Reverie

It is a good idea to be alone in a garden at dawn or dark 

so that all its shy presence may haunt you 

and possess you in a reverie of suspended thought.  

~James Douglas

Sway

                                                      Like a flower bending in the breeze
                                                         Bend with me, sway with ease...

Preview

Garden Delights

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.
~Dorothy Frances Gurney

The Way We Were

Memories,
like the corners of my mind
misty water-colored memories
of the way we were...

Thoughts for the Day

A friendly look,

a kindly smile,

one good act,

and life's worthwhile.

Wake Up...

to a new day,
to a new year,
to new opportunity
to be the best yet.

 

Snowmen fall from heaven... unassembled.

A merry Christmas to everybody!
       A happy New Year to all the world! 

Home Sweet Home

Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest.
~Henry Van Dyke

A Magical Thing

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.
~ Oliver Herford

The one red leaf, the last of its clan,

That dances as often as dance it can, 

Hanging so light, and hanging so high,

On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.

~ Samuel Taylor Coeridge

A Walk Around Juniper Point

Juniper Point, on the north shore of Big Bear Lake, California, is a lovely area with picnic grounds and is a favorite for fishing along the shore. A paved bike trail runs through the area and there's also a nice dirt path right along the shore. A lovely place to spend a summer afternoon.

The paved bike trail turns into a slightly raised wooden path along a strip of land that can become can be prone to flash floods after a heavy rain.

Good Morning Sushine

Saturday morning in Huntington Beach...forecast upper 70sF and mostly sunny. The windows are all open and I can hear the neighborhood sounds of power tools, kids crying, dogs barking, Ninja motorcycle tuning up and low flying aircraft heading for Long Beach Airport. Ah, that's life in the superbs of southern California.

Looking out the kitchen window I notice the blooms on my Double Delight rose bush getting drenched by the sprinklers. Grabbing my Nikon and turning off the sprinklers, I proceed to shoot several dozen images of the roses, the leaves, and a rather extensive spider web...sans spider. Here are some of the images I made from that shooting.

The spider web was covered by so much water that it is barely recognizable.I like to think one can see whatever their imagination creates.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

My parents were married on this date in 1933. This photo was taken on their eleventh anniversary.
I miss you so much and think of you every day.
You will remain in my heart forever.
XOXOXOXO
Suzie

The Golden Hour

The period of one hour before sunrise or sunset is often referred to as "the golden hour." This description is very appropriate for the Big Bear valley in the mountains of southern California. Whether there are clouds in the sky or not, there is invariably a lovely golden glow to the atmosphere.

Hiking in the forest north of Big Bear Lake,
late in the afternoon, that glow is filtered by the trees.

At Captain John's Marina in Fawnskin, the late day sunlight glitters on the water.

At 6,700+ feet above sea level the low clouds roll up the mountain and across the lake.

The tiny island of boulders for which Boulder Bay is named,
is little more than a dark shadow in the late day light.

Pink Knot Marina has a great view as the sun sets on the opposite shore.

The park at the end of Pink Knot in Big Bear village is a perfect place to watch the sun go down.

The view from the south end of Stanfield Cutoff at the east end of the lake.

Walking along the north shore trail, the setting sun faintly
illuminates the fields of tall grass and wildflowers.

Summer Flowers in Big Bear

June in Big Bear, California means thirty days of beautiful weather. Plenty of sunshine, temperatures in the 70s and low 80s and frequent spectacular cloud formations. A mountain paradise just 100 miles from Los Angeles. Beautiful flowers can be found in the forest and in many yards of local residents. Here are a few of my favorites. I've been experimenting with applying textures to many of my images. I love the effect...especially with florals.

This gorgeous Columbine was growing in a neighbor's front yard. While walking through the forest, I came across some more growing wild. The wild ones were much smaller and less spectacular in color but the identical flower just the same.

Don't know what these are, but I loved how the sunlight hit them.

This is a wild rose I came across in the forest. Tiny flowers, not much more than an inch across, they are probably the ancestor of all the spectacular beauties we buy in the nurseries today.

I found these Sweet Peas growing on the fence of a cabin that doesn't appear to have been occupied in years.
Despite neglect, they've managed to thrive on their own.

Another Columbine...it makes me think of some exotic sea creature.

These roses can be found in front yards all over the area.

No idea what these are. Their "petals" seem more like beans.

Fancy Poppies catching the sun.

A field of wildflowers overlooking Big Bear Lake. Isn't this a beautiful scene?
Well, truth be told, there is a large shopping mall right behind where I was standing when I took this photo.

I'm Back!

Hi Everyone,
In case any of you have been wondering why I haven't posted in more than two months, I have no specific excuse...just been really busy with other things. I do not consider myself a writer in any way. I feel I can say all I'd like to say with my images. I hope you get my message.

Summer has begun with marvelous weather here in Southern California. Flowers are everywhere and I've been photographing them with a passion. There are Bougainvillea everywhere in our yard and they make very convenient subject matter. Here are a few examples.

This is the Barbara Karst wariety but I prefer to call it Cherry Red. The flowers are
actually the tiny white blooms; the red surrounding them are called bracts.

I call this image Scarlet Hearts.

I love how these bracts catch the morning sunlight so beautifully.

My neighbors gate makes a heart shaped background for this San Diego
variety, so I call this image Hearts and Flowers.

A Day at the Races

Monday, last week, was a beautiful, warm, sunny day...a perfect time to take our boat out for the first time this year.
This Great Blue Heron watched over us as we launched in Huntington Harbour.

The temperature was a balmy 80 degrees and yet
we could see a bit of snow still up in the mountains.

After a short cruise around the harbor, we decided to head out to
Long Beach Shoreline Village for lunch.

This nest of Herons can be found just across from the Naval dock.

Nearing Long Beach we came upon a lot of sailing activity.

I set my camera on continuous and proceeded to snap nearly 300 photos.
It turned out that was none too many, thanks to the
rocking of our boat, as half of them showed nothing but sky or water.

These sea lions slept through all the action going on around them.

I noticed that the referees' boats said Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and with a little googling,
I later learned that this is what we were watching:

CISA Advanced Racing Clinic
Long Beach, California
www.cisasailing.org/content/view/18/11/