on the beach
the fishy smell of
old shoes
Like Zen, the art of haiku asks that we pay attention to what is right here, right now. In both, the focus upon everyday life becomes a means of transcendence. Use the ordinary to elevate the ordinary.
1355. sneak preview
elephants
as far as the eyes can see….
in the pink
I’ve been having fun working on my next origami art. Here’s a sneak preview. It’ll be Elephants, nothing but elephants as far as the eyes can see! 🤩
1354. wondering….
cool in the shade
little cabin in the woods
who lives there?
When I was little, my mom and pop traveled around the country on long, long road trips. I can see myself sometimes sitting in the backseat with my brother, gazing out through the windows of the car at the countryside rolling by—long lines of split rail fences, row after row of tall corn stalks, cows or horses grazing in grassy fields, old barns and silos and farm houses with windows. I can recall the feelings of wondering who lives there? Is anybody in there now? What are they doing? Are they eating? Are they watching tv or sleeping? Who lives there?
Even though I’m getting old now, I still like to wander and wonder about things. Some feelings never leave us.
1353. delicious!
97° to 68°
such a delicious morning—
ooh la la!
Here’s my story: It’s been hot! Last night after the sun went down, I walked around the neighborhood feeling the heat; came back home, sweating.🥵 This morning, I can finally open the windows and turn off the noise of the air conditioner. Fresh morning air—a cool breeze rushes in….rain puddles in the driveway reflecting trees on the other side of the street….birds scampering across the ground pulling worms, chattering. Overnight: 97° to 68°! What a difference a day can make. Delicious!😋
1352. a little tipsy
the party’s over:
cat with the hat
a little tipsy!
I gave that balloon to Dan around the New Year holiday….six months later, it’s still hanging on!
1351. making the most of it
i don’t know
i don’t know i don’t know
i don’t know
There are times I just don’t know what to say. This morning is one of them.🙃
1350. away from it all
fisherman
quietly catching a snooze
in the sand
Away from it all….a day on the beach surf fishing. Sometimes, I suppose, catching a quiet snooze beats catching a fish!😘
1349. he said, she said….
chill morning—
“don’t want to go back to the heat…”
“it’ll be okay”
Last morning by the sea in Barnegat Light before heading home to the city, thinking ahead….
1348. whew!
day’s end
from the shore another shore….
what a sky!
Weekend in Barnegat on Long Beach Island. Arriving yesterday, the temperature here measured 73😊….back home it was 95🥵 Whew!
1347. daydreaming
two hearts together
thru thick and thin, sun and rain—
morning glories
Morning Glories….nothing special. Just weeds, you say—but oh, how they shine.
1346. wow!
orange daylilies
orange, all the way to the end….
wow!
It was a hot, sunny day. Walking slowly around the neighborhood, I saw a great number of orange daylilies leaning out from a very long stone wall. Pausing to admire and wonder….hmm, how many?So I walked to one end and began counting, moving along, step by step, inch by inch, all the way to the other end, and ending with 851. Wow! While these beautiful flowers bloom only for one day, it’s said that a mature clump can produce 200 to 400 blooms over a month, or more. No doubt, this mass of daylilies could easily produce thousands! Here’s a closer look:
1345. now and then
simmering down
thinking of the good old days….
cooling off
Weather forecast: HOT! HOT!! HOT!!!🥵
Now and then it’s good to look back at the way things were.😘
1344. Bonnie & Clyde
no doubt about it
a handsome couple, those two
Bonnie & Clyde
This week, I’m cat sitting Bonnie and Clyde. A very handsome couple, don’t you think! These two cats are the sweetest, funnest, most affectionate brother and sister you could hope to adopt. My upstairs neighbors did just that.
Now the original Bonnie and Clyde were American criminals, serial bank robbers and killers, who went on a crime spree during the Great Depression from 1932 to 1934. They were a handsome couple too! There’s an Academy Award winning movie made about their crime spree, starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. It’s a good one.
1343. a sunny day
sunday morning
off to a running start
a sunny day
Off to a running start. Some of us walk, some of us run, some of us drive. That’s what makes the world go round.
1342. the last laugh
hey,
look at that tree laughing at me
without any teeth!
It’s plain as day that in the end after all is said and done….trees will have the last laugh! 😘
1341. smorgasbord
smorgasbord:
lingering here and there, my eyes
get a bellyful
It’s a treat entering a room or a painting or even a photo and your eyes linger, roaming from image to image, slowly gazing here and there then pausing from time to time for a closer look at something that recalls some pleasant memory. Old shoes, slippers, spring water, coconut water, green tea, sweet easter lilies, a plastic funnel, ceramic bowls and vases, postcards and paintings. It’s like feasting my eyes at a Smorgasboard with sweet anticipation. This could make a pleasant jigsaw puzzle, don’t you think?
1340. elephants
standing tall
one on top of another—
nine elephants
“Elephant Totem” — 40” long, each one 4” — Folded Paper, Ink, Brass Bells
Hanging in the entranceway to the baby’s room, here is the elephant totem for Judah, that I mentioned earlier in post #1330. These origami elephants are folded from 6 inch papers that I painted with eyes and toes and noses, then added little brass bells. In spiritual cultures, bells are believed to hold the power of protection and have been used for centuries to bring peace and enlightenment. May Judah grow to be strong, intelligent, and true-hearted.🙏
.
1339. twilight
the moon and the sun
high above and down below—
trading places
There’s the day and the night and all the space in between. It’s the in-between moments that get lost in the shuffle when I forget to slow down and stop to wonder and ask myself….‘what if’ and ‘why.’ So as Stephen Hawking once said, “ Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet…”
1338. by the sea
scattered clouds
in a thousand places—
the sky, the sky
The thing I love most about being by the ocean is all that sky.
1337. 1946
long long ago
and like it was yesterday—
it’s a girl!
Feeling grateful that my mom and pop brought me to America. I couldn’t find a picture with me in it—that’s my brother—but it’ll do just fine. I wanted to post a picture of my parents and, one more time, to say thank you for giving me life.♥️
1336. say cheese!😁
at the shore
everyone’s taking pictures—
myself included!
What would we all do without our phones! 📱
1335. shore traffic
crossing the dunes
from one side to the other
beach bunny
Slowing down at the beach…. I was just telling Dan—it’s nice not to have to do anything but sit, not to have to be anywhere but here, enjoying the sand and the surf and the sky. He agrees.
1334. chopsticks
hey, it’s us:
two chopsticks on the beach—
good morning!
Feeling right at home.😊 Good morning from Cape May!
1333. is-ness
the game’s over
everyone’s going home….
and so’s the sun
Nothing fancy. This is life. It is what it is. Things simply are what they are. Or as Zen master Shunryu Suzuki was fond of saying, “things as it is.” That’s life.
1332. what’s in a name
again and again
i wonder what to post next!
miss monroe
“Pluteaceae” I think that’s what these mushrooms are called, or that’s how Picture This identifies them. They remind me of Marilyn Monroe’s famous white dress. I might call these mushrooms: “Miss Monroe” 😘
1331. Sunday morning….
step-by-step
crossing the bridge together,
and yet alone
*
doing their thing
just one man and one dog….
that’s all
1330. elephants
sun’s going down….
closing up shop for the day
an elephant winks!
Greg’s a grandfather now. His daughter had a baby, her first, and named him Judah. Cool name. I’m making an elephant totem to hang in his room that he may be blessed with the fine qualities of these majestic animals. Strength. Intelligence. Loyalty.
1329. what if….
summer heat
shimmering grasses and a groundhog
disappearing
Here’s another “what if…” This was a pretty picture all green—green trees, green grasses—pleasant, cool and refreshing to see. Then I thought what if the scene changed from color to black & white. I was delightfully surprised to see the groundhog nearly disappear.
1327. up up and away
up up and away
floating away from the clouds….
there goes the moon
Like a balloon….
1326. rock star!
a stump for a seat
this Rocketman rocks his tunes 🎶
that’s Dan!
Outside the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts there sat a piano waiting to be played. So he rolled up the keyboard cover and sat down to play. He’s no Elton John for sure, but who cares!😘
By the way, the Elton John movie, Rocketman, really rocks with story and song.