12.10.15 ~ Sparkle Lake Conservation Area
When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.
~ Ansel Adams
(Meditation on Both Sides of the Camera: A Spiritual Journey in Photography)
Life has felt pretty blurry, quiet and strange lately, what with the shingles odyssey for Tim and the unusually warm weather for this time of year. It was a welcome change to get outside and take a walk with Janet, camera in hand, to enjoy a pleasant, spring-like day in December. We found plenty of natural beauty exploring the woods behind my condo complex. Even so, I’m yearning for the first snowfall…
At home I have two woodpeckers who frequent my suet feeder. I’ve learned their call now because they always squeak before they start eating. So while on this walk I recognized a woodpecker call in the wild for the first time and started looking around to locate it. Found him in the reeds!
And now the weekend begins. Content with silence for the time being, I hope it will be a relatively quiet one, with time for continued healing. Wishing you a great weekend, too!
quiet times are good times….love always encircles
So true… We may reluctantly step into the fray (Christmas shoppers!) this morning and do a few errands – it’s good to be able to return to a quiet home and a cup of warm apple cider…
Beautiful, peaceful post, Barbara. I hope the quiet continues for you.
I keep wondering what happened to winter, but figure it will arrive eventually.
Thank you, Robin. Wherefore art thou, winter? We have a moth on our window this morning, a little disappointing when I’m looking for Jack Frost. 🙂
Wonderful pictures of natural beauty, Barbara! It shows we can find beauty even when autumn has overstayed, and winter hasn’t decided when it will arrive. I love the woodpecker in the reeds!
Thank you, Tiny! It feels a little surreal walking around outside without even a light jacket needed. I wonder if the woodpecker is as confused about the season as the forsythia is…
What’s with that Forsythia ? My “niece” in Guelph (Ontario) picked a strawberry in her garden yesterday ! Weird and wacky weather … but I’m OK with that. NOT yearning for snow here.
Your images are lovely as usual.
Thank you, Sybil! I hope your niece enjoyed her strawberry! 🙂 Apparently we have El Niño to blame for this abnormally warm weather. Last winter was so severe that I went out and bought super warm boots and gloves to be ready for it this year. Wondering if I’ll ever need them…
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. . . The framing of this post with the Ansel Adams quote, followed by the peaceful, serene photos is wonderful. I felt myself relaxing more as I scrolled through each picture. I hope that you are enjoying a few quiet times in between the holiday bustle.
Thank you so much, Sheryl! It’s great to know that my pictures helped you relax… Tim and I did a lot of napping over the weekend, and ran a few errands. It’s easy to forget how quickly a dip into nature can restore peace and serenity to a weary bodymind – but I’m still longing for a moonlit walk in the snow…
Your photos are magnificent! And yes, content in the silence for sure. Sometimes, silence is so welcoming, particularly when interspersed with the knock knock of the woodpecker. As for me? I’m very content with the warm winter so far, too. 🙂
Thank you, Pam! 🙂 It is nice to have warm weather but it feels kind of eerie at the same time. Love listening to “my” woodpeckers, whether they are squeaking or knocking they let me know when they have arrived. Silence nourishes and refreshes the mind.
Such beautiful photos, Barbara, but sadly not a single snowflake in sight for you. I do hope it arrives soon. You look to live in a very beautiful area. 🙂
Thank you, Joanne. 🙂 It would be so much prettier here under a soft blanket of snow. Tonight the meteorologist on TV said this month will likely go down as the warmest December on record in Connecticut…
Was there any mention of when you can expect snow?
We seem to be stuck in a warm weather pattern, one guy says it might change in February. Last winter we had a brutally cold and snowy winter. It was even too much for me! This autumn I invested in some extra warm boots and extra warm gloves and thermal underwear. So now we’re getting freakishly warm weather. 🙂 From one extreme to the other.