the kinder very gently touch the lamb’s ear and feel a soft surprise.
—
“there is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness.”
-han suyin
Sep20
Tag Archives: nature
Sep10
ghost forest.
another try at hiking on the sleeping bear dunes point trail
this time not the long forced dune march like in the spring
instead
some dune, beautiful views, waving grass, soft forest paths
and a real trail.
and then
the ghost forest.
—
“the ultimate luxury in life remains nature. “
-robert rabensteiner
—
a “Ghost Forest” in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
These forests were covered and uncovered by the shifting sands of Lake Michigan’s dunes,
leaving behind these ghostly trees.
—
glen arbor, michigan, usa, summer 2023
Aug30
the sleepy life of bees.
walking through the trail
we start to notice
bees tucked into the flowers all around us
everywhere we look
some are alone
legs tucked under
some with other bees
all quietly sleeping
what a sweet and soft landing spot
bedtime seems to be 7:30pm .
bees sleep between 5-8 hours a day
they like to sleep in flowers with other bees
and often hold each others feet.
—
“my banks they are furnish’d with bees,
whose murmur invites one to sleep.”
-william shakespeare
—
photo credits: f. porter, one of my creative and talented grandies
—
furstenberg nature area, ann arbor, michigan, usa
Aug21
dove.
why does the dove sit and visit
day after day
her answer is
this rustic nest
built atop the rail
tucked way beneath the tomato plant
a safe and shaded home
for the baby doves
soon to be welcomed into the world.
—
“and there my little doves did sit
with feathers softly brown
and glittering eyes that showed their right
to general nature’s deep delight.”
-elizabeth barrett browning
Aug2
beauty in costa rica. – part dos.
leaves in the rain
lovely homemade breakfast
pollinator hotel in the forest
fresh-picked peppercorns
cool water swimming pool at the rainforest hotel
local cat rests with la tortuga sculpture
shadow of a rainforest fern
rainforest hotel lounge
retro lighting and paneling
playing jazz standards and christmas music
the coatis and their families
often joined us for meals
a hut deep in the rainforest
offering a place for the workers to rest
a palm tree on the pacific ocean nods to the end of a day.
—
“i love to mix everything together. it’s really my way to see beauty.”
-alessandro michele
Aug1
you carry it. – part uno.
ethereal green wall in the alley of a small town
powerful monument in the capitol city
broken pottery mosaic on the sidewalk
tree trunk art in the rainforest
luscious dessert art
bottles create stained glass in the walls of the turtle sanctuary
heart becomes part of the path
where the fairies might live in the rain forest
small storefront in the rain
night setting at one of our rain forest stays
hanging rain forest bridge to ?
fisherman’s boat waits for him on the river
flowers growing wild on the caribbean beach
near where the sea turtle laid her eggs the night before
—
there was beauty of all kinds to be found in costa rica,
often in the most unlikely of places, in all its forms, as is beauty’s way.
—
“when you leave a beautiful place, you carry it with you wherever you go.”
-amanda stoddard
Jul29
early birds.
fresh fruit breakfast for the early birds
watching the early birders watching the birds
—
“when you have seen one ant, one bird, one tree, you have not seen them all.”
- e.o. wilson
Jul27
“if there is magic on this planet it is contained in water.” -lauren eiseley
off to the pacific ocean
outrigger canoeing
stop at a little beach
warm swim in the salty ocean water
short walk to a hidden waterfall
sit under the cool water
snack on fresh fruits
ending the day walking into a tiny beach bar
enjoying a costa rican cocktail of passion fruit and local sugar cane liquor
as the sun went down over the water
going to the river the morning after
for a boat ride through the mangroves
sharing space with
crocodiles, pelicans, egrets, herons, storks, white-faced monkeys, macaws
all of them protected and safe.
“water is the driving force of all nature.”
-leonardo da vinci
Jul26
transition forest.
air plants, leaf-cutting ants, army ants, red macaws, giant caterpillars, fungi, great kapok trees
all live here together
—
another magical hike
into yet a different kind of forest
the only transitional forest in central pacific,
where dry and humid forests converge
Carara National Park – Garabito/Turrubaresis
—
“i would say that there exist a thousand unbreakable links between each of us and everything else,
and that our dignity and our chances are one.
the farthest star and the mud at our feet are a family;
and there is no decency or sense in honoring one thing, or a few things, and then closing the list.
the pine tree, the leopard, the river, and ourselves –
we are at risk together, or we are on our way to a sustainable world together.
we are each other’s destiny.”
-mary oliver
Upstream: Selected Essays
Jul25
quietly floating through the cloud forest.
crossing the continental divide
into the pacific region
for a visit to canto del rio and a hike into the cloud forest
one of the most unique environments in the world
surviving on costa rica’s mountaintops
incredibly quiet and powerful
the cloud forests are formed by a combination of wind and geography.
—
“in the cloud forest the fog is taken into the plants, thus ever clearing the air and feeding the streams. these forests are sacred, for they both bring flowing water to the ecosystem and hold the earth in place during the rains.”
-angela abraham
