June 18, 2014

June 18, 2014

   All photos are mine unless otherwise noted.

   To enlarge to full screen click on any image.

        I have been taking a look at the process of creativity in the human condition in an attempt to see why in myself it seems to come from an internal source which rises to the surface as a presentation of what to do with some of the photos I take. This is not a condition where I am not present to the actions, I am certainly more alert and alive in the present moment when head, eyes, hands and heart come into an alignment through the energy that comes up from somewhere in my depths. I am an active participant in the process, not a bystander.

   I do know that it is a set of events that start with standing and seeing what is in front of me before the shutter is released. The final image can at times show itself even before I take the picture which I owe to experience and allowing myself to be willing to see what I will work with. I know this is vague so below are a few quotes that may make more sense. Thank you with your patience with my meandering on this task I set for myself to define on an ongoing basis.

   The first six images are good examples of what I am trying to convey. All of my photos below were taken at the Parker River Preserve in Northeastern Mass. 

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   "The heart of creativity is an experience of mystical union (with God) - the heart of this union is an experience of creativity."

   "Leap and the net will appear."

                                   Two quotes from Julia Cameron's The Artists Way.

    "It is the creative potential itself in human beings that is the image of God."

                                                                                                    Mary Daly

   "The events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves they find their own order ..... the continous thread of revelation."
                                                                                                  Eudora Welty

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                           (The six photos below are without comment.)
                                                                                    

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Lee at a blind in Parker River looking for birds in its salt marsh.

Mom,  "Are you making fun of me?"

Taking a chance with an eight foot wave - all for a fish.

   I know teenage have the equivilent of the herd instinct in them, always have in my history and memory, but what is new is electronics. Is the girl on the right having a friend listen to the waves? This group stayed this close together for the 30-40 minutes we spent on this beach at Parker River. 

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   Here are photos from the web of  two of the fifty something birds we identified two weekends ago at Parker river.

A Red-Eyed Vireo

A Northern Mockingbird

The one we saw on top of the information kiosk had

eleven songs that it sung over and over again.

A great imitator.

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Some humor:

   Peace until next week,

                             Bill Lagerstrom       

June 6, 2014

June 6, 2014

   All photos are mine unless otherwise noted.

   To view full screen click on any image.

    Over the last weekend Lee and I spent four days birding at the Parker River Refuge in Northeastern Massachusettes. The refuge is run by the National fish and Wildlife people and runs for about 6-7 miles along the coast. We listed fifty-two different species of birds during the weekend along with talking with 15-20 birders about our feathered friends, where are you from, what did you see, and so on. 

   I used to say that to talk to people in Riverside Park on Manhattan's Upper West Side you needed to have a dog otherwise you were ignored.  These days all I need is a pair of binoculars and the Peterson Guide to Birds. The common interests we have do make us attractive to people with similar passions. Birding is a great equalizer where enthusiasts talk across their binoculars to each other with an ease that is without walls or barriers. 

   Here is a map of the Refuge:

http://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Region_5/NWRS/North_Zone/Parker_River_Complex/Parker_River/ParkerRiverMap.pdf

   Only two access points to the beach on the ocean side were open due to the nesting of the endangered Piping Plovers who are a protected species. We did see one of these rare birds on the Southern point of the Refuge as it picked at the sand for whatever it found to eat, all the while completely oblivious to us. It is a beautiful bird so please look for it on the Net. 

   The first six photos are of the birds and the refuge, the last photos are of a few of the people who used the Northern beach as their day's habitat. 

   

   Part of the salt marsh on the West side of the refuge road. Here we saw egrets, willets, geese, gadwalls, shovelers, along with many ducks, redwing blackbirds, and more. If you don't know these birds check out the folowing site -

                       http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search

      These are are Least Terns, a small bird weighing around 1 1/2 ounces and capable of flight in strong winds. We saw several hundred of them with the males in full courtship gear trying to entice a female by offering a small fish. It seemed to work with a few of the females but most seemed totally disinterested in the pushy males - above is an example of her lack of enthusiam towards this poor guy who is exhausting himself trying to impress. 

      A Red-tailed Hawk no more than ten feet from where I stood as it was searching out lunch in the marsh in front of this tree. I did not get the capture of what I saw as a small rodent of some sort, but the post meal photo is below. 

"Burpp ....."

Found this turkey in the shade at a hot time of day, around noon.

Purple Martin nests in the refuge.

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- The Ocean side of the refuge -

Those who fish are an island unto themsleves, 

quite content to stay in the present moment.

For children the beach is an invitation to be free,

joy and the thrill of all things new are a few of the discoveries.

   What impressed me about this photo is that everyone is in their own present moment .... in the beauty of the here and now. Discovery, the order of the day.

There are two ways to read a book at the beach,

- The way you learned growing up, and,

- The way you are growing up.

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More on Parker River next week.

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Some humor:

Until next week,  Peace,

          Bill Lagerstrom

May 30, 2014

May 30, 2014

   All photos are mine unless otherwise noted.

   Click on any image to bring up in full screen.

   Last Monday was Memorial Day and I was privileged in many ways to witness the parade in Rockport Maine, a small town on the coast that has a population of around three thousand. The parade was brief, perhaps 45 minutes with a stop for prayers and a rifle salute to honor the dead. This was visibly an important event and day in the lives of those who were there in the street and on the sidewalks.

   All, paraders and spectators also participated to a great degree as you can see something of in a few photos below, were to these eyes proud and most American in a way I rarely saw in NYC during my years there. There were many stories in each face, of remembrance of years served in the armed forces, sadness in a few who had most likely lost loved ones in wars, but generally there was a feeling of "This is what we do every year, and it's a lovely day." 

   I witnessed small town America at its best where people joined together and remembered together those gone, and those who came back to be welcomed by the people they grew up with. Even though diversity was not visible I sensed that I was witness to the fulfillment of that which all imigratants aspired to, and which those who are here waiting on acceptance hope for. 

   For each dead soldier there are many stories about how the lives of the living are deeply affected by pain that may never be fully resolved. It was this knowledge that gave me the compassion that arose for all who lost someone they brought into this world, or loved while they were with us. It was a day of rembrance and pride not for patriotism alone, but for connections to all people everywhere as well. 

   Here is a song attributed to Woody Guthrie the iconic singer and song writer. It was written around 1938 and is the tale of a soldier who left his love here and went off to war, never to return and sending a message of hope to his love as a final testament to his dreams for them to be together. 

   I offer very little comment as the images speak for themselves. 

Click to listen - https://app.box.com/s/fduo85c7ibom85ol3aod

   

Waiting for the parade.

The Honor Guard leads the procession.

Everyone who wants to march was glad to be invited or welcomed.

Everyone.

   The guest band from a close by town with one drummer seemingly puzzled by the strange writing on his music sheet. 

This is a married couple - their story is written on their hats and clothes.

The local Boy Scout Troop,

standing in salute during a minute of silence

coming from the bridge (left middle) where a ceremony was held.

I returned his salute and this man gave me a great smile in return.

Waiting on the parade coming down the hill.

I believe the dog at the left was making a statement,

as dogs are wont to do.

Afterwards - a man and his dogs.

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Some humor:

   Until next week -

   Peace,   Bill Lagerstrom