Tree with a Secret Escape

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Weeping European Beech

Weeping European Beech

This is a tree with a surprise. It doesn’t look like anything special, and the first tree we saw wasn’t as nicely shaped as this one so we almost didn’t notice it when we were photographing blossoming fruit trees at Hidden Lake Gardens. Julie happened to look at it as she was passing and noticed the inside of the tree.

Peek inside.

Peek inside.

Inside was a secret room with branches spreading out and a tent of green letting dappled light filter in. It is the type of space where we create secret clubhouses. It is the type of space where we escape from the world because no one can see us or hear us when we enter. It is a place for pretending.

The Secret Room

The Secret Room

When we grow up we can take our new love there to steal a kiss within the protection of our secret place. But don’t tell anyone.

Love Proclaimed

Love Proclaimed

Frizz is up to Tagged T and this tree with a secret meets this challenge to a “T”. You can find more interpretations and submit your own “T” without trepidation at:

http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/tagged-t/

I got a little behind this past week because I escaped to the Upper Pennisula of Michigan with a friend. I think this post also is a good interpretation for “escape”.  If you feel like escaping, you can find more about this Word Press Weekly Photo Challenge at:

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/photo-challenge-escape/

Windows to the World

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Palm Cottage 045

I have forgotten the name of this but I haven’t forgotten the wonder that I felt when I first peered through these windows. This particular one was at the Palm Cottage Museum in Naples Florida but they are like the ones my grandma had. This is how I got my first glimpse of far-away places. Not just pictures of far-away places but pictures that looked real – where there was depth. It felt like I was really there.

I was so very intrigued. On a very hazy level I learned that there were places other than my neighborhood. I wasn’t old enough to understand it but I know it opened a window of wonder about other worlds. The people in my family didn’t travel much – unless you count my grandparents emigrating from Poland when they were in their late teens. I didn’t understand emigration, they were just different in a familiar sort of way.

It has become fun reflecting on my life – maybe because I am gaining a lot of life to reflect on. I am intrigued with how different threads of interest and talent became woven together to form my tapestry, my life history. Seeing the bigger world through these 3-D windows didn’t lead to a life commitment to “travel to exotic places.” No, it wasn’t that conscious, but I think a combination of my personality and quirky fate repeatedly came together to guide my path through life. It was impossible to see when it was happening but now I’m beginning to see it more clearly.

What is interesting is that as I understand my life more clearly, I also have more questions. Did God have a plan for my life even before I was born? What role did self-determination play if there was a plan? If God already had my life planned does it mean that I am delusional to believe that I made choices along the way? Is there a God who is involved with each individual to this extent – to the extent that a 3-D viewfinder was placed where I needed it to open the window of interest? I can’t get my mind around that one. Do I think too much? :)

If you want to see other windows or to post your own interpretation of this theme, go to:

http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/sunday-post-window/

Goslings in the Park

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We were driving through a city park the other evening when I noticed a couple of families of geese on the shore of the lagoon. I couldn’t resist stopping for a family photo shoot. I slowly walked closer, stopping every couple of steps to take some shots. I sat on a picnic table and took some more. I decided to get even closer – with papa goose watching me closely.

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Every time I moved or took a couple of steps closer, papa would give me a warning with a mighty hiss.

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We slowly reached a compromise with me getting quite close but also respecting his family. Although we really don’t need more geese in the park, these are so cute who can complain (my hubby did).

There were two families and one seemed a little old as they wandered a little farther away from the shore and ate more grass. The goslings were also a bit bigger and the parents less protective.

Beauty Thru my Lens: Farming

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_DSC0092This post is for all you city-slickers out there. All of you who get great joy out of living where the action is, where you can walk the busy city streets and get wonderful cityscape shots. Of course, the other half (you know there are always two kinds of people) will be drawn into my post just because you feel it; you feel the pure joy of driving in the country in the spring past all those wonderful working farms.

Mike, over at Mike’s Look at Life told me he can never pass up a good barn. I too have had a long-time fascination with barns. Maybe it was because I spent so much time with my grandparents who were small-time farmers. Grandpa taught me how to drive on a Farmall Cub when I was 13. He let me drive it all by myself, on the road, from his plot at Ready’s farm on Portage Lake, to their cottage about a mile away. I still remember, at a younger age, feeling the warm, fine, black muck between my toes as I put the potatoes in holes grandpa dug. It was important work and we were a good team. Grandma sat in the shade of the big oak tree cutting the potatoes so there was an eye on each piece.

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My very favorite memory is swaying on a swing hung from that very big oak tree, teaching the rows of vegetable plants how to sing. I don’t sing (they didn’t do so good either) but I am a teacher at heart – and an introvert and love the quiet solitude of the country. It makes me wonder if these early experiences formed where I found joy throughout my life or whether there is a genetic predisposition that pulls me to these things.

I grew up in small towns and then moved to the suburbs when I was just entering my teens. The school I started in 7th grade was a new district formed by consolidating a large number of one-room schools. It was called Northwest Agricultural School. They didn’t teach agriculture but they did have a Future Farmers Association. The odds were pretty great that I would marry a farmer – but I didn’t. As a teen, I have very fond memories of visiting my friend Sally and playing in their barn. I learned to love the smell of cows when I visited the dairy farm of my friend Phyllis.

Now I live in a suburban neighborhood, but surrounded by fields. I can hear the tractors plowing the fields close by. In the evening I can hear cows baying (I think that is what it would be called). One of my greatest joys is driving down my country roads and seeing the softly rolling hills of farmland, with the crops changing through the seasons.

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I’ve done a couple of other posts on barns here and here. Friend Julie and I have spent a couple mornings wandering around some barns. She has a very interesting image of a barn window that you can see by clicking on this link. Julie is just entering the blogging community so give her a warm welcome! I also suggest you follow her because her photos will be worth seeing and she has the soul of a philosopher.

Spring: Lilacs

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Julie and I went to HIdden Lake Gardens again this week – especially to see the lilacs that are blooming in southern Michigan. We saw a whole lot more – another 4 hours more. But when I saw Cee’s challenge this week is spring – I had to do the lilacs. Daffodils and tulips also mean spring – but it has snowed on daffodils and tulips many times. I have never seen snow on lilacs so that means lilac season is really spring.

The flowering trees and shrubs are spectacular this year so I couldn’t resist a walk around the neighborhood. Three of the photos in this post are compliment of neighbors.

Barns & Building Character

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I first posted this barn as a part of the Lingering Look at Windows – they really stand out because they are new and bright and shiny.

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Here are photos of some of the architectural details that give this barn, and a couple of other out buildings, that character so many of you said you love.

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Chicken Coop?

Chicken Coop?

I hope I am aging with character instead of just falling apart. But this got me thinking about what differentiates the two. When I look at this barn, I find character in the many details. There are many details in the design – which is probably also true of people. The more interests we have created and the life paths we have followed create character as they accumulate and form our life tapestry. They add richness to our life story. This applies to our emotional life as well as our physical. We need to care deeply, even if it means getting hurt sometimes. Do our loves and hurts show up as character in our face, especially our eyes? When we look at people with character we begin to wonder about where they have been and what they have seen and what life music they heard through the years.

These sliding doors are salvaged for home use.

These sliding doors are salvaged for home use.

Old buildings with character don’t have changes for cosmetic reasons. They may be maintained but changes aren’t made to make them appear as what they aren’t. The windows on this barn stand out because they don’t fit – they aren’t authentic. For us humans, in our culture that worships youth, it is hard to stay authentic to what we are. We are pulled to cosmetic surgery, to dye our hair, and dress in young fashions to keep ourselves looking young. I want to age with integrity – but sometimes I waver. I remember a conversation with my friend Trudy, who is long deceased. She was bemoaning the fact that her hands were ugly, all spotted and veined. I had been noticing how beautiful they were, how much character they had. Now as my hands are aging and I sometimes fret, I think of Trudy’s hands. I hope that someday my hands will be as beautifully aged as hers.

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Old buildings with character are used buildings. They show the signs of use. They have nicks and dings and warn spots – kind of like the Velveteen Rabbit. Have you ever noticed the difference between new furniture that is made to look warn and authentically warn furniture? The warn-through-use furniture has character. We need to use our human bodies for them to develop character. I work hard to protect my body and to respect it but I also can’t live on a shelf. I want to do things and go places. I need to live on the edge – within the reasonable bounds of what my body can do. We can tell when people lived too hard a life and their bodies age prematurely. I don’t want that but I also need to continue to get out there if I’m going to have the nicks, dings, and warn spots that says this is a life well lived.

Julie has a very interesting image of this barn that you can see by clicking on this link. Julie is just entering the blogging community so give her a warm welcome! I also suggest you follow her because her photos will be worth seeing and she has the soul of a philosopher.

Hidden Lake Gardens – Spring

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Hidden Lake Gardens is a 755 acre botanical garden and arboretum owned by Michigan State University. MSU is the Michigan land grant college and they truly do fulfill their mission of preserving and developing landscapes that exhibit plant collections for education and enjoyment of the public. They do an outstanding job of arranging the many wonders that God created for us to behold – not their words because they are a state-supported university.

My friend Julie and I spent 4 hours there last week enjoying (and photographing) the solitude and beauty of Michigan spring. My goal was to practice landscape photography because I haven’t been especially excited with many of my previous sweeping vistas. What I came away with are images of not-so-sweeping vistas because of the nature of the steeply rolling hills and woods. This is the type of landscape photography I could get excited about. Come along with me.

The Hidden Lake

The Hidden Lake

Hidden Lakes Garden is located in the Irish Hills section of southern Michigan. This is where the glacier stopped as the ice age started warming and the glacier started to recede. This is where the glacier shoved and dumped huge piles of dirt and rocks resulting in beautiful hills and lots of small to medium lakes. And lots of rocks.

Hilly hosta rock garden.

Hilly hosta rock garden.

Our first stop was the Hosta Hillside. The hosta leaves are a few inches high and haven’t unfurled yet but there are lots of other flowers in bloom. I have already posted some of these here and here and Julie has a post here, – we will be posting more. What was so striking about the landscape was how it was planted to maintain a natural feel but better.

One of many places to sit and view the lake.

One of many places to sit and view the lake.

Evergreens, flowering shrubs and trees form a backdrop for hostas, daffodils, bluebells, and tulips. The horticulturalists also seem to encourage nature to establish it’s own naturally occurring plants around their plantings.

We lingered, and wandered off, and beckoned each other to see new beauty. Our attention was constantly pulled from the garden close by, to the vistas across the lake, and back again. We circled back and forth, up and down, two, three times and where-ever we walked again we saw new beauty, new wonders.

Bright yellow-green of the weeping willow across the lake.

Bright yellow-green of the weeping willow across the lake.

Eventually the road ahead beckoned us.

Road around the lake.

Road along the lake.

There are over 6 miles of paved roads for cars and bikes. There are also 5 miles of marked hiking trails of various lengths. We took the Woodland Drive that winds through an oak and hickory forest. There weren’t many people in the park so we were able to stop often on the road to enjoy the woods.

Naturalized daffodils along winding roads.

Naturalized daffodils along winding roads.

Stone retaining wall along road we had climbed.

Stone retaining wall along road we had climbed.

The allure of a forbidden path.

The allure of a forbidden path.

Leaving the forest, we entered the open, sunny part of the garden. We stopped in the parking area where the walking trail begins to the Glacial Kettlehole – but didn’t do the hike. Our goal was to capture the flowering fruit trees, but we became engrossed within the canopy of an amazing tree that deserves a post all its own. Then we moved on to the conifers.

Collection on conifers on Juniper Hill.

Collection of conifers on Juniper Hill.

The educational mission of the gardens is evident in the mature displays of conifers, over 500 specimens that are enjoyed year around. There is also a display of Dwarf and Rare Conifers.

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We were getting hungry and could see the conservatory and visitor center from this overlook.

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Overlooking raised beds that will be planted with summer annuals.

Overlooking raised beds that will be planted with summer annuals.

As we passed the picnic area we bemoaned the fact that we didn’t pack a picnic. There wasn’t food at the conservatory or visitor center, but we were soon distracted from our hunger by the plants in the conservatory and the grounds surrounding these buildings.

Can you hear the low, gentle tones of the wind chime?

Can you hear the low, gentle tones of the wind chime?

It was here, as we were each wandering in our own worlds of wonder, that we laughed about how we have different ways of approaching our subjects. We haven’t photographed together before so it will be fun to see how each of us captured the Hidden Lake Gardens with our lens. Julie just (this week) retired from university teaching and we have a date next Tuesday to return to see the lilacs in bloom. I hope we will also visit the places we missed because of hunger – I think I’ll pack a picnic lunch.

On this trip we had a great lunch at Jus’ Bad Food in the nearby village of Brooklyn and then stopped off for wine tasting at a small vineyard close by. A perfect ending to a perfect morning.

Beaches of the Maritime Provences

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Ailsa has her backpack on and headed for the beaches of Seattle. I though I would do the opposite coast and picked some of my favorites from the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Hope the jet lag doesn’t hit too hard.

Cape Breton
Cape Breton
Cape Breton
Cape Breton Island
Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
Sunning on his private beach.
Meat Cove
Gros Morn National Park
Gros Morn
Quebec

Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern

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Here are some patterns That are found naturally – in nature. Succulents at the Hidden Lake Gardens in the Irish Hills of Michigan.

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You can find more interpretations of patterns or add your own at:

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/weekly-photo-challenge-pattern/

Thursday Lingering Look at Windows: Week 17

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A friend and I were on our way to Hidden Lake Gardens with time to spare before it opened. We were driving along a country two-lane highway, one of those that has a lot of interesting things to look at along the way.

And there it was! This old barn with the morning sun shining on it so beautifully. It had character, the kind of character we get when we get old. Anyway, back to the barn. Julie put on the breaks and I found a drive that would take us to it. We then spent a delightful half an hour walking around taking lots of photos of the barn’s character and the other out buildings.

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What was fascinating was that this very old barn, in disrepair, next to a house that looked empty and was for sale, has new windows. See them along the front?

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If you like windows and have some photos of interesting ones in your files – or there is one you have been meaning to capture, you can join the fun by peeking in at the following blog:

http://lingeringvisions.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/thursday-lingering-look-at-windows-week-17/

Beauty thru my Lens: Spring Flowers

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I’m intoxicated with Spring and yesterday my friend Julie and I went to Hidden Lake Gardens to try to capture the beauty of Spring as it is unfolding. We talked about how difficult it is to capture the beauty that we see with our eyes and soul. What we end up with on the computer screen frequently doesn’t have that “wow” we felt at the time. I think I will forever be searching for better ways to capture the beauty of God’s creation through my lens. Here are three little beauties.

Wildflower - Trilium

Wildflower – Trilium

 

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My favorite daffodil of the day. My favorite daffodil of the day.

Tagged S: Swan Pond

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I love Tchaikovsky’s ballet, Swan Lake. Beautiful music, beautiful costumes, and exquisite dancing. Here is my version, Swan Pond. It has a nice ring, don’t you think – although it will be without dancing and music. Feel free to make your own music. You can hum out loud, I won’t mind. Rest assured the costumes are authentic and so is the pond.

You can swim (or dance) over to see Frizz who I hear doesn’t look too bad in a tutu (maybe that will be his post for next week’s tag T). He wanted the lead roll this week but you can understand why I had to give it to the guys in the slide show. Anyway, here is where you will find lots of other interesting interpretations of “S”.

http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/tagged-s/

Orange: a gentle frame of mind.

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Skinnywench has posted her “Word a Week Challenge” as orange. I’m in a gentle frame of mind – and most shades of orange aren’t my favorite. Orange is such a hot color that it usually doesn’t facilitate a gentle frame of mind – it excites us. As I am thinking about this, I look around and realize that I have used quite a bit of orange in my living room – as accent color for my very gentle, quiet, green public living areas. But they are gentle oranges.

So my challenge this morning was to go through my files and find oranges that fit my gentle-frame-of-mind mood. I wanted to use photos I haven’t posted before, which means that they were photos that I had passed over because they were orange – and well orange isn’t usually the color I enjoy working with. Here are some oranges that maintain my gentle-frame-of-mind mood.

Beauty thru my Lens: Images of Spring

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Spring has exploded in southern Michigan any my camera has being used a lot. May these images of spring bring a smile to your face, joy to your heart, and a spring to your step.

Click on any photo to see as a slide show. Blessings.

Tagged R: Reflection

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I saw a pair of swans when I went to pick up a friend the other afternoon, swimming in a pond in the front yard of a house. I went back the other morning so I could take advantage of some good light. I took lots of photos and I’ve been having great fun tweaking them in Lightroom. Here are two that stimulate my senses and imagination because of the reflections.

Mirror, mirror.

Mirror, mirror.

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Fractured Reflections

How convenient that next week is “S” so I’m saving some swans for then. In the mean time you can visit Frizz for more reflections on the letter R.

http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/tagged-r/

Weekly Photo Challenge: From Above

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I love the interest of seeing sunbathers that are an even smaller part of the Meat Cove image.

Sunbathers on beach at Meat Cove

Looking down on the beach at Meat Cove on the northern shore of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia Canada.

You can see more takes on “From Above” at:

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/weekly-photo-challenge-from-above/

Floral Friday: Red Tulips

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I only have one clump of tulips. I would love to fill my garden with them – and the deer would be happy, too. Tulips are their favorite dessert. The deer don’t usually get these because they are close to the house and a little difficult to get to. When deer are well fed they get a little lazy. They were around last night because the ends of my day lily foliage have been chewed up.

030 035 036How many photos can a woman take of one small clump of tulips? As many as the memory card can hold. I hope that you find lots of small pleasures on this third of May.

Copy this image and its link to place on your blog

Magnolias for Isobel

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Isobel, who lives in London and writes her blog Isobelandcat, just experienced the death of her mother. It is so hard losing a mother – even when she has lived a very long and full life or when it is a blessing because of disease.

My mother died about 5 years ago after a long, slow, painful bout of pancreatic cancer. Over months I watched her waste away. She lived in Florida and I lived in Michigan so I couldn’t see her often. I went a few times during the summer when I didn’t have to teach. But with my fibromyalgia I couldn’t go often enough or stay long enough – the travel and the stress took its toll on my body. When I would leave their house for the airport, when I was alone in the car, I would sob.

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She died in March when I had a teaching load. I wanted to be with her, I wanted to stroke her face, hold her hand, whisper loving things in her ear. I was so thankful her husband loved her and was lovingly caring for her with the help of Hospice but I also resented him. He was doing what I wanted to do.

I wanted to be with her but no one could predict when she would die. I couldn’t take a lot of time off because someone else would have had to cover my classes. They said it could be a few day and it could be longer – and then the funeral. Her husband and his family said it was better that I wasn’t there at the end – but my mother and I knew each other from before I was born. I had a right to be there. I should have been there. I still miss her, but I haven’t been able to get over the deep regret that I wasn’t able to nurture her as she left this life. I think she would have liked me to be there.

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Isobel wrote about her experience as she watched her mother slip away over months, weeks, days, hours. She shared her journey with a style of writing that is elegant, honest, and graceful. I understood her journey because I had very similar feelings, very similar needs. She was able to love her mother out of this life and into what her mother’s faith assured her would be a better eternity.

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Emotionally I walked with Isobel. I think reading about her experience, how she was doing what I had wanted to do for my mother, helped me to vicariously nurture my mother in her time of dying. I am feeling some peace – and I know what I need to do to heal this wound. I do that kind of healing when I am alone.

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Thank you, Isobel, for being honest and for sharing your journey so beautifully. You are one classy lady and I am very glad I have had the pleasure of your company as we have gotten to know each other through our blogging. These flowers are for you in your time of grief and to honor your mother’s life.

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If you would like to read about Isobel’s journey, you can click here. I’m feeling a little uneasy posting this link but blogs are, of course, public. Even so, my urge is to ask you to please be respectful – isn’t blogging a strange experience.