My Dot on the Map: In Celebration of Ordinary
Waterloo Bird Sanctuary
Southern Michigan doesn’t have many grand vistas – especially at my dot on the map half way between the Great Lakes to the east and west. Within a couple of hours I can reach Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie but even there the vistas aren’t the same as where there are mountain ranges, great gorges or vast deserts.
Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis know that friend Julie and I go out once a week in pursuit of the perfect photograph and we can’t resist dirt roads. We sometimes stop for barns – but usually we stop in the middle of nowhere and wonder off in different directions searching for nature’s wonders along the farmer’s fields or on the edges of the many small ponds and marshes. We always stop for interesting light.
We get lost on these outings  – sometimes geographically, but always emotionally. Time slows down – there is no rush, nothing from the future calls me. I get lost in seeing new beauty in ordinary time. My eyes stop looking for the big picture and begin to focus on what is lost in sweeping landscapes.
I begin to see nature unfolding in this moment, in this space. Simple beauty designed by the changing seasons instead of a person’s hands.
We don’t have to travel far to find new images to capture because the spaces we walk are always changing. There is always new beauty to celebrate.
I am feeling sadness today because tomorrow we are leaving on our winter migration south. I don’t think I’m quite ready to leave Michigan Autumn. My body will appreciate the warmer winter climate and maybe I will begin to recognize and celebrate the seasonal change at my new dot on the map in Southern Florida. I’ll be looking for it.
Categories: My Dot on the Map, Nature, Photography
Wishing you a safe trip. I’m sure you’ll find many “photos” of interest along the way!
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Thanks, Lois. We will be traveling south down the Blue Ridge Mountain Trail so I hope to find lots of photo ops!
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Ordinary and close by is beautiful. 🙂
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Camera in hand I know you will continue to find the beauty in your surroundings. Safe travels.
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Thanks, Dawn. 🙂
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Such a wonderful celebration of the ordinary…made unique through the eye of your camera….have a safe trip south…when your friends write you about shoveling snow and scrapping ice…you’ll gain new respect for the warmth of Florida. 🙂
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Believe me, they let me know. We do come back for the holidays to get a brief taste of winter – in case we forget why we go south. 🙂
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May your journey south be safe and filled with joy!
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Thanks!
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The ordinary becomes extraordinary with great photography. You have done that.
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Awe, gee, thanks. I am going to miss you big time, Julie.
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Such beauty.
So true – that just about everywhere – we can find beauty.
Even going back to a same place – a different time of day, month, year…for things change.
And – thanks for letting me know that tomorrow is the day.
I will be sure to have my bags packed. 😉
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Be at the curb and we will slow down so you can hop in. Here’s wishing you a short winter, my friend.
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Wonderful and so true, amazing how much beauty is right in our own backyard when we take the time to really see. And what beauty you’ve captured here..and I know you will continue to see wonderful things as you venture south!
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Thanks, Susan. We had a wonderful day today.
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It’s a charming custom you and Julie have and the photographs you capture always seem to be well worth your trips out. I love the furrowed field in this and the collection of flowers. I can almost smell the earth there. (Never been in Michigan though!)
I don’t think the change of season in Florida is very dramatic ??? (Never been there either.) But I have to say by warning tha when I moved from New York to the San Francisco Bay area, I was really disoriented by the loss of four well-defined seasons. My body was always ready for change that never came. It took years to get accustomed and I’ve hear the same thing from other transplants. I don’t think I am yet really, though my goodness there is huge beautify to be found here.
Happy trails, Pat.
J.
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Thanks, J. I don’t ever want to live in FL full time for many reasons – and one of them is the lack of real seasons. The biggest difference seems to be really hot weather and daily rain in summer. My daughter moved to TX and is very disoriented by no clear seasons.
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Hi Pat,
Beautiful photos. Autumn in Michigan is the best. We have color here in Seattle, but nothing to compare. Safe journey south.
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