I took this photo last week in the warmth of the afternoon light and the stillness of Whaler Bay. What caught my eye was the complex reflections with the fallen tree, the tangled lines of its branches both above and beneath the water and the curves of the sandstone intersected by the straight lines of the wharf's shadow.
The resulting design is intriguing: another instance of the playful art of nature all around us.
Maybe because we've waited so long for spring this year, or maybe its just that these wonders are more precious with each passing year, but surely the delicate beauty of the huckleberry buds opening has never been quite so breathtakingly beautiful to me.
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.
In the course of the day's demands, which today included the simple task of having a brake light replaced on my car, we found ourselves walking in a neighbourhood we hadn't explored before. The repair folk needed us to leave the car with them for a while, so off we set to explore the neighbourhood around the car dealership. What an unexpected treat. The streets were quiet— almost deserted— and spring gardens were burgeoning with blossoms: japonica, forsythia, hyacinths, daffodils, pansies, flowering trees in full bloom including magnolias and cherries. So much colour. So much design and care and beauty.
The clematis that was climbing tenaciously up the supports of a carport, adorning an otherwise unassuming piece of architecture, was just one of the many strikingly beautiful treats on our walk.
And now my brake light is replaced! (bonus!)
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Photo Notes
Since I wanted to draw attention to the clematis itself, I've adjusted this iPhone photo using Photoshop for layers and masks, and Topaz Impression to add the desaturated / textured/ drawing effect on the perimeter of the photo.
Clearly I have an affinity to the deep mystery of rainforest beauty. The moody grey weather invited another walk along the lower trails of Bluff Park. Its impossible for me to walk these paths without thinking of stories and fairy tales, and of Ents and Hobbits— I have yet to see one of those, but doesn't this scene make you wonder if maybe... if we waited very quietly ... ?
This afternoon for a change of pace, I'll go and hunt for some early spring buds, but for now, its deep forest that I want to share.