— the swoop of sandstone, its colours and shapes... Lion Islet is an ever changing, always captivating wonder... It was a treat to be on the water to enjoy the depth of the colours which, in the summer sun, are vibrant. Actually the colours are vibrant in the winter too. Just so different!
The Lion himself is looking to the east (right)... (can you see him? I'll post another soon showing his other side...)
By the way, Curious Spectacles now has a Facebook Page! You can find (and, I hope, 'Like') the page at www.facebook.com/curiousspectacles
Even while the heaviness of the rain bends the stalk, and bows the head, water — a gift from the heavens— is seeping into the deep places. Nourishment is soaking the roots. What is needed is being given in the way it can be received, hidden from our sight.
At first when I noticed one of my roses nodding its head, I was disappointed to miss seeing the glory of it's opening blossom, but after a closer look, it occurred to me that perhaps it was a good gift that the rose was offering: the display of the detail and texture of its oft ignored side.
The gentle curve, the delicate shading of the petals, the texture of the sepals with their furred edge... I wouldn't have noticed had I been distracted by a more ordinary perspective. This other side of the rose was intriguing, and stunning in its simple beauty.
Have you been similarly surprised by the beauty of looking at something from a different angle?
This morning as the sun came up, the rose glow backlit the wet grasses and small oregon grape leaves. The colours were gorgeous— but what really surprised me was the spider web that I hadn't seen at all until I opened the photo file on my computer. Bonus. Completely unexpected!
During my school days, our Headmistress would often urge us to notice what's around us saying, 'Even the thorn bush by the wayside is ablaze with the glory of God.' I've come to appreciate over the years that she was absolutely right.
Today I was reminded of this as I saw, not a 'thorn bush' but an ordinary drainage ditch, 'blazing' with beauty: colour, texture and pattern.
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I have intentionally adjusted the photo above with texture and colour as I contemplated the beauty on display. The red colours in the weeds to the right were actually there, and brighter. I've muted them so as not to 'take over' the image as a whole. It's the raindrop circles that particularly entranced me— the way they refracted and reflected the light.
When the sun came out after a morning of heavy rain, the light in the forest was dramatic. Intense and beautiful— light and shadow; texture and pattern; colours and hues.
Though the afternoon had been drizzly and the days fairly cool, the camellia doesn't seem to mind. She's blooming, determined spring is really arriving. I cut some and arranged them in the old white milk jug, and set them on the dining table. The next morning the sun was up before I was so I was greeted with this glimpse of beauty sunlit beauty.
Photo Notes: this piece is adapted from my original RAW photo using Lightroom and Topaz Impression.
Walking along the Bodega Ridge trail this morning, the light and colours were stunning; the views spectacular. In addition to the more obvious sights drawing our attention were the low mounds of spring green moss glowing in the sun, the lichen draped branches in the forest, and this tangle of branches, baked dry in the sun, but retaining the extraordinary shape of its previous glory as a live manzanita.
The structure of these shrubs is hard to see sometimes when clothed in their ever-green mantle. But here, stripped bare, complex interior beauty is revealed.
For more photos of Bodega Ridge on Galiano Island, click here.
The colours of the morning sun most certainly are golden. Here the arbutus and cedars display their stunning colour, texture and shapes. The warmth of the colours belies the chill of the day.
Colour and beauty are strewn everywhere— even in the depths of winter and in the unlikely and seemingly inhospitable spots— Its all right there for us to 'behold' .
During the past week of crisp weather, the frost coated most everything rendering the world in a muted colour palette. But as the sunlight warmed the places it shone, colours emerged more intensely than ever.
The photo above shows what I mean: the melting frost revealed the most gorgeous, brilliant colours of the small succulent plants that cling tight to the steep sandstone banks.
glimpses of the extraordinary amidst an ordinary day
