance to the Carrizo Plain.

“If Spring came but once a century instead of once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It was a glorious, marvelous, wonderful very good day!

NOTE: I think these are the names of the flowers included in this post: California Poppy, Molonopia, Baby Blue Eyes, Valley Phacelia, Tidytips, Milk Vetch, Owl Clover, and something blue on a tall stalk.

IT’S EARTH DAY. AS MUCH AS WE CELEBRATE THE BEAUTY AND WONDER OF OUR EARTH, WE ALSO NEED TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO PROTECT THIS WORLD.

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POPPIES. POPPIES. POPPIES.

April 17, 2023

On 11 April 2023, I took a drive out to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, eager to see lots and lots of poppies. That glorious orange taking over the fields and fluttering in the breeze is a wonder to see. The Reserve’s live cam was not showing much color around the Reserve itself, but I was hopeful the hills in the area might have a brighter display.

From Bakersfield, I took Highway 58, Tehachapi Willow Springs Road, and then Highway 138 to get to the Reserve. The drive had its own beauty, but not many poppies.

Getting closer to the Reserve, flowers were more and more evident.

Near the Reserve, the hills were still pretty sparse. But I did pick up some local honey. Don’t the local pecans and almonds in local honey look scrumptious?

I drove home via I-5 and Gorman Postal Road—always a pretty good spot for flowers.

Once home, I saw some articles saying the bloom in the area of the Poppy Reserve had fields and fields of poppies dancing around. I did not see them. Not sure how I missed them. But I guess I better take another drive through the area.

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MISCELLANEOUS WONDERS

April 14, 2023

Over the last couple of weeks, as a drove around the area a bit, I saw beautiful signs of spring popping up all over! I will have posts soon on my drive to the Poppy Reserve and the Carrizo Plain.

Hills Are Starting to Show Their Colors