Day Five

Part of me thinks I could have done a better job for this day. The other part says Wow...this depicts such an expanse. The clouds look massive and powerful. You can see the setting sun in the lower left corner, obscured by the rains pouring out of the cloud. I love the rain in this picture, a free fall. As you move to the right a cheery bit of blue and pink remind us of the happiness rain brings.

❤

Day Four

My heart sings when I see this. Not only for its velvety inky blackness, but the process it took to get it. 

I had just taken my day three picture around 9pm on June 3. I left a friends house at nearly 11pm on that same night and the clouds were steadily marching past the moon. I wanted to break my rules and take a million pictures of it. I waited, less than an hour to midnight.

 I got home ran upstairs and grabbed my sleeping pad, sleeping bag, a note pad, pencil and I managed to find a tripod. I headed outside attempting to be quiet but as usual I only allow myself to take things in ONE trip. The air valve on my sleeping pad knocked loudly on pretty much every doorway I passed through. (ninja skills were not evident this evening)

I made it outside to the driveway, the light was so beautiful, just enough to not want to use a flashlight, but quite enough to write by, eerie and special. I plopped down and began to affix the tripod parts to my camera to get it set for midnight. Raindrops tipped and tapped nearby...shoot... I opened the garage and settled in there to be safe. They were a tease. The following is what happened while I sat in meditation enjoying the moments until midnight.

A cricket...

whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will...

Frogs in surround sound,

a warm breath of wood smoke hovered lazily in the still air

the songs of the night held gently in the stillness.

deep black blue clouds keeping pace, 

steadily marching in front of the moon.

the moon lighting them in a tender radiance

rogue raindrops tapped on metal nearby.

a pair of fireflies danced timidly.

Distant traffic moaning,

a solitary rumble of thunder.

being,

breathing.

glowing.

midnight.

Messengers

I feel I have always had what I call a soft spot for animals whether they are two, four, six or even eight or million legged. They capture my attention and fascinate me....beautiful beings. I have started to learn they are bearers of messages. Reminders for us to be aware. Reminders and guides. Their intelligence is not one from books it's inherent, intuitive and wise. I don't feel yet I can share with you their magic maybe soon. For now I will share my encounters.

Butterflies

I met this beautiful Monarch at a butterfly house at Beaver Creek Reserve. It wasn't the best day for butterflies I was told. Of course I decided to venture out anyway. I locked right onto this one struggling on a plastic sign cover. I stretched my hand out and it crawled right on. We spent quite some time together before it decided to fly over to a nearby milkweed plant. I remember the great sense of power I felt as it crawled on my hand. For such a weightless creature it had an incredible grasp!

Red Spotted Purple

This is another friend from the butterfly house. I collected another of its kind in my garage. My mom had pulled out her car to give it a scrub, and in its place were two treasures. One perfect little Pink Edged Sulfur and a Red Spotted Purple, who was a little worse for the wear. They unfortunately had met their end, though I touched the Purple and it began to flap its wing, slowly open and closed. I stayed and watched quietly as my parents shuffled about, my dad peering over obviously wondering what I was doing. I showed him the flapping butterfly. He commented something about a butterfly healer haha. I would be so honored! After I was sure the Purple had passed I picked them up and inspected. I couldn't believe the Purple had been able to flap...only had one good pair of wings on one side the other side was crumpled as well as I believe it was missing many organs....a special moment.

Aphrodite Fritillary

 I was out for a bike ride with my Auntie the other day, and of course as always had my animal spotting eyes on. After about 10 miles I hadn't noticed much. Then on my way down the hill I saw what I thought may be a Swallowtail traipsing in its bouncing flight pattern across the road. I sailed closer just to  have a friendly collision on my shirt. It really didn't seem to noticed and continued on his way. We should all be so calm and accepting of surprise situations!

Cope's Gray Treefrog

This little friend my mom found hanging out on our house. Just a little bigger than a quarter.

This is my parents resident Gray Fox. It lives in the back yard, we've seen it often leaving the den and returning about two hours later near dusk sometimes with prey. So beautiful. My dad also had a Fox and pups living under a shed at his auto shop! Maybe he has a fox totem animal? They sure seem to like him. I let my dog Jack outside one morning about 4:30 am and heard the strangest "Arf" noise...it was the fox with its territorial call!

Jack also woke me up early to see the mist burning off the lake. He's a great friend :)

Have you experienced any animal magic lately or do you have a totem animal? I would love to hear about it!

xoxo

L

The Cascades: Virginia. Trip one. 6/22

My (totally awesome) friend Paige came to visit, she lives nearby in Harrisonburg, VA. Upon her arrival Neville and Michael decided that it would be an excellent day for the crew to take a zero day (in hiker terms a day off so you hike 'zero' miles). Well on our 'zero' day we hiked 2 miles in and 2 miles out in this gorgeous gorge! I managed to leave my nice camera back at the hostel for this adventure....silly me, luckily I still had my phone camera.

We had stopped to get some food in town and the above was the resulting food coma....mmm napping at a waterfall, what could be better? Also noted, apparently we were the crazy people of the woods... everyone who were there when we arrived vacated shortly after we starting jumping in off the rocks! We honestly didn't smell THAT bad!?

Got ya!

Congrats Cascades, Best nap ever list achieved!

Mountain People: Evan, Neville, Michael, Paige and Shad

Professor Evan giving us a lesson on the mushroom "Chicken of the Woods". Hilarous....

Trip to town anyone?

the buzzing of bees and flowering of consciousness

As I sit here I have the images of our garden flowers etched in my mind. Something about those cute Chamomile flowers reflects this bounding happiness within me. Flowers are somehow very connected to me........ perhaps we vibrate at similar frequencies (if you read this last line about frequencies and are perplexed, think of it this way, all matter is made of atoms right? and those little atoms have electrons zipping around outside of them (yes) so isn't all matter essentially moving or vibrating!?....i know right!?). Like feeling the buzz of bees right down in your heart. I can feel this buzzing sensation easily in my hands, try this: close your eyes, and see if you can feel your hands....not picture or imagine but actually FEEL them ....can you feel it, the aliveness and vibrations?

There is usually a flurry of winged creatures busily dancing about the blooms. Maybe I was a bee in a past life? It could explain my attraction to bright colors and flowers! ha Well I took a few pictures maybe you too can get a sense for my flower love :)

If you haven't you should click on the picture to enlarge them and see more detail.

 The Borage flower is beloved by bees, but check out that iridescent green guy..or gal!

German Chamomile

Candy Stripe Cosmos

Backside of the most beautiful purple Gladiolus!

Here's her face! Ms. Gladiolus! You may
recognize her from my tattoo!

Nodding Borage buds. Just waiting
to flash their blue petals.

Pink Zinnias! I love those
raggedy ones!

White Polar Bear Zinnia

Our Sugar Snap spoils! yum!

Baby Red Bell pepper

Bell Pepper flower, so beautiful!

How many cayenne's do you see?

The Tomato forest :)

Clouds have been very grounding for me....maybe the opposite of grounding. I'm not sure, but they remind me of the expanse of the universe and that I needn't get caught up in trivial matters....we (humans) are so tiny, yet can cause much change.... 

I look at them in awe and then become still, my mind empties.

I can feel the expanse of the sky.

My mind is rendered void and spacious.

Flowing with the currents of the universe.

Liberation.

the space in the clouds

I have always loved how the rays of the sun can be seen dancing among the spaces in the clouds.

 It's sometimes hard to remember that space is such an important thing. 

 The rays would be invisible if there were no space in the clouds. 

 Space 

This physical space is just a signpost pointing to the realization that space needs to be made not only in my physical world but more imperatively in my mind. 

 Minds like to hang on to many images, thoughts, clutter of the past and future. 

It's time to make space. 

This space, this openness leads to stillness.

 In this stillness I can FEEL the life around me.

 I can FEEL with my heart. 

There aren't any problems.

 Only moments constantly renewing, never past, never future. 

Life as it is happening.

In the space I've made Love, Compassion, and Joy move through it and it can be shared. 

With you.

with love xo