{Lost}

Stand still. The trees ahead and the bushes beside you Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here, And you must treat it as a powerful stranger, Must ask permission to know it and be known. The forest breathes. Listen. It answers, I have made this place around you, If you leave it you may come back again, saying Here. No two trees are the same to Raven. No two branches are the same to Wren. If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you, You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows Where you are. You must let it find you.” ― David Whyte, The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America

Actual, current footage of my subconscious. There is some crazy shit going on in there. I have had increasingly bizarre dreams lately that wake me up and leave me unsettled the next day. One in particular the other night involved me amputating my own left arm, sewing it back together using someones foot. My thumb was my big toe. All my dreams are fuzzy regarding sequence of events. This dream had me moving from an apartment I used to leave in right out of college with my ex-husband. It was an old house, with a small arched closet. I kept complaining to my mom of all people that I needed to get to the hospital to have my arm looked at. I felt actual pain in the dream. Somehow, later I walked downstairs and the house had turned into, what could only be described as a train station. It leaves crinkle up my back even journaling this. The end.

{Flare}

“Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars. Learn how to drive a stick shift. Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back. Say no when you don’t want to do something. Say yes if your instincts are strong, even if everyone around you disagrees. Decide whether you want to be liked or admired. Decide if fitting in is more important than finding out what you’re doing here. Believe in kissing.” ― Eve Ensler

There is nothing too incredible about this shot except the flare. Nailed it! And very proud. Retina still working? Check!

{Seedlings}

“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.” 
 ― Henry David Thoreau

There is Autumn in Florida! If you investigate the Wetlands and look close enough.

 And certainly, everything looks all the more amazing at 1.2!

{Upstream}

One tree is like another tree, but not that much. One tulip is like the next tulip, but not altogether. More or less like people-a general outline, the the stunning individual strokes. Hello Tom, hello Andy, Hello Archibald Violet, and Clarissa Bluebell. Hello Lillian Willow, and Noah the oak tree I have hugged and kissed every first day of spring for the last thirty years. And in reply it's thousands of leaves tremble! What a life is ours! 
            Doesn't anybody in the world anymore want to get up in the middle of the night and sing?
                                                     -Mary Oliver, Upstream

One of the best things about being "creatively organized" is I have a back log of pictures. It's hard to delete these files even after I've edited and tucked them away. So these huge RAW files sit on my computer til I want to avoid doing work (right now in fact) and I decide it's time to mop the floor and oh yeah...How about I clean out Lightroom. I came across this photograph from a trip to Arizona about six years ago. In general, I can find beauty with most landscapes. With the exception of North Dakota. I can't. I just can't even. I've tried. The desert is an abstract painting speckled with tiny details in unusual places. It's airy, peaceful and majestic. This picture was a favorite, despite the odd crop. I believe I was trying to avoid bees while shooting. And the I'm currently reading Mary Oliver's book of essays Upstream. Which is tremendous and easy to get lost in its pages.

{Everglades}

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” ― John Muir, John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir

I finally had a chance to go kayaking and it did not disappoint. In an attempt to step outside my comfort zone I signed up for a 3 hour tour through Grassy Water Park with a friend of mine. We were led through the Everglades by a very competent tour guide, who pointed out natural creatures and plants of the swamp life. No alligators were seen on this tour, which was disappointing, but I hear they hide out...but are Wallflowers...and blend in. The best part was the relief in provided to be somewhere quiet and natural. Surrounded by water, hidden sub life surrounding me. The air was humid but there was a breeze. This is the time of year in Florida to enjoy. The water lily's stole my heart as well as trees. Which from what I understand host other plant life-Our tour guide could give a better description. By the end of the three hours I was physically worn out and mentally calm as a cucumber. Decided I'm most definitely am buying a kayak.

{Knock, Knock}

“Don't you just love those long rainy afternoons in New Orleans when an hour isn't just an hour - but a little piece of eternity dropped into your hands - and who knows what to do with it?” ― Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire

{Irma Chronicles-New Orleans}

“It's an awful truth that suffering can deepen us, give a greater lustre to our colours, a richer resonance to our words.” ― Anne Rice, The Queen of the Damned

There is so much to say regarding the depth of hell called a hurricane evacuation. Blessed to have survived the chaos, roads, anxiety all sober and within good mind. The trip was unexpected and it took me to two states that I have never been to before-so I have Mississippi and Alabama knocked off the list. And the highlight was a day in New Orleans. I had been there over 20 years ago and had faint memories. This time, I was able to take in the city and fell in love with it's architecture and history. Here a few pictures. More to come. And it turns out that Dark Vadar is a Saints fan? Whatever...