Weekly photo challenge: Beyond

No matter how far a person can go, the horizon is still way beyond you. 

Zora Neale Hurston

imp5 imp4

imp2

There’s little that captures the feeling of “beyond” better for me than the horizon at the seashore. It calls us to reflect on what lies further than our eyes can see.

I am always awed by the wild power of waves and lured by the immensity of sea vistas.

These images were made at Hutchinson Island, which is one the many barrier islands that shields Florida’s east coast from the Atlantic Ocean.

I experimented with some longer exposures and a bit of intentional camera movement to create a soft, dreamy, blurry, impressionistic effect.

For me, the muted bluey-green of sky and sea, the white of the foamy surf and the soft brown of sand are among the most restorative colours to be surrounded by — at once soothing, exhilarating and contemplative. How does being at the seashore make you feel?

Linking to Kat Sloma’s Exploring with a camera.

boats

The boat of life…

Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need — a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.

Jerome K. Jerome

The boat of life…

Tropical cuppa…

Tropical cuppa

Layered with two layers of KK Chaos.

I had to get to the bottom of it…Does drinking a hot cup of tea on a hot day really cool you off? (If you don’t happen to need this info right now, you can always file it away for future reference…it will get warm again, I promise.)

Turns out the answer was right at my own back door — in Ottawa, that is. (Where I live near most of the year.)

A researcher named Ollie Jay at University of Ottawa’s School of Human Kinetics has done a definitive study at his Thermal Ergonomics Lab.

Sparing you the scientific gobbledygook, the study found that a hot drink can cool you down, but only in certain circumstances. The hot drink will lower the amount of heat stored inside your body, but only if the sweat you produce by drinking the drink can evaporate.

So, if you’re in pretty humid hot weather, it may be a better idea to stick with iced tea!

Linking to Kim Klassen’s Texture Tuesdays. Lotsa nice cuppas over there to enjoy. Go and see!

Textures and overlay are by French Kiss.

This has been a somewhat enforced recuperation period while I’ve been down with the flu.

I’m not terribly fond of the word recuperation but it has some lovely synonyms — recovery, betterment, regeneration, rejuvenation, renewal, healing and resurgence. After you’ve been unable to function for a few days, when you start to get better, it really does feel like you’re coming back to life.

And what better way to spend a bit of time while still under the weather than paying tribute to one of nature’s beauties — the orchid. They’re all around me here in Florida. A few days ago in a better state of health I captured this one hanging from a tree outside.

And in keeping with my 2013 theme of “discovery,” here’s a few things I just learned about orchids.

  • Orchids plants are the largest family of the plant kingdom with over 25,000 naturally occurring species in the world, as well as all the specially developed hybrids!
  • Orchid flowers can grow to be as small as a head of a pin (Platystele sp. Central America) or greater at 10 feet (Grammatophyllum sp., New Guinea).
  • Vanilla — my favorite flavour — comes from the vanilla orchid.

Hope you enjoy.

Recuperation…

A view from the bed…

View from the bed

Well, the flu got me and I’ve been spending the last few days here.

What have I discovered?

When you don’t have a lot of different things to look at, it’s amazing what you see. My head is pounding and my throat is raw, but I can still enjoy the light, the patterns, the textures, the shapes all around me…

Hope you’re well wherever you are and enjoying your view.

Weekly photo challenge: Resolved to discover

St. Simons Island, Georgia

What lies down the road? None of us ever really knows for sure.

A new year can seem like a fresh opportunity to take a step forward in a different direction. Some people make one or more resolutions. Some people make a list of all the things they haven’t yet done and want to do. Some people set very elaborate goals and targets.

There is no right or wrong, only what works for you.

I find what resonates most with me is setting a fresh intention — a way to meet and respond to life on a daily basis, summed up in a word. That makes it easy to remember and call upon.

For 2013, my intention is to “discover.”

“Discover” has many meanings — all of which challenge and energize me. And that is what a word needs to do for you, if it is to be meaningful.

The word discover goes back to the Latin, meaning to remove the covering. By 1500 it was used to mean “seeing” or “gaining knowledge of something previously unknown” and “finding out” and “bringing to light.”

Now the word has many other meanings: To notice, to see, to find a new place, to become aware of or realize, to uncover, to gain knowledge, to be surprised by something, to invent/originate, and to recognize the ability of a person, among others.

Being passionate about photography lends itself to learning new things and discovering the world around you, whether that is through finding new things to see or seeing familiar things in a new way. This year I am eager to learn more about my new equipment as well as different camera and post-processing techniques.

But there’s lots more to “discover.” There’s even more to bring to light. As the year goes on, I hope to share some of that through this blog.

Choosing a word is like putting a lens or a filter on a camera. It affects how you view everything. And according to many who’ve experienced it, choosing a word can bring untold and unexpected magic to your life.

What calls to you this year? Do you make resolutions or choose a guiding word?

Walking…

walking

There’s a wonderful little island off the coast of Georgia called St. Simons Island. Tonight we visited a friend who is living on her sailboat there. We took a walk on the beach and watched the sun set and the water glow.

water

I’ve started a new blog called Two Salty Dogs to chronicle our trip south this year. You’re more than welcome to join us.

Inspiration for 2013

Still standing...""||GreenQuiet Winter*
seasonsWhite walkjug and bowlwisdomPretty In Pink         143 Made Explore.Labrador Couture
Agapanthus bud and textureElephant BeachHappy Fence Friday {Dreamer of Dreams} Edition!cupsMixed Up

Inspiration 1, a gallery on Flickr.

I have drawn such inspiration from looking at the work of other photographers in 2012. Here are some examples of images that moved me, delighted me and made me smile.

I create Inspiration Galleries on Flickr, and every time I view them I come away with fresh ideas and a sense of excitement as to what is possible in an image.

More…

And yet more…

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. I bow to the talented creators of these images.