Dear Ann-Christine is right – for many of us what’s going on in our world is distressing. To boost our spirits, she challenges us to “share something that made us smile – and make the world smile with us!” I’ll start with four whimsical outdoor art works that delighted me when I saw them.
Wild or tame, animals have a special way of cheering me up. The photo of a young Brown Pelican (below) always makes me smile, and who can resist a begging Koi? The Humboldt’s Flying Squirrel, caught by accident, put a big grin on my face as it jumped from the deck-rail, flared it’s front leg-wings and sailed to a nearby tree.
“More fun than a barrel of monkeys,” is how I described Max and Daisy when they first came to be in our family. Actually, almost all the Beagles I have had over the years have given me moments of merriment, high spirits, and hilarity!
The City of Long Beach was flushing fire hydrants one morning when Max & Daisy, and I were on a walk. Always curious, Daisy went over to inspect what was going on. She barked at the spray, backed away from it and charged back at it barking the whole time. When the water kept spewing, she bit it! Though it may look like she’s drinking, she definitely was chomping!
Max loves to snuggle, sit on your feet, or sneak into a lap. He also enjoys trading toys for treats or walks, all of which I find endearing.
On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾
A big thank you to Ann-Christine for keeping our focus on the lighter side of life!
Tina asks us to reflect upon what elements in our lives we are thankful for. In a free-write brainstorm there were many aspects of my life that came out, for example: Being cared for as a child, being encouraged to be myself as an adolescent/young adult, being supported with wisdom and space, and appropriate guardrails – though sometimes I wasn’t happy with those rules! Growing up in a family with loving parents, the usual fun and stress with siblings, and a value of being a clan is a grounding that keeps me stable to this day.
The last group photo I have of my clan is from Christmas, around 2014. Since then my father passed, and my Niece Molly (eyes closed!) has a son Micah, now 10 years old. Andrew in green shorts is in the Army, and Justin tangerine T is in his second year of college.
My sisters, Lori and Diana are precious to me. Whenever things in my life get wonky (like it has been this past month), they are here for me, in texts, phone calls, emails and in spirit if not in person.
Being educated/having a career, having shelter, food, clothing, being loved by and loving my husband of 55 years, having a loving birth family.
I met Creighton at the University of Washington when I was 18. He has been the love of my life ever since. We celebrated 55 years of marriage this past September, and though life has thrown us some hard times, we have endured. Beagles help!
Having friends – Olde Friends, having colleagues – friends of a feather.
On the left I’m with the three other counselors I worked with for years. We were quite a team and have remained friends after retirement. Right, the A-Club – a name we gave ourselves for all the fascinating conversations we had over dinner and wine, as we discussed the last book we had read. Our numbers have dwindled to a precious few, yet we still get together, though we no longer have assigned reading!
Having space to garden, with trees and peaceful neighbors. Being able to move freely, make decisions for myself. To live where the roads are pretty good, the bridges need attention and are getting it, the rivers continue to flow, and salmon are returning to places they haven’t been for decades. A place where I can drive two hours and be at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, where I can look out across the Columbia Gorge and see majestic Mt. Hood, where the air is not pure, but pretty good for a major metropolitan area. Where it is raining, however there are no cats and dogs coming down!
On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾
My apologies to Tina and the Lens-Artists crew for being this late with my addition to last week’s challenge. As I mentioned above, I’m going through a rough spell here, though we are muddling through. I hope to have time soon to look at and comment on other posts.
Patti asks us to present three photos of a subject which bring the viewer ever closer to the details of the subject. This past week has been extremely stormy and wet here on the Long Beach, WA peninsula, so I am pulling from my archives to accomplish this challenge. In past posts I have featured the North Head Lighthouse, a lovely old one on the promontory at the approach to the Columbia River.
Volunteers have helped raised money to refurbish North Head, constructed in 1897, and located in Cape Disappointment State Park. In November 2012, the Coast Guard turned over ownership of the light station to Washington State Parks.
Tours of North Head’s interior are conducted by volunteers who provide history lessons as visitors wind up the stairwell to where the light had been, with gorgeous views in all directions.
The original first-order lens from North Head is on display at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Cape Disappointment State Park.
On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾
Thank you Patti, for another excellent challenge. Wish I had time to do more!
Kaї Love vs Money 2017Laura Ford Bird 2007Aristide Maillol La Rivière 1938-1943Jim Dine Big White Gloves, Big Four Wheels 2008Kan Yasuda Door or Return 2001
On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾
Egídio challenges us to find qualities of silence in our photographs. Following the guidance of photographer Robert Adams, Egídio suggests that we feature five specific ways of expressing silence.
Though you may have seen this photo before, it is still my favorite image where the light creates a profound sense of stillness and tranquility. Taken from the deck of Cabin 1 at Beach Haven, Orcas Island, WA looking west.
My family has been fishing on lakes at the summit of Willamette Pass, Oregon for decades. This photo bears “silent witness to environmental change on the landscape as a result of human activity.” Just a few years ago, the waterline of Crescent Lake came all the way up to where I stood, as I took this photo. Drought and the demand for agricultural irrigation have had a significant impact on this once verdant place.
Many of my photos feature silent landscapes with no human presence: The Silence of the Subject. Here, a Bald Eagle soars out over the wetland and forest at Cape Disappointment State Park, Ilwaco, WA.
Left: every time I walk along the surf’s edge at Long Beach, I remove a shopping bag full of trash from the shoreline. Right: on the pathway from the beach to The Breakers Condominiums is a pole which through the years is over-loaded with flotsam, and surrounded by junk. Some of the litter is understandable, like ropes and buoys that get blown away or dislodged from boats in heavy ocean waves and gales. The rest of it is plain human negligence. This is my silent protest against the destruction of our environment and the violation of earths natural beauty.
I struggled most selecting my best photo to represent The Silence of the Viewer. The goal here is to “bring the viewer into a contemplative mood and a silent dialogue with the image”. While on a beach walk, I chanced upon this alter set near the berm, and the scene captivated me. Hope it does the same for you.
On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾
A big shout-out to Egídio for suggesting this tough and thoughtful challenge. Instead of watching or listening to news for the next four years, I intend to use my time exploring beauty through Lens- Artists posts, and being out with my camera.
For this week’s challenge, Ritva asks us to dig deeper than the surface beauty of our photography to reveal through them “the interplay between shadow and light, ultimately capturing the essence of optimism that arises from seemingly insignificant openings in our world.” She asks us to “let each image tell a story, convey an emotion, or illustrate a moment of seeing light.” To begin I shine the spotlight on some of the magic I found at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House while in St. Louis, with my sisters this past week.
A Paper Kite butterfly (Idea Leuconoe), has emerged from its chrysalis and hangs suspended soaking in the light of life as it continues its metamorphosis journey.
This King Swallowtail (Papilo Thoas) has moved away from its chrysalis and clings to a wall in the chamber gathering strength. Notice how much more full and thick its wings are compared to the just emerged Paper Kite.
Amid the flowers in the Missouri Botanical Gardens, this Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is the first I’ve ever seen and photographed in the great outdoors! The remainder of my post features the first stanza of a poem I wrote, with illustrations from my photo archive.
“Light is Life”
Light percolates through mist,
Light clenched in dense fog,
Light splintering between dark clouds,
Light casting a rainbow prism,
Light is life.
Thank you to Ritva for this inspiring challenge. When we open ourselves to the beauty of light and life, we fill our being with “hope, healing, truth, love and peace.”
On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾
This week Anne Sandler of Slow Shutter Speed, encourages us to experiment with Intentional Camera Movement. I have never tried this technique before, and if I were at home I would make myself go out with my camera and play with it. However, this week I am in St. Louis, where my older sister and I are visiting with our younger sister at her home and taking day trips to see new sights.
Looking through the photos I have taken here, this one of the St. Louis Arch behind the clock tower of Union Station, is the only one that qualifies. I was kneeling down to get a good angle when I pressed the button on my cell phone. The rest are close enough in spirit, like those of JohnRH of John’s Space, that I decided to include them.
Citygarden is located within the Gateway Mall, an urban green space extending from the Gateway Arch grounds to Union Station, in downtown St. Louis. Zenith, a bronze sculpture created by Mimmo Paladino, is one of 29 sculptures resident in the gardens. Seeing it through the windblown tree branches adds to its mystical quality.
We had hoped to take a sunset ride on the Ferris Wheel, but when we arrived we learned it had been reserved for a private function. Still, it was delightful be close up and see the wheel change colors against the night sky.
Oh, the Butterfly House! Now there’s true magic. In this photo, one Heliconius rests on a leaf, as two or three others flutter about.
Next to the Butterfly House is a lovely old Carousel from 1924. Of course we had to take a ride! I really like this shot of the carousel horses reflected upon the inside windows, as we circled around with the wind whipping leaves outside in the grounds.
On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾
Sophie asks us to “look back at things you love(d) in your life, things that have happened, places you visited that you’d like to experience again. Anything, really, as long as it’s part of your treasured memories.” Here are places I loved and hope to visit again.
View of Mt. Baker from Ferry on the way to Orcas Island.
For thirty years Creighton and I took our summer vacation at Beach Haven Resort on Orcas Island, WA. We were avid bicyclists in those years, and toured every island where the Ferry docked. When I look at the photos, I see how young and active we both were
View from the summit of Mr. Constitution
There is no way I would try to bicycle up Mt. Constitution now; pedaling 4.8 miles, gaining 1,840 ft (561 m) at a 7.3% average grade! However it was a challenge we accomplished every year we visited.
Another thing we both loved was making music with Bill, an absolutely amazing guitarist. For several years the three of us played and sang swinging Jazz and Bossa Nova together as the “Jazz Casual Trio”. Over three summers, Bill vacationed at Beach Haven too, and we jammed on our deck and also performed for the guests at Beach Haven. Bill moved to Ashville, NC several years ago, so making music again is not in the cards, however a visit to Beach Haven is something I’d like to do again.
Creighton took us for a visit to Albequerque, a community he always enjoyed. We visited the Native American Historical Museum, shopped old downtown, and other sites. The best part was taking the tram to the top of Sandia Peak 10K above the town and seeing the lights at sundown.
For our 25th wedding anniversary, Creighton and I took a three week trip to France. We were hosted by his cousin Catherine, and her husband Jean-Francois. They took us on an intimate journey of France and the Le Coq family history in Bretagne. We were welcomed and entertained by many aunts & uncles and extended lines of family. I would love to go again, and tuck in a visit to Scotland as well.
Thanks to Sophia for this challenge. All of these photos are non-digital, as you can see from the fuzziness! Still, they bring back fond memories and it was such a delight to dig into the old photo albums to find them.
On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾
Walking With Eagles is a collection of original poems and photographs by Lindy Low Le Coq. A lifelong naturalist, amateur photographer and bird enthusiast, Lindy’s verse, composition and photographs open a window into the essence of her subjects. Her poems and photography reflect the rich natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest.
Bald Eagles mature over the course of five years. Walking With Eagles invites the reader to take a poetic and visual tour of this odyssey.
view ~ Walking With Eagles ~ in top menu bar for a preview, though the folio is much nicer!
Lindy Low LeCoq 