Monday, November 27, 2023

A Chilly Early Morning


A Chilly Early Morning

Early morning
Chilly morning
Late November
From inside my home
The sun outside looks so warm
Memories of the early fall morning
Until I remember the date
Camera in hand
Hand and fingers chilling as the minutes go by
How to capture the beauty of the morning
This chilly morning
With a photograph
So many possibilities
The frost on the window
Hanging between the wisteria
Cold water, very very cold water
Pouring out of the fountain
Into a pond with crystal clear reflection
Of fall colors and blue morning sky
But the shot, as if calling my name
To be taken
When I walk beneath the red-ish leafed tree
Is the sun
Beaming toward me
Its light shining through the leaves
Highlighting what beauty nature gives us
Every chilly early morning


Monday, November 06, 2023

Ike & the Old Man

 

Ike & the Old Man

It was the late sixties
I was 11
5th of 7 boys
Dad was going to play in a volleyball tournament
I tagged along
He gave me his Pentax Asahi
4 rolls of Tri-X
That’s where it started

My oldest brother, Dave
His bedroom next door to mine
Hear Santana blaring through the wall
Along with Butterfield Blues Band
… and the Blues Project
When those weren’t playing
He was on his red Guild Hallowbody electric guitar
Jaming out to an original blues tune he wrote
... or maybe Lightnin' Hopkins
... or Howlin' Wolf

I was hooked
To his music
Dave's music

Then Woodstock happened
My first image that I remember
Of the iconic rock festival
Of Carlos Santana
Shot by photographer Jim Marshall

Since that time I wanted to capture the energy
Of Live Music
On Stage
Up close
As if I am a part of the band
My instrument I play?
A Nikon

There is that split second
During a show
Where magic happens
The musician pours all their heart out
Click is my response

Their soul captured in 2-D
I can hear, in this image
Issac’s voice
His Dad, Mark, backing him up
Singing classic rock-n-roll

The Joy of Music

Sunday, November 05, 2023

Beauty of Speed

 

Beauty of Speed

Speed
Beauty
Do those two words go together?
For sure
I guess it was the skatebaord, early 1970s vintage, that got me hooked.
Bombing down the sidewalks of our town
University Classroom Center at the Univ of Idaho was a skateboarders dream
Smooth cement
Smooth speed
Oh how beautiful
Probably not the words of an 11 year old
But the feeling was there.
Next up
Ski slopes of the Alps
As in Switzerland
Davos
Bombing down the groomed runs
I was 13
Chasing my older brother
Only way to keep up?
Speed
Oh the thrill
But oh the beauty
Of life wizzing by at top speed
When my eyes water
That is when life is the best at speed
Next up
My French racing bicycle
17 years old
With the question
How fast can this bike go
Fast enough is the answer
Bombing down the smooth
And windy
Lewiston grade
Tight turns
Accelerating
Then braking
To set up the next turn
I went down the hill
Faster than a car
Beauty at speed
Speed under control
Gave me a terrific sense of
Freedom
And then the ultimate
My 650 Yamaha motorcycle
A straight, flat, smooth section
Of highway 95 in Northern Idaho
Saw me visit the extent of that motorcycles
Speedometer
Tapped out
So smooth
So fast
So young
So free
So beautiful
And then I grew up






Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Dizzy Fashion

 

Dizzy Fashion

Fashion
Its all about uniqueness
Putting style, your style
Putting it out there for people to see.
This is Lillie
My 8 year old grand daughter
She is all about joy
Emotion
Living Today
Smiles
Tears
Whatever makes her heart jump at the moment
The life of an 8 year old.
I had no clue what to photograph
For this weeks shoot
But I was over at her house
Dropping off her 18 month old little brother
I had my camera bag
Lillie was home
Heck ... I asked her ...
,,, if she would like to do a fashion shoot
Down the middle of the street
"Sure" she said
She had 3 minutes
She was downstairs in 2
And here you have it
Lillian Browne
She chose the photograph
She chose the title
She is the joy of my life
Capturing her spirit is such a treasure.
She is all about fashion
Dizzy Fashion

Monday, October 16, 2023

Friday Night at the Movies


Friday Night at the Movies

Liveliest night of the week
What are your most rememberable “movie nights”?
Two stand out for me.
We walked to town to catch “Spartacus” starring Kirk Douglas.
I was 11
Went with my big brothers
And my little brother
During the last scene
The “I am Spartacus !” … “No, I am Spartacus” scene
My little brother started snoring
Loudly
The audience chuckled !
Another one was “Cool Hand Luke” starring Paul Newman
Again went with my brothers … cost a buck to get in.
Afterwards when we got home
Mom always asked each of us
What the best part of the movie was
Usually we had different answers for the movies we went to.
Not Cool Hand Luke
Every one of us described in detail
The hard boiled egg eating contest
Including the big fat tummy of Luke
After he won !!
Oh there is a third favorite “movie night” memory
Feb 23rd, 1979
“California Suite” starring Richard Pryor and Alan Alda
First date with a special lady
In college
Now my wife.
Friday night at the movies





Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Come Rest


Come Rest

Mid afternoon
On my package delivery route
Had my camera with me
Looking for some good, dappled light, shots
Beautiful scenery all day
Country roads
Tall trees
Sun peeking through
Photo opps around every corner
Day went like … deliver, shoot, deliver some more
Shoot some more
By 3pm
I am taxed
I deliver at the end of this gravel road
Past 2 barns and one shed
One winery too
I make my delivery
Turn around in the driveway
And there it was
The image
But much more
I stopped
Took the shot
But stayed there
Something was keeping me there
Looking at the hammock
But it wasn’t the hammock that had my attention
Capturing my focus
Something much bigger
I sensed
He asked me
You worn out
Rung out
Weak at the knees
Mind full of worries
???
Come rest
It is easy to do
Come to Me
You will find real rest
Real peace
Rest that that hammock
Can not provide
Will you come?
Come Rest



Monday, September 25, 2023

Sad Beauty

 

Sad Beauty

God created the world
And it was beautiful
In so many ways

I see His world

Connection is beautiful
Nature is beautiful
Structure is beautiful

My daughter
Embracing
Her new husband
On her wedding day
On Ebey's Bluff
That is beautiful

Happy Beauty

My daughter
Embracing
My wife
During the funeral of my grandson
My daughter's son
That is beautiful

As well

Sad Beauty

Connection is beautiful
Both happy and sad

Tragic circumstances does not make it
Any less beautiful

My eyes are wide open.
I see my world
And those within it.
I feel very fortunate

When I see beauty
I am moved
Wonderment
Tears
Sometimes both

But I know I am alive

Happy and Sad Beauty

Monday, September 11, 2023

Listen to the Water


 Listen to the Water

Sounds
Certain ones move me
Either relax me
Or scare me
Bring back memories
Mood changer
The sound of my grad kids laughing
While playing
Bicycle wheels whirling
On a smooth road
But few are better
Thank water
in a fountain
A creek
Surf on a favorite beach
Listen to the water
Each drop has a sound
Of its own
It seems
In harmony they all pour out of the whiskey barrel
Mesmerizing
I sit under a tree
And listen
To the water
I am invigorated.


Monday, September 04, 2023

My Art


 My Art

My photographs
That I create
Have origins in my heart
My mind
My eyes
They are mine
In all their quirkieness
And "off-the-wall-ness"
So to have someone else not only
Touch my photographs
My art
But edit them
Is so, so hard
If I were honest
If I were not
I would just say
Oh go ahead and mess around with them
No problem !!
But nope.
So who I choose to make those edits
Takes trust
I chose my wife
Whom I trust whole-heartedly
Especially when it comes to creative direction
I would not let many people edit my photographs
But her
Yes
I love her perspective
I love her creative vision
She taught me to
"Crop Ruthlessly"
Zero in to the subject of the piece of art
All else is fluff
And distraction
Just a different perspective
I trust her
Her eyes are different than mine
As her black and white and up close edit shows
I saw my image
Through her eyes
Brilliant edit, Carol.


Monday, August 28, 2023

Shapes and Colors


 Shapes and Colors

Ever squinted your eyes?
While looking at a colorful garden
Or a thousand acres of wheat?
Shape and colors emerge
Edges of the heads of wheat
Blend with the stalks surrounding
Art
The ibrant colors of the roses
The sunflowers
With the huge, and green, leaves
Of the squash
Merge
Creating art
Ran across a galaxy the other day
On the backroads of my island
Went though a grove of trees
Lush green
And looked up
Way up
Squinted my eyes
There it was
A swirling galaxy above me
I stopped
Squinted my eyes
It came to life
Art

Monday, August 21, 2023

Never Knew Faith


Never Knew Faith

Never knew faith
As a kid
Word never came up
Never taught by Mom or Dad
My only faith
As with my brothers
As explained in later life
Was Mom and Dad's love and care for us
That was it
That was all
Because they did
Most of the time
But that failed
That faith could not be trusted
Broken by screaming and anger at home
My faith was lost.
Like when you hang onto the dock of your favorite swimming hole
Feeling secure even though
There is 25 feet of deep lake beneath
And then all of a sudden
That handle of the dock
Breaks
I am too tired
I try to reach for something solid to grab onto
But I cant

I drop into the deep water
And down I go

That is what my faith life looked like

But then "Faith" found me
When I was 16
The Good Shepherd grabbed me
From the depths of despair
From that "deep dark lake"
And raised me to the surface
Never to let go.
I still did not understand
Who He was
And why He did that

But over the years
He explained
And I trusted
He gave me hope
Which I had confidence in
Even though I could not see
Him
I had assurance
That is Faith to me

When the battles of life
The darkness of life
Is so close
I hold onto the dock
That I know
Will not break away
I live through those tragedies of life
Those battles that seem about to consume me
And I flourish

I have faith
That is active
Thank you Good Shepherd
For holding onto me.



Sunday, August 06, 2023

Tears will Fall


 Tears will Fall

She is moving
Soon
My 4 year old grand daughter
She has lived with us for 2 years
A long time
She grew up under that tree
It seems
There is a swing hanging from a branch
This day she spent 2 hours under that tree
Playing
With her snake
She is jumping to get some leaves
For a bed for “Slithery” the snake
While she was swinging I looked over
To my wife
Tears were falling
Big tears
The days of playing under this tree
Playing with her
Will soon be over
Oh how we cherish
These moments with our grand daughter.
I was crying too
Inside
She will visit
But will not be the same
The tears are not because of loss
But of realizing the blessing
God has provided
In the everyday
Under a tree
With our grand daughter
We both love you Eleanor

Sunday, July 30, 2023

 

Morning Coffee in the Meadow

Day begins
After my coffee is brewed and in a cup
In my hand

Out the back door I go
Towards
The back meadow
Behind our house
I aim for the back corner
Where two chairs and a table
Are my resting place

There I sit
There I gaze up at the morning sky
There I take in the long grass
Blown by a morning breeze
Birds chirp
Rabbits run in and out of the grass
Sometimes
If I am quite
A deer or two will stroll by

My favorite part
Is just to ponder
Ponder what is going on n life
Ponder a verse I had just read
Ponder how good that locally roasted coffee tastes
Ponder how blessed I am to have my family
My wife
My kids
My grandkids
I am grateful
The pace of life in the meadow
In the morning
Is slow
A perfect time to gaze, ponder
And drink coffee

Wednesday, July 26, 2023


 Portal to Childhood

I often run across certain objects
Certain settings or places
That bring me back to
Those special years
Those years as a child
Maybe from a walk on a nearby beach
Waves crashing to shore on a sunny day
Before I know it I am seeing
How close I can get to the wave
Without getting wet
Being chased by waves was, and is
The best
Heck I am well over sixty years old
Yet I am at that moment
The 5 year old on the Mendicino Coast
Running with my brothers
Being chased by waves

Passed by a big pile of fresh dirt lately?
Last week I did
ANd actually what made it even better
Was the bright yellow
Tonka Truck on the backside
I wanted to stop and dig some roads
A bridge maybe
From the bottom of that hill of dirt
Clear to the top.
The time would stop
In my mind
The child in me would dig and move
That dirt.

I was a "big things" kid back in the day
Although I did like collecting rolly-pollies and lizards
I did not notice the tiny specks on the flowers

My grand daughter sure does though
I came home one day and she was collecting ... guess what?
"Aphids"
Later that evening it was slugs
Not your common pets a kid brings inside.

Being around her and living life through her eyes
I am transpoted into a new world of a child
She sees the world differently
As she should
Because she is "Eleanor"
She is "micro"
Does not miss a thing

Still, explores, chases, splashes, collects, builds
All the while living in the moment.

Maybe that is what is so important about thje Portal to Childhood.
Being brought into the moment, current.
How fleeting those moments are
But children can squeeze every little bit of wonder
Out of those moments.

Go chase a wave
Search for a slug tonight, or aphid
See if there are any owl-droppings under the pine trees in
Cuz I am mhgoing to go line up the rusty tin cans
In the backyard
And get out my bb-gun.




Energy of Music

 

Energy of Music

The show starts
That first note
First measure
The beat
Or sax belting out a cool vibe
Fingers dancing on the keyboard
In rhythm
All in rhythm
Playing as one
The six nusicians
That energy hits me in the face
Like a blustery day on the beach
Fresh and salty
Wakes me up
Goes straight to my inner soul
I close my eyes and take it all in
The music
Live music
Right before me
Fills me up
And carries me for the next 2 hours
The energy of music
Experience it

Glorious Flag


 Glorious Flag

I have always loved our nations flag.
The stripes mean something.
The stars mean something.
To me.
As a kid I remember
In elementary school
Standing and looking at the flag.
Hand on my heart.
Reciting the pledge of allegiance.
Those words meant something back then.
They mean something now.
I hung this flag in my front forest.
At the entry of my home.
Hung it on the 4th of July.
Had never hung anything there.
But after it went up ...
... and started blowing in the breeze
... shining the the light of the evening sunset
... our glorious flag will stay hanging in that forest.
For no other reason than what my 4 year old grand daughter said last week ...
...  when walking through the forest
She said, "That sure is a beautiful flag."
It sure is, Eleanor.
Look how glorious it is.

Monday, March 06, 2023

Pad Locked

 

Pad Locked

Intersection of parts
Of pieces
Of my life
Of my world
Meeting place
Where friction happens
Where life happens
Where love happens
Where the good stuff
Grows
Creativity blossoms
What about security?
Do you have it?
Do you not?
Feel vulnerable?
People should feel protected
Especially children
Then life can begin
In a protected space
And so the padlock
Comes to keep out
Those that mean to harm
Only then can
Life happen
Love happen
Good stuff grows
Creativity blossoms


Monday, February 27, 2023

Mister Magic

 

Mister Magic

What age were you
When a song first
Impacted you?
Hit you straight in the heart
In your soul
Sixteen is when it happended to me.
1975
I was in Berkeley, California
Visiting my cousins for Christmas
My cousin put the platter on
On a good stereo too
The cover intrigued me
First track to play?
Track 3
"Mister Magic"
The opening key groove caught my attention
As if to say "listen up"
Then some poppin' electric guitar
To spice it up
Then at 32 seconds in
Grover's sax entered
Bam
I was hooked
Never heard the sax played in such a cool manner
A musician I was not
But I knew what was magic'And this was
Mister Magic
Had a spell on me
Before that time jazz to me
Was my parents Pete Fountain vinyl
Not now
Grover Washington Jr and his R&B-ish jazz
Infused with a unique collection of flowing beats and grooves
That I still listen to today.
Mister Magic
Impacted me forever

Monday, February 20, 2023

Where is Papa Bear?


 Where is Papa Bear?

Imagination
The world I lived in as a kid
Goldie Locks and the three bears
One of my favorite stories
I always wondered what it would be like
To run into Papa Bear?
Momma and Baby Bear I could handle
Papa Bear got me a bit nervous
In an imaginative way

I'm always on the look out for Gnomes
And Lephreicans
Fairies not so much
Nor Dragons
Peter Rabbit, most definitely

So when I turned into a big kid
Sixty-Five years big
I have a forest of my own
An acre-wood
A meadow too

And there is evidence that these imaginary characters live there

My grandkids are on the look out for them
And so starts there imagination wheels
Spinning away
In wonderment
In curiosity
And when just trompsing through the forest
Looking for sticks or rocks
They ask ...
"Hey Poppie ...
... Where is Papa Bear? I see his chair!"




Wonders of the Beach

Wonders of the Beach

How long is a beach?
I say, until the wonders stop
But reality tells me
That the wonder will never stop
Wonders of a beach
My age will change
On that beach
And then my wonders will change
My mom taught be that
She always "wonderted" at a beach
I never asked her why
Her actions told me
Her slow walk
Head pointed doqwn
Looking fopr that next sand dollar
Next starfish
Next agate
If I could ask her one question
It would be
How long is a beach?
I imagine her answer would be
Not long enough
She wondered at the beach
And so I wonder at the beach
Ahhhh the wonders

Tuesday, February 07, 2023

Wonders Of My Forest

 

Wonders Of My Forest

Morning time
Another day
To find the wonders of the world
Lets start in my forest

And so my four year old granddaughter begins her day
Her biggest choice of the day
Explore the back meadow?
Two acres of tall grass with moles, shrews and rabbits hiding
To be found
Or explore "my" forest
Always on the look out for that elusive coyote
Or a bear
There is a bear cave so she knows that bear is around

How life should be
"Cuddle Bear" in tow
Boots on
"Follow me" she says
And I follow
Into her forest
Time stops
As she inspects the tiniest of mushroom
Or checks on her owl friends
Porcelain ones I put out on a tree branch
Cuz every forest needs owls, right?

And I follow
As she discovers new wonders this morning
The afternoon she wants to head out to the back meadow
To meet Mr Toad and Mr Rabbit and Mr Lion
That is after lunch though

And I follow

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

What are you thinking?


 What are you thinking?

"Excuse me ... I wonder if I can bother you for a portrait of you this morning?"
He asked what for.
I replied why ... "Class assignment!"
He said sure, and with a big smile.
Ice was broken.
He continued his work cleaning and filling the ice machine.
I did my think all the while him
High up on  ladder.
His name was Dennis
Like mine.
As I shot he gave me many smiles and eressions
I had about 6 good "portraits" of him
But in mid convo
He paused
Looked down
For probably four moments
A couple of "deep breaths" worth,
I quickly framed the shot
And click
I got the shot I wanted
Oh I don't mind the pleasant smile shots
Even the full of life expressions.
Something but this shot
Looking down
Stillness
Within himself
If only for  moment
For two deep breaths
Through my whole shoot of him
I wondered "What is he thinking?"
Actually I wonder this of most of the people I shoot
Even my wife
Kids
Grandkids
Thinking ... inside our heads
Makes ones expression and demeanor
Look different
He has that look
I will never know what he is thinking
But I can imagine.
I think it is pleasant thoughts.
What are you thinking?

Monday, January 23, 2023

For the Joy of Chess

 

 For the Joy of Chess

1971
A year spent in Europe with my 5 brothers and cousin
Mom and Dad
All in our VW Bus
A green one.
Camping in farmers fields.
Eating Spam and Eggs on a Coleman stove.

For desert?
Chess

Thanks to my Dad and older brother Dan
Both chess nuts
I caught the bug

For the Joy of Chess

1971 was the year of Spassky and Fischer
Bobby Fischer, soon to be newly crowned world champion
We played chess
Daily
In Belgium and French fields
Greek beaches
In the Alps, our chess board would be all setup

Family tournaments
More losses, for me, than wins
But I always left with knowing I could get better
I never beat Dad
But Dan, yes
When I was in my 30's !
Didn't matter
The trigger set off in my brain
When my pieces developed
When I castled early
When I actually had an end-game

I didn't know all the jargon
Queen's Gambit
Italian Defense
Heck I just played
And hoped the opponent would trip up.

I was never much of a reader
But Dan scoured all the chess books he could get his hands on
First one coming from Blackwell's in Oxford.
Dad got him "Botvinnik's Best Games"
Mikhail Botvinnik was "the guy" much before Spassky or Fischer.

I just learned that
Yesterday in fact.
I want that book now.
Ten years back Dan gave me
A huge stack of his chess books.
Much more that a wealth of knowledge
These books contained.
These books "were Dan"
And his joy for chess.

So I play
And keep playing
Maybe take a hiatus
But chess is always there
My board and pieces are waiting.
If I am white I always start by Pawn to King "4"
I am sure to win with this first move.

My kids now play.
My son Ty being taught
At five years old
By his Uncle Dan.
My grandkids now play too.
Being taught by their Uncle
My son Ty

The books will be waiting
Whenever they want to
Up their game.

For the Joy of Chess

Monday, January 16, 2023

Music of the Surf


Music of the Surf


A place where I unplug

The beach is so alluring
Calling me to come sit
Find a big old driftwood log
Washed up from who knows where
Dried out
Smooth
A perfect place to sit
Sit and watch
Sit and feel
The breeze blow on my face
A perfect place to inhale
Smell the salty sea
Washing up on the shore
Smell the seaweed
Unique and a signature to my beach
My focus though
Mesmerizing my mind
The surf
Waves crashing to the shore
Like an original song

A beat of its own
Small waves
Larges waves
Each with different rhythms
A groove everchanging
Crashing to the shore
Depending on the day
Each day brings a new song
Each minute brings a new wave
Listen to the music
The beach creates
The music of the surf



Tuesday, January 10, 2023

 Music moves my Soul


 Music moves my Soul


I have no clue why
I just know what happens
When I crank up the volume
Of my favorite musician
R. L. Burnside always gets me
The Beatles
Any track on Abbey Road
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
The Four Seasons by Mr. Vivaldi
Steven Curtis Chapman playing Lord of the Dance
Earth, Wind and Fire engulfed me
When I crank up the volume
On a sunny day
Windows down
Or in my garage
With my big "college days" speakers
Blaring
That works too
My soul is moving
That rhythm
That beat
Melody
Solid lyrics that resonate deep in my heart
I connect with
Then Bamm
It is like I am part of the song
Sucked in to trhe current
No turning back now
The song takes me on a journey
Not like the last time I played it
New places in my mind and soul
Explored
The effect of good music
Moves my soul.

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Solitude


Solitude 
Time to just walk 
Time to ponder, maybe 
Being by myself 
No distractions 
Find an alley 
Off the beaten path 
No one walks here 
Except this person 
Which is perfect for me 
Love the potholes 
Garbage cans full 
Lawn mowers and piles of leaves  
Rough around the edges 
The best road in my town 
Solitude of an alley 
Think with no interruption 
Let my creative mind run free 
My thoughts bounce off the alley walls 
Solitude is refreshing 
I should walk here more often 
I will be back 
To my alley solitude

Monday, November 07, 2022

In the Pocket

 

In the Pocket

One persons chaos is another persons refuge.
Was watching this drummer
Rachman
Do his thing on the drums
His sticks were moving so fast
All over the place
The beat he was playing was mesmerizing
I took three or four shots
With an internal overlay set on my camera
You are seeing the result.
The next day I ran into him at a coffee shot
Showed him the photo I created
Capturing his connection with his instrument
His connection with his music
He stared deep into the image
For several minutes
Said that the image captured perfectly
What is going through his mind
At that moment
Deep in the groove
In the pocket
With what seems to be chaos
He is at peace
One with his music
In his refuge
Time stops for him
And he plays
Feeling whole.
Playing in the pocket
In this moment
For this drummer
For Rachman
One persons chaos is another persons refuge.

Monday, October 31, 2022

Beauty of Eyes

 

Beauty of Eyes

I look at eyes differently now.
Now that I have a camera in my hands.
Want to know how someone feels?
Look at 'em in their eyes.
Their feelings are undeniable.
Joy
Sadness
Anger
Curiosity
Happiness
Anxiety
All are captured in their eyes.
With a camera
I can capture that feeling
As if it were an entry
In their personal journal
I did notr find this out
Until a trip in 2009 or so
To Chicago
When I took a selfie
Yep ... of my eye
Just one
And I "saw" myself
And my emotion
Just wish I had discovered this
Years back as a teenage photographer
I would have loved to capture my Mom's eyes
Before she was gone
Capture her emotion
Her joy, happiness, sadness

Capture someones eyes
And hold onto that photograph
Hold onto them.

Monday, October 24, 2022

Childhood

Childhood

A rope
And a stick
Is all it takes
Turning a lonely tree
Into a childhood dream
Can you hear the laughter?
The giggles?
“Push me higher than I’ve ever been, Grandpa” she hollers
I get to hang out with my four-year-old granddaughter
Five days a week
She lives on that swing
As she swings
We talk …
… and talk
As I push her sky high
Up to the clouds
That surprises me
Unexpected and actually could be the best thing
About that swing
Connecting with my grand daughter

Before I know it, the afternoon has ended
Dinnertime
Now this is childhood
As it should be
Time stops
With a swing

I remember the swings of my youth
A centerpiece of my childhood
Swings are magical

But she is gone for now
My grand daughter
Only for two weeks though
Out of state to visit her dad
But the swing sits quiet
For now
My heart is not quite as full
Oh, how I miss her

Someone last week said that this photo seems lonely.
They are right.
Yes, it does
That tree is lonely
Awaiting the laughter to return
Her laughter
And her childhood to continue


Sunday, October 16, 2022

Morning Coffee

 

Morning Coffee

“Coffee Sir?”
A voice comes out of no where
As I sit at my favorite spot
At a table in the back meadow out in the middle of my forest
No one around
Except for Mr. Toad
Always there to serve
That morning coffee

I sit out here
For reasons I do not know
First thing in the morning
A good way to start my day
The sun just coming through the pine trees
Sometimes a clear sky
Lately every day is clear
But the marine layer of fog will soon come
Along with that mood
Talk about mood ...
… sometimes a mood hangs over my head
My soul
I speak words inside my head
With an attempt to describe that mood
… other times I speak just words of frustration
Complaining if I were honest
Rationalizing if I were not.


“Bothered Sir?”
And then
Once I calm down enough and be still
I hear, or feel, those words
Mr. Toad again?
Nope that is a story for my grand children
This is real
Not the first time either
I answer
Knowing that he will indeed listen
Tells me he will listen for as long as I keep coming

He holds out more than a cup of Joe, “Proper Joe”
In his hand is water
To refresh me
Quench my thirst
On these dry and dark days

He offers me living water
Water that sustains me

So my days start with “Morning Coffee”
And living water.

Sunday, October 09, 2022

Free to Skip

Free to Skip

I remember those days
I feel the wind
In my face
Blowing my wavy hair straight back
Arms outstretched
Like an airplane
Making engine noises too
Now that is life
Freedom

I was that way as a kid
Able to hang back from the crowd
From the attention
From my brothers
No expectations
I was in the perfect space
Freedom

Climb trees when I wanted
Dig tunnels when me and Mike felt the need
Ride bikes with Paul
All day
On that old gravel farming road across the Palouse
Because we had not done it in awhile
Freedom

So today I skip
Still
I am 64 years old
Will feel the wind in my face
Outstretch my arms
Like an airplane
Maybe even make an engine sound
Imagining my hair blowing straight back
And I take off
Freedom

Today I will skip

Monday, October 03, 2022

In Crisis

In Crisis

Scared?
I once was
No where to turn
Deep in a forest
Yelling but no one listening
No one hears

I came here once
Opened that door
To one who would listen
Just listen
I needed rest
I was in fear, of everything
I had to trust that this was the place
Come in, won’t you?
He asked me

I answered, yes
I found rest
My enemies could not breach that door
My soul is restored, finally

And now …
Now I know of that battle
I go inside that room now
To listen, hold a hand
Of that one person who needs rest
In the still waters behind that door

Like someone did for me

Can you help that one person?
Who has a heart that aches
Does not know where to turn
Who need just one thing
Someone to listen to them
Sit beside them
Comfort them
Be that person, won’t you?
Help that person
In crisis

Monday, September 26, 2022

Finding My Voice

 

Finding My Voice

Deep down in my soul
Feelings, thoughts, stories, ideas
Mine, all mine
Unique to me
Have they always been there?
Probably

Years went by
They stayed deep down
Locked away?
At least on a shelf high up
Where no one could reach them
Nor hear them
Not being shared
For sure not verbalized

Would I always be separated?
At a distance
Yelling deep within a forest
With no one around to hear

But the iceberg started melting
All by reading Black Beauty to my love
At bedtime
1982

Ten years later
Speaking in front of my church
Outside in a park
I spoke of being my brother’s keeper

Some twenty years after that
I read a piece of writing out loud
In front of people I did not know
Bright lights in my eyes
I spoke
Slowly
With cadence
A piece titled "Hold Onto Hope".

Yes

I had found my voice
Completely

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

But Those Eyes

 

But Those Eyes

I looked around at all the people to photograph.
Forty or so
All with a unique demeanor
All over sixty years old
One might say weathered
I just say a life well lived.
Some on walkers
Canes
There was one young man
Eighteen
Had the GQ look
Handsome
And then I saw him
Locked into his eyes immediately
We connected
His eyes were so expressive
Ninety-eight years old
His eyes were shining oh so bright
His face had years and years of living
His eyes were fresh and sparkling
As if his life story was told through his eyes
Through my camera I gazed at him
At his eyes
Photograph already taken
I imagined these eyes when he was sixty
Forty
When he was a twenty year old.
The same brilliance.
But those eyes
I wanted to look into his eyes
Longer
He is a stranger to me
But I captured an image
In my mind
And camera
That I will hold onto for years
But those eyes.


Monday, September 12, 2022

Come Sit


Come Sit

Here is a seat for you
Just you
I have been waiting
For you
Come sit
Won't you?

Breath in
For just a moment
Feel your lungs expand
Exhale

Still yourself
Just sit
No convo needed
Unless it comes to your mind
Coffee?
I like coffee, and bread
When I sit
Did you see your thought flash by?
In your mind?
Watch it's vibrant color
See your emotion float the other way?
Feel it's sadness, or happiness
They belong to you

I have been waiting
For you
To come sit
Just sit
And be with me.

I am glad you came.

Will I see you tomorrow?

Tuesday, September 06, 2022

Perspective

Perspective

What am I missing?

I just focus on what interests me
Passing over a huge bucket of beauty
A three year old sees the world uniquely
I follow them for an hour
Seeing their world
Perspective of a kid

An afternoon spent in the meadow
With a beautiful lady, my wife, and her sketchpad
I watch
For three hours
On how she sees
On how she articulates
On how she feels
About the same three hours I am living in
Our three year old grandchild is with us too
Same meadow
Different experience
Two different perspectives



Afterwards I am fascinated
By what she saw
My wife and my grand daughter.
Their view is different
Their view is unique
I value both of these people
And their perspectives

All of today
The day after
I will ponder
Ponder their view on beauty
On art
On drawing and painting
On the simple wonders of the meadow.
On being together
How three hours seemed like 3 minutes
When submersed in beauty
A beautiful meadow
Together
On a beautiful day
With beautiful people

Perspective is a beautiful gem.

Monday, August 29, 2022

My Place of Peace


 My Place of Peace

Peace
What the heck is it anyways
Always has seemed to be elusive to me in its meaning
I know it when I see it
When I feel it
I grew up in a hectic world
So early on I knew no peace
No place of peace

Until

Someone told me
"Peace I leave you.
My peace I give you."

I mulled those words around for years
Slowly I started to find peace
A fullness of the moment I am in
The hectic world around me stops
Contentment comes over me
I see the harmony of the colors
I feel the beat of the drum
No matter that my surroundings is so loud
I am at peace
I feel peace

Sometimes I just sit
And read
Those words on the page
Bring me peace

A walk in the meadow
With my grandkids
Hearing their laughter
Across that meadow
Brings me peace
That is peace
Given to me
Left for me
To be at peace


Monday, August 22, 2022

Curiosity

 

 

Curiosity

See
What is down there?
Inside
That crack in the fallen down log
A bug crawls fast, fast
Into the shadow
Peek closely
Pull the bark back

Oil painting and all its facets
Apply the paint really thick
Pull the brush through
The bright blue into the deep purple
Look at that!
Bring in the deep green
Streak that forest green through
A deep forest valley is created
Step back
Exhale

Listen
Waves crawling in on the rocky beach
Hey what is that?
A rock moving as the waves recede
Rocks don't have legs
With pinchers
Quick
Turn over that rock
That the pincher legs crawled under
WOW !
That creature knows me
Cuz it has stopped and is pointing his arms, his pinchers at me
Like an orchestra conductor
He is little
I am bigger
Kinda big

What is next for today
I pull out my camera
She pulls out her magnifying glass
We go explore

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Cross of Christ

Cross of Christ

Up on the hill
High above me every day
As I scream through life
My speed of life
Bumps in the road?
Yes, many, many
Oh I have those smooth sailing type of days
When skies are sunny and blue
But then around the corner
Yep there are the potholes of life
Will I ever just slow down
And just stroll
And look up
To that hill
With the cross
The three crosses
That cross is my anchor
What guides my life
My daily
My everyday
Always
It is there always
Yesterday
And tomorrow
Always
Will  I look up?
Yes today I will
Look up often
To that Cross of Christ

Monday, August 08, 2022

Classy

 

Classy

You are classy
Classy in the way you say hello
Classy in the way you talk about your day
Not just the ordinary
Something unique is said
Your words are classy

You have that look
The look of classiness
Pearls with denim jeans
That type of classy
Elegance wraps around you
As it always has

You focus on others
So classy
To do this
So interested
In what someone else's journey
Someone else's struggles
Someone else's victories

Age is never a requirement
To be classy
You were when you were eighteen
Just as you are now
Many decades later

The funny thing is
You most assuredly do not think of yourself
As being classy
Which is so classy

Sunday, July 31, 2022

I Love It Here


I Love It Here

I love it here
She said
While strolling on her favorite beach
On her favorite island
Her home.


I am not far behind.
Actually, I have placed my rear
On a big driftwood log
I like to look out to sea
She likes to look down the shoreline
I look for sailboats
Or freighters
An intriguing image
To photograph
She looks for shiny things
Seaglass in particular
Or shells

We are together
Although we go at different paces

We are both soulful
Both taking in the breeze
The sound of the waves
However small
The smell of the saltwater

We end up back at the starting point at the same time.
Her with a pocket full of shells and seaglass.
Me with 300 photographs

We end up with a deeper connection
With each other
With our island

We love it here
Especially when we are together
Here

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Meter

 

Meter


Tick Tick Tick
Goes my time
Goes my day
Not keeping track
No
Just keeping time
I can't hear that meter
That keeper of time
But I know it is there
Sometimes I blow a whole day
Eating the junk food of life
Other times are different
I grasp the whole day
Both arms
Dive in and live
Live today
With family
Hugging
With friends
Listening
Creating
What He brings to mind
Stillness
Hearing the spirit touch my heart
Those tick ticks are well spent
I remember those ones
"Be still and know I am God"
Is my meter
The one that matters
May I live today
Knowing my time is well spent
And have that meter tick tick tick
With His love

Monday, July 18, 2022

A New Day

 

A New Day


It was a struggle.
Yesterday was.
Getting up this morning was.
Is.
But I made it.
Down to the marina.
And the gift?
To see this beauty.
A new day
Beginning.
Slate is wiped clean.
Begin again.
Will today be different?
Make the most of today
This new day.
Make a difference.
Touch someone. I will.
My special family.
My grand kids especially.
Dig in and take this day with
My entirety.
Create.
Work.
Enjoy.
Be grateful.
Ohhhh be so grateful.
For this new day
That He has given me.
But mostly ...
... look and see all the beauty
He has created
I marvel in it.
And breath it in
This moment
At the beginning of a new day.

Monday, July 11, 2022

Friend

 

Friend

Walk into a room
Or a Pub
Look around and there they are
Friends
The gems of life
Being known
Sharing life with
The good times and bad
Argue with?
You bet
A friend can take it.
You know what I like best
About a friend?
I do not have to prove anything
Anytime
Just show up
And be me
Acceptance
We aren't even from the same backgrounds
Doesn't matter
You are my friend
Now lets go do life

Tuesday, July 05, 2022

Colors of Life

 

 

Colors of Life
 
Life moves fast
A pace that is many times too fast
Often my grand kids come over
To play
To explore
To adventure
These times are when life slows
We wander
We wonder
And we squint
Squint at a garden full of roses
To see if the colors change
Hey they do !
Next stop, then garden pond
To dunk our heads under the surface
To see if the colors change
Hey they do !
Next stop, the front forest
Tilt our heads way back
Looking straight up
Will a bald eagle fly by
Nope, not this time
But a squirel climbs higher in the trees
Next stop, the back meadow
Will our deer friends be back there?
Taking a nap in the tall grass
We do see a mamma deer
Baby must be close by
We crawl through the grass
On all fours
And see the colors of life
Through the eyes of my grand kids

Monday, June 27, 2022

Connected

 

Connected

What holds me down
What propels me forward
My roots do.
Which my life flourishes from.
Connected
Planted
Years ago
Generations ago back in Colorado
Oregon and Bohemia is where
Those roots gained strength
Growing with strength
Children created more branches
Reaching out into the world
Exploring and spreading
Spreading beauty
With each generation to come
Where will my branches go?
They need a foundation too
Solid roots to grow
Flourish
Connected
Stay connected to my web of life
And see what beauty blooms.
Grandchild number seven
Due any day now
And the web grows

SkyBlue

SkyBlue

Music heals the soul
He told me
SkyBlue told me
His soul needs healing
He told me
Needs healing so bad
So music is where he spends his time
Music is where he opens his heart
For the notes and lyrics
To mend parts that hurt
His refuge
When I found out his story
After a music gig one night
Images I take of SkyBlue
Now take on new meaning
I can see his passion
That passion he sinks into his electric guitar
That passion he belts out in his vocals
Is actively mending his soul
I want to capture his story
This musicians story
In an image
An image that will last
Music heals the soul. 

Reflection

 

Reflection

Reflections have always intrigued me.
It is rare when a reflection matches the subject exactly
Walking down the street who hasn't looked to the side into a store window
To see what one looks like?
Was the reflection what you thought it should be?
Me neither.
My favorite was at the county fair
The maze of mirrors
A ton of reflections
Of me
Big Tall Skinny ones
Short wide plump ones
The whole maze was full of children's laughter
Was I the only adult in there laughing too
Nope

People in my life
My past life
Have reflected to me
What my life looks like
What I look and act like
But a few of those people I should not have trusted
They reflected a "Me" that was not accurate
Not who I was

And it hurt
Hurt me

Be careful who you trust to reflect who you are
Truly are.
For you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

The Edge

 

The Edge

Wonder brings me to the edge
The divide
From one world to another
From sand to the ocean
What is out there
Way in the distance
Deep beneath the dark blue waters
I look over my shoulder
Where I came from
In my past
But my journey is ahead of me
Out there
Past the edge
One foot dips into the chilly water
As my journey this day continues
Beyond the edge

Monday, June 13, 2022

Joy of Music

 


Going to a music show tonight
Rock and Roll will play
The musician makes his Breedlove acoustic guitar sound like a creek high in the Cascades
A wonderful singer songwriter
His lyrics are moving
And then comes that promised rock and roll
Making that Fender Stratocaster scream like an American Muscle Car
The energy is contagious
As if he is the guide on a rafting trip down the River of No Return
Exhilaration is what I felt 

Next song is different
A groove like no other that evening
And then this expression spread all over his face
Joy
All night he had been entertaining us
But this song joy covered him
Something about this song
Playing his song
Brought out joy in him 

I caught that image with my telephoto
Captured and bottled up
In a photograph I call
Joy of Music
The music continues