1507. what’s this?


on broadway beach
sand, seaweed, seagulls, shells….
but what’s this?

 

Looking down at the ground can be more interesting than looking up at the sky. I found this on the beach. Its natural elegance intrigued me. It seemed so significant, and yet. It made me wonder. Can anyone tell me what this is?






1506. home again


“farewell, my friend
it’s been great to see you around—
c’mon back now”



I swear, I heard the sun talking to me again….

(We’re back home now. Cape May was a good time, as always. One of the best parts of the trip is the things we see and save: our souvenirs. After this one, I’ll have a few more to share.)


 



1505. splendid


riding the waves
leaving no footprints— 
seven seagulls

 


At home in the world. The sky, the sun, the sand, the sea and seven seagulls riding the waves, just for the joy of it. Splendid. 






1504. Cape May


there’s Dan,
anything for a good picture—
“oh, my aching ankle!”

 


Some things are worth a little pain—for the sake of a good blog post! No kidding, he got a great photo!




1503. old age


and so,
here is yet one more leaf
fading away 
*
decaying leaves—
soon there will be nothing left
to blow away


 



In Autumn, as the year slowly comes to an end, Nature decides to decorate itself with endless color—reds, yellows, orange, gold. Countless leaves falling down from trees. They seem so alive. When the winds of Winter blow in, what will I write about then….the whiteness of falling snow? I hope it snows, but not over-the-top!





1502. looking up


looking up 
craters on the moon
for the hornets

 



No need to fly all the way to the moon, all you have to do is simply look up to find another wonderful wonder. What would it be like to go for a day without ever looking up? Three days to Thanksgiving. It’s cool now, safe to linger and admire the perfect perfection of life all around. Some say that life is short, and yet every day can be a lifetime, with much to admire. I don’t want to waste a day without ever looking up.




1501. turn turn turn



some days
i don’t know which way to turn—
just like this leaf 

 


I know I know, yeah yeah, it’s just another leaf! But here’s the thing:  How many ways to change its colors from green to yellow to gold…orange…rust…red…burgundy…brown. How many ways to change my thoughts and feelings? ๐Ÿ˜˜




1500. it’s all good


bending down
to re-tie my shoe, a leaf
hitchhikes a ride


 

Life is a scenic walk on a long, long road. Ups and downs, bumps and curves, potholes, detours, and all kinds of dead ends that lead in new directions. That’s what makes life interesting. Enjoy the journey. Slow down, stay in touch with the good Earth, and don’t carry too much baggage. Most of all, remember to stay open for good company along the way.

(Shout out to Charo for telling me to “stay down, don’t move” so she could take this picture.)





1499. TGIF


oh boy, all set:
it’s friday, today’s trash day—
ready, set…let’s go!

 



This morning Dan sent me this picture. I couldn’t resist, had to use it. That’s Willey! He was the most fun. He’d do anything for a treat. We miss him big time.๐Ÿ˜ป




1498. pretty fix


almost thanksgiving
and roses are nodding
in the breeze


 


Whenever I’m in need of a ‘pretty fix,’ I go for a walk around Morris Arboretum. 




1497. feelin’ all right!


rain
in the forecast, next three days—
polishing my boots 

 


When I sit down with my morning cup of coffee, first thing I do is look at the weather. I’m so happy, I could go dancing๐Ÿ’ƒ in the rain! ☔️ 

dan and me
dan and me
he he!








1496. just hangin’



is he dead?
fish in the fish bowl—
nope! that’s finny 





Headstand? Nose dive? Sleeping? Nope—just hangin!
 I had to look again…and again…and again. For the longest while, he wasn’t moving at all, just hanging bottoms up. Made me think of another time Finny was just hanging belly up for the longest time. Belly up. Bottoms up. That’s Finny, He’s a funny fish. 




1495. ooh!


ooh! 
a hundred yards away or more—
it’s huge!





That’s no hawk, it’s huge! It’s an eagle! White head and tail feathers—its imposing size sitting solidly in that tree, 100 or 125 yards away. Unmistakable. We waited and waited, hoping to catch site of the magnificent bird lifting off and soaring into flight. It didn’t. 

National emblem of the United States, the eagle has no fear of adversity and lives 20 to 30 years in the wild. The mature bird stands 3 feet tall or more, has a wingspan up to 7.5 feet, can weigh 15 pounds, and dive at the speed 99 mph. No wonder it’s called, “king of birds.”





1494. chilly morning


chilly morning 
sunrise lighting up the creek
ooh, there’s a buck!

 



Looking at the sun, focused on how its light spread across the waters of the creek, it wasn’t until I lowered the camera from my face that the buck crossed my vision, ambling away. Another instance of how I wasn’t seeing what was right in front of me.




1493. which way?


up in the air
waiting for the light to go—
ninety-six pigeons

 


Every time I arrive at this intersection, I look up for the birds. They’re always there. Sometimes they all face the same direction, other times they’re facing every which way. Those birds fascinate me. I can’t tell you why for sure, but I think it’s their sense of community. It’s like a religion—pigeon religion.




1492. looking back


eye-to-eye
in the middle of the road 
deer and i 





On my way home after work, eyeing a deer up ahead in the middle of the road, I slowed the car, inching my way, rolling down my window, pulling my camera. Then I stopped and just waited. Eyes wide, this deer seemed more curious than alarmed, just standing there, staring. Then slowly, step by careful step, the deer came close, eyes steady, and passed me by. I glanced into the side-view mirror and smiled, wishing it well.





1491. hand in hand


after all these years
i can still feel her touch—
my mother’s hand

 



This postcard is quite old. Now and then when I take it out to hold and read yet one more time, I can feel my mother‘s hand holding mine. It’s sad to think that one day love letters written by hand may become a thing of the past. 





1490. nothing fancy

 


nothing fancy
it’s just an old autumn leaf—
but what a leaf!



Don’t breathe, hold that leaf—click! Ahh! 

Even a simple thing like an old dried up leaf can be something to savor and write home about. 




1489. yikes! ๐Ÿ˜ณ


pretty, aren’t they….
but please don’t touch—
they’re poison!

 


๐Ÿ˜ฑ YIKES! ๐Ÿ˜ฑ 




1488. waiting for rain


grasses and trees
drenched by the morning sun—
dry, dry, dry





Not a cloud in the sky. Forecast for rain later in the day. Will it or won’t it? 

(I wrote this yesterday and am glad to say that we did have a gentle rain overnight. Hopefully, there will be more to come sometime soon.)





1487. masterpiece


the sky
painting the whole world
holy





Feet on the ground, eyes reaching up to the sky. That’s it!





1486. oh, joy!


out on a limb
silhouette of a squirrel
stuffing its cheeks


 


Oh, joy! The joy of eating and so many ways to say it: eating, dining, feasting, consuming, devouring, guzzling, gorging, chugalugging, digging in, chowing down, scarfing up, scarfing down, bolting down, polishing off, tossing off, tossing down, gobbling down, gobbling up, putting it away, packing it away, stuffing it in, gulping, munching, lunching, pigging, wolfing, packing it all in. Yummy! Yummy! Burp! Oh, joy!๐Ÿ˜‹ 





1485. whistling


traveling
step by step, one day at a time
together 




As seasons change and the leaves grow far between, it’s more interesting to travel the road together.




1484. sticky feet



the wind blows
and the little pesky pest
holds on


 


Have you ever watched a tiny ant climbing onto your hand or arm and then tried to blow it off and away? Impossible! How does it do that?! You’re a zillion times its size, and yet. 




1483. good night moon


floating
in the great empty sky….
was that the moon?
*
it was a good night
yes, i had a good night’s sleep—
no, that’s not the moon




Yes and no. Scrolling back through my photos, I said wow. I don’t always sleep so well, so when I do it’s something to write about. Feeling greatful.๐Ÿ˜˜




 

1482. look again


a squirrel 
in the middle of the world
of sun-filled leaves




Autumn breeze, leaves fluttering, falling one by one. Looking. Listening. Losing time and forgetting to breathe. I take a picture to remember the moment, and only later do I see the squirrel in the middle of the world.  How many times we look, yet fail to see what’s in front of us all the time. 




1481. if I were a chipmunk…


leaves, leaves
shuffling rustling leaves….
shush, swish, shish, swish





Leaves, leaves, shuffling through the ocean of autumn leaves, listening to the crinkly sounds at my feet below. If I were a chipmunk, this is the world I’d see. ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿƒ ๐Ÿ‚ ๐Ÿ‚ ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚




1480. get up! get up!


over and over
that crow sure has lots to say:
caw! caw! caw! caw!





 Happy Daylight Saving Day!  Change your clocks!






1479. thinking….




that’s tommy 
poised above the kibble….
 what is he thinking?




Have you ever sat and watched a cat? How sometimes a cat will just sit, in a complete stillness, gazing at nothing, or everything….then find yourself thinking, what is he thinking?
 






1478. brunch for lunch


avocado toast, please
no eggs, some tomato please
wow!๐Ÿ˜ฎ





Ask and you shall receive!๐Ÿ˜Š