sunday sermon

The finest qualities of our nature,

like the bloom on fruits,

can be preserved only by

the most delicate handling.

Henry David Thoreau

Walden

dragonflies

At a certain time of year - now, orange dragonflies cover the skies around here. Hundreds of dragonflies with the sun glistening off their wings hover just above our heads. It's an awesome sight and an incredible feeling of being connected with these blessed wing creatures...

here

here

here

here

sunday sermon

The happiness of one's own heart

alone cannot satisfy the soul;

one must try to include, as necessary to

one's own happiness,

the happiness of others.

Paramahansa Yogananda

building bridges

I had a session with my energy healer today. I've been feeling frustrated and discouraged, in a few ways, but mostly in my photography business. I went to see her to help me clear whatever is within me that is blocking my growth and enjoyment and success. I won't bore you with details. It was a wonderful session. She is incredible. (Her name is Joyce. You can find her here.)

There is one thing I want to share with you...At one point she looked at me and said I'm energetically not allowing partnership and collaboration. She said I'm on an island and there is no way for anyone else to cross over. I stared at her, blinked a few times, and quietly said, "That's the name of my blog...the island of rose." She smiled and said that I can't be an island anymore.

So I'm building a bridge - an energy bridge, a rainbow bridge. Everyone is invited to my island. Stay a while; stay a long time. All are welcome...

I don't have any photos of bridges - which is kind of ironic in itself. Instead, here's a photo of a driftwood tipi on one of my favorite beaches.

sunday sermon

There must be always remaining in every life,

some place for the singing of angels,

some place for that which in itself

is breathless and beautiful.

Howard Thurman

Peace Rose

sunday sermon

A lifetime may not be long enough to attune 

ourselves fully to the harmony of the universe. 

But just to become aware that we can resonate with it --

that alone can be like waking up from a dream.

David Steindl-Rast

sunday sermon

The goal of life is to make

your heartbeat match 

the beat of the universe,

to match your nature with nature.

Joseph Campbell

come into the mountains, dear friend

Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers,

the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters,

and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.

John Lubbock

Went to the mountains yesterday with Miss J, her Dad, and grandmother. A bit chilly but so beautiful. The mountains are so grand and wise, you only have to listen to the quiet and it is all there for you...

no words

foto friday

Going back to the root goal of my photography - having my photos available to those who want them, I've decided to make Fridays a sharing day. I will provide a different photo each Friday that you can download and print for your personal use. The photo is in pdf form. You will need Adobe Reader to open the file. You can download Reader for free here. I'm new to this downloading stuff and am using dropbox to facilitate the transfer. If you have any problems downloading the photo, please let me know.

10 mile

download 6x9 pdf here

foto friday

Going back to the root goal of my photography - having my photos available to those who want them, I've decided to make Fridays a sharing day. I will provide a different photo each Friday that you can download and print for your personal use. The photo is in pdf form. You will need Adobe Reader to open the file. You can download Reader for free here. I'm new to this downloading stuff and am using dropbox to facilitate the transfer. If you have any problems downloading the photo, please let me know.

Pears & Apples

download 6x7-1/2 pdf here

may day

This morning when I opened the front door, these were waiting for me on the porch...

My girl spent last night with her dad and his mother. This morning, J and her grandmother went around the neighborhood delivering flowers to a select few...How I love my girl.

We finally had a warm day without wind. One of the summery things I indulged in today was watering the front lawns. J saw me and asked her dad if she could come visit. This is her doing her favorite thing on any day - playing in water...

Happy May Day!

i spy, then i cry

A month or so ago, I heard about a show titled Polar Bears: Spy on the Ice. Cameras are cleverly hidden enabling the documentary team to follow mother bears and cubs and producing incredible close-up images of these magnificent animals. It's been running on Animal Planet. Every time I try to catch it, something comes up. Last night, I was looking for something to keep me company between The Killing on AMC and Breakout Kings on A&E (don't hate me; I have a thing for crime shows. I blame it on my Mom - her favorite "literature" is murder mysteries.) I happened upon the Polar Bear show...

Beautiful imagery...I lasted about 10 minutes into it. After egging on the cub trying to make it through the snow. Then, I lost it when one of the mothers and her cub didn't make it to the iceberg in time and were left stranded on the barren island with no food...

I LOVE animals. I CANNOT watch nature shows or movies. I just can't.