The beauty of the season colors the fear of the future

post #515 

       In spite of the many possible difficult outcomes of the November 3 election, it's hard not to be guardedly hopeful when something as beautiful as fall foliage surrounds me. It also helps that so many fellow citizens have been flocking to vote, all across the country, despite so many deliberate efforts to thwart such an outpouring. I send DEEP THANKS to each and every one of you. I know as well there are storm related damages that don't make voting any easier. And for sure the fact that our current president can not guarantee he will accept not winning -- which, to begin with, would be so against the constitution -- is shocking and hurtful. The only possible fraud will come from Ego Man, and those willing to tear the fabric of our nation.

        So, here's to keeping our cool and getting out to vote. The ballot I sent for arrived, I filled it out, and my daughter and son-in-law took it with them when they went to vote in the county seat this week. They put it in the drop off box there.  Thanks go to our local county officials who are making this all work out and well.

        Time now to go on to some photos from the last week or two.  Please ENJOY!

on still another walk along the road

I was able to have a short visit with Sandy, outside, mostly sitting on that porch except when checking out all the goats.

These goats, shown here on the hillside below their home, were having a great time.

 

 

     Before then, I had been nearby to spend some time -- again outside and distanced - with my granddaughter.  I've been reading aloud The Secret Garden, about once a week.  Right now it's not a good idea to sit out on their deck -- there's a bumper crop of black walnuts which hurt when they fall on a person's head!              

So we went to their pond, which has a dam that's flat and good for chairs. The story has a skipping rope in it, and T. found hers and brought it along.

 

Needless to say, I was downright amazed to get this photo.  Its companion photo is vertical in shape, which seems to be hard for this revised blogger program to accept. I will try to catch it by surprise in a day or two....and add it then.

returning to the house

three more images, here and nearby:

This is a smaller pond, at my house, in autumn mode.

along the ridge, returning from town, always something lovely to see

a moment caught, from my front door

practicing seeing, noticing, sharing a moment, wondering, being amazed

post #478 -- on a sunny but cool day, getting ready for more rain tomorrow
        I hear this often: "you see things", and I do. Not everything, but the details of where I happen to be have always fascinated me. It makes me a slow walker, even without my camera. At my best, I am a stop and go walker.  I don't like to miss something even on a subway or down an aisle in the grocery store. When I drive, if I don't make a wrong turn, I can usually recreate the directions to a place. Once I make a wrong turn, however, I'm very likely then, the next time, to remember that way as well.  (What's hard for me is leaving a gas station in the direction I should be facing. My visual clues have been tampered with. It's helpful if I'm with some of my road trip buddies who are aware of this idiosyncrasy of mine. The easiest way, of course, in this case, is to switch drivers during the stop!)
          I searched out a few examples of "seeing while being me". Tonight's ones are recent. I was taking a walk, which included a non-road segment, over a field and on a tractor path to that field. But I started from the road, with seriously long shadows of late evening light.

ME

me again, looking back over where I had just walked from the road, putting the sun behind me

         What makes these holes, in these eastern Kentucky mowed fields! I should know, but I don't:

 tonight's horizon, now looking toward the setting sun from about the same location:

This is the major TREE for this week's hommage. I can do better with it under other light conditions, and I am sure I will because I love the way it stands out and over most other nearby trees on my walk along the road. (There is not much traffic on my road.)

          I also want to share these two photos of my granddaughter and the hoverboard she handles with such ease. She loves it. The second photo includes the wood stove that came with the house 45 years ago. A treasure. Several years ago I included several photos of the stove on a post for this blog.

        For some reason I really enjoy this photo from this week's walk. I've saved it until the end. I like the light, the lightness of the leaves, the having to walk around it on the path -- so I took a photo on the way. I was just using my trusty 6s iPhone; I was surprised by the depth of field it shows. I don't usually get that when using my phone. I'm glad I noticed these leaves, up close and personal. Thank you, trees, as always.

       I have wanted to explain that some of the times I mention American politics in my posts are because I have viewers in many countries. I want them to know we have points of view that may not always be obvious. For example, this week there were one or more page views from the UK [England], Indonesia, Switzerland, Germany, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, and "unknown region." Usually I have Russia on there and Ukraine and Canada. Most, however, are in the USA.  I don't know how to figure out which city, but it amazes me how there are good ways in which the world has opened up -- along with the troubles that can also occur. 
        Please, everyone, remember how essential truths are, as is kindness to one another.

fall photos from former falls

post #404
      Some years are better than others. It just happens that way.  I'm talking in this case about the fall foliage. This past week, when this year's leaves were trying their best, I ended up in Chicago for a few days and didn't take photos. Therefore I think this year is a good excuse for showing some of my favorite views of this season over the years. Enjoy!

nearing the end of the season, in the evening light

winter preparations at Dail and Ethel's

lingering and late, at the pond

Even the simplest looks lovely.

the driveway

seen from the road along the ridge

hillside graves

Pearl's place, on my ridge

on the driveway

deep in the woods

along the ridge

        Well, that's enough to get the idea!  
       The main thing this year is the beauty of democracy. This might sound sappy, but we have the opportunity to join all our colors together by voting, by bringing more women into the political life of our nation, by walking the walk and talking the talk of tolerance and fairness.  I dream of no more lies and meanness, no more manipulation by fostering fear, and no more ignoring to our peril the changing climate. I certainly don't want my tax dollars used to pay for the military to go to the border for a problem that only exists as a pre-election diversion by those who worry they are about to lose an election because of increasing incompetence.
        I write this as much for the people in other countries who look at my blog as I do for my fellow citizens. I want the world to to be reminded that Americans haven't totally lost their tolerance for diversity -- which has made our country strong since its beginning. We haven't totally lost our bearings. 
        My deepest thanks go to all who have been working hard to get out the vote, and to all who will accept the work needed to make democracy work, by voting on Tuesday.

most any kind of artist needs alone time

post #363
          I realized this morning that this would be the first day in two weeks when I am entirely alone! For the "happy hermit" I often am, that's a big deal. In any case, I thought I would honor the thought and the reality by gathering up some photos I have taken BECAUSE I was alone. Today I found 10 from just the last 3 months. Since I never want to take all my readers' time, this for me is enough photos for one post. I've now decided to do the other 2017 months two by two, every two weeks, with my Thanksgiving trip and other such fun "out in the world" experiences in between. 
         That's the reality of my life, actually. I'm a very fortunate person to still be doing my photography, to be learning from it all the time, and to be grateful that I enjoy my own company, especially when I am working with my camera. As is often said, a certain amount of time alone is essential for most kinds of creative work.
        I can tell when I'm "in the zone." That's where I call it, anyway. It's esssential. It's not called loneliness; instead it's called working or creativity or pure dumb luck.

Most artists and writers prefer to work alone so they can draw, paint, sculpt, or write from their heart, that place of flow where the unconscious plays freely.  (common statement)

on Martha's Vineyard's Lucy Vinson Beach, alone with the footprints of others and my friend Patty who knows how to leave me alone for a bit in such a place

my mailbox, looking north

 

a later fall day, getting the mail with my iPhone, facing south on Sideway Road

in the woods nearby

framing the fall while stopped on the driveway where I used to live

making art almost by accident with my 50mm lens and some Red Maple leaves

a lone duck on the homestead pond

obvious lone duck approaching the lone oblivious photographer who doesn't then need to risk slipping into the pond with her camera....

up close and personal, my following the foal as he grows and before he is taken as payment for his white mama

Such splendor zones me out even with a few other people around. I want to SEE it with my own eyes and heart, but I also want to share it with others. Therefore I concentrate on doing both experiences. I call this a kind of street photography, trying to capture the unexpected with honesty. I'll post more photos from Colorado next week.

     I even zone out when I do these posts on this blog. Sometimes I think I enjoy making my posts just because it invariably provides zone out time. Well, I also do enjoy just sharing my photos. All the same time, I'm appalled that the EPA and its minions can think we need less access to nature, and that they have no concern for preserving clear water, etc.  Even though I am an artist, I don't want to zone out so much that I forget my outrage and disappointment at the scams currently being hoisted on our nation by short-sighted greed  -- edging out goodness and common sense for the time being, like a stinky fog over the land.

leaves and seeds I've seen

post #360
       FIRST, information about the upcoming annual Appalachian Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair, at Morehead State University, on Saturday, December 2, 2017, 9 a.m until 4 p.m.! It's sponsored by the Kentucky Folk Art Center in Morehead but located in the Laughlin Health Building at the east end of the MSU campus. I wasn't able to take part the last two years, but now I'm up and running again, so I hope the weather is good and a lot of people can turn out.  Later that day the annual Hometown Holiday takes place along Morehead's Main Street, starting at 5 pm. I heard that the Barbershop singing group is pulling together for a return to the Barbershop that evening! It may be more than a quartet, i.e. featuring four or more happy-to-be-singing-again guys.

        AND NOW, today's weekly post, this time using many of the photos I seem to be making lately of leaves and seeds -- pretty basic stuff. However, even I don't recognize as many leaves as I'd like to. Consider these photos a celebration, a reminder about how life renews itself despite human efforts sometimes to pretend that's not what's needed to keep our one world functioning, healthy and spinning.

APPLES IN MY MOTHER'S CEMETERY, IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, MID OCTOBER

WINESAP APPLES, NEAR MY HOME,  LATE SEPTEMBER

HERITAGE APPLES, IN A MASSACHUSETTS FOOD COOP, MID OCTOBER

 As we all probably know, apple seeds are inside all these picked fruit! However, not all "seed pods" are as delicious as single juicy apple....

AND CERTAINLY NOT THESE BEAN PODS

THESE HEIRLOOM TOMATOES HAVE DELICIOUS SEEDS.

 I took both these milkweed seed photos in New England -- but they do the same thing down here in eastern Kentucky.  To catch the seeds with their spectacular "wings", the trick is to find them between "ready to fly off" and "dry weather that is not yet too windy".

MILKWEED

Now some leaves, starting with these two photos of YELLOW-POPLAR leaves:

IN THE POND

IN GEORGE ELLA AND STEVE'S YARD

 

MY DRIVEWAY WONDER

DOGWOOD

ON NEWLY PAVED "SIDEWAY ROAD"

TRYING OUT MY NEW 50mm LENS!

FOR THE RECORD - IS THIS AN INVASIVE TREE OF HEAVEN? IF NOT, WHAT IS IT?

FUTURE SOIL, A FEW YEARS FROM NOW

 

SOME CAME FROM THESE EMPTY LIMBS.

OTHER LEAVES END UP ON THE POND.

MOSTLY BEECH

This is enough for today.  I now "leaves" you until next week.

P.S. A repeat. This is what the web says about the FAIR:
KFAC’s annual Appalachian Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair will be held at the Laughlin Health Building on December 2, 2016, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Appalachian Arts and Crafts Fair offers visitors a wide and varied selection of regional arts and crafts, ranging from the traditional to the cutting edge, and it includes holiday decorations. More than 100 vendors participate.