Tell me a story: April 2014

Tell me a Story is a group of photographers I have joined who blog about a single day in the month. April has been a relatively quiet month for me.  However the last couple of weeks have been an emotional roller coaster - I had a loved one dying, then I picked up a virus, and on top of that my husband had a chest infection which I seem to have now picked up as well.  Our house is not the place to be, and I suddenly discover my blog is due a week earlier than I thought.  Oh boy...here goes.

Fridays are my day off from work.  The nature of my position has become very detail oriented, Fridays has become my creative day.  My day to head out with my camera.  A day to clear the cobwebs and to just walk and enjoy whatever is ahead of me.  Whatever offerings life has to give me.

So join me on my rather early morning walk around the wetlands.  It was early morning (first bad for me) and it was overcast and miserable (second bad for me). So much for catching the sunrise.  

Spring is most definitely here in South Florida.  The anhinga chicks have hatched, as have the Great Blue Heron.  The Wood Stork Chicks are brand new, and it is now time for the Glossy Ibis to lay her eggs and nest. 

What you do not see in the nest of the Great Blue Heron is her chicks.  They are in there just hiding down.  Mom protects them with fervor, while her mate re-arranges the sticks in the nest.

In another part of the trees a juvenile Great Blue Heron sits with it's mother.  This chick was born probably late February or early March.  I have been watching them grow for a few weeks. When you look at the Great Blue Heron chicks you have to laugh, they typically look like they have had a bad hair day.  

On the pathway in front of me is a Boat Tailed Gackle.  I don't generally love them. They tend to be a bit of a menace and when I put bird seed out at home, they are the scavengers that eat it all.  However, when the sun catches these birds the colors that shine from their feathers is just stunning.  

Moving further along the boardwalk, I spy this Cormorant.  Clearly it is used to people getting up close to it and it does not move away from the action.  Instead it sits there preening itself, turning one way and then another.  I thoroughly enjoyed getting up close to it.  

I always enjoy looking at the different grasses in the wetlands.  I especially enjoy finding the spider webs when I am editing.  Every so often I might catch a bug or two.  Today was not my lucky day for bugs.

This particular grass is beautiful when it flowers.  However, taking photo's of it on a windy day tends to leave you feeling a little sea sick as it sways to and fro in the wind.

The Red-winged Blackbird is gorgeous, especially when it fans its wings out.  

Reflections are always another favorite of mine, and on a good sunny day you can find some amazing reflections in the water.  This was probably my favorite of the day. 

As I continue to walk along the boardwalk I arrive at the first colony of Wood Storks.  This one had been disturbed by a bird flying in, and it took off, but quickly turned around and headed back to it's nest.

Why?  Because sitting in the nest are two baby chicks.  You can barely see them but if you look closely at the feet of the left hand bird you will see two tiny faces peering out at you with big yellow beaks.  Wood Storks are not the most attractive looking birds but I always find them very interesting.  And when they spread out their wings the entire edge is tipped with black feathers.  

I slowly make my way around to the far side of the wetlands where there is a mix of Wood Stork, Snowy Egret, Anhinga and Cormorant.  To my delight the Snowy Egret is showing a spectacular display of her mating feathers.  

On a branch higher up a Wood Stork flies into land.  It is not a graceful sight as this big bird tries to land on a twig high in a tree. 

Once balanced it appears to decide to hang out. 

I am ready to head home, and grab a cup of coffee, but I have one last stop.  A Tricolored Heron is nest just at the edge of the boardwalk.  Underneath her she has 3 tiny blue eggs.  I will tell you that since I took this photo at least one if not more eggs have hatched.  Since I have been sick I have not had a chance to go and look at the tiny chicks but the photo's that have been floating around facebook have been stunning.  If I thought the Great Blue Heron and the Snowy Egrets had bad hair days, I had yet to see the Tricolored Heron chicks.  They are adorable.

“If you seek creative ideas go walking.Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.”  ~ Raymond I Meyers

I hope that you enjoyed your walk through the wetlands with me.  Nature is one of my favorite places to be in.  Don't forget to follow the circle link and see what Renee, Everyday Beautiful Photography has for you this month.  

If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my facebook page or my Flickr Page

30 minutes in the Life: April 2014: Time passes by

In the life of a photographer, whose art is created in tiny fractions of a second, thirty minutes is a sustained thought.  Thirty, minutes, the length of a child's ballet class, a quick sauce's simmer; a commute, is long enough to witness change and short enough to be over before you know it.  We offer you here our monthly results of thirty minutes of watching and waiting and recording, of rendering permanent those fractions of a second that slip past in the time it takes to watch a television show.  Thirty minutes in the life ~ Sara Kelly

I will start out by saying that I switched tracks this morning, 4 days before this blog was due.  I will confess that 3 of my photo's are not part of the 30 minutes of continuous taking.  I will ask your indulgence as I tell my story.

Time passes by.....

At my age you begin to wonder where time is flying to.  It seems like the days merge into months and suddenly another year has gone by.  You feel a bit older, but not old and yet you know that time is passing by rapidly. You hear about folk of your parents generation who have passed on and then you hear of your friends suddenly dying, and it becomes more real.

Nothing however, can be more real than when a family member passes away.  I recently had time to prepare for the passing of a loved one. Yet how to you prepare to say goodbye to someone you love.  So I took time to reflect on who she was to me, and how much she meant to me throughout my life.

Joy was first and foremost family.  Her mother and my grandmother were sisters. My grandmother and Marion were 2 of 8 children.  I remember they lived together after their husbands died.  So my mother and Joy were cousins. As you can imagine I had a big extended family.  Growing up in the 60's, 70's & 80's cousins who were older were aunts and uncles out of respect. Richard always said I had way too many aunts and uncles. So she was a cousin, but she was my aunt. And we were family.

More than that, Joy and my mother were very close.  In fact, so similar is so many ways that they were like two peas in a pod.  They thought alike, they argued alike. For a while they lived together.  My brother reminisced, just today, that he remembered how stubborn they were. Each believed they were right.  He remembered one hanging out the washing on the line, and the other going out and rehanging the washing the way she wanted it.  They were like tweedle dee and tweedle dum, and I loved them both.

Joy became more than just my mother's cousin and my aunt, when I was a teenager.  She became my friend.  I used to go and stay with her during the boring vacations or when her son Patrick came home from the army and had decided to visit with her. She lived in a remote part of Northern Natal.  There was nothing to do but talk. She had a wicked sense of humor.  Her laugh was naughty. Often she knew she should not do or say something, but it never seemed to worry her. She didn't expect you to like her, but in the same token, if she did not like you, oh well, life was tough.  She would laugh and shrug and look coy. She was blunt. If you did not want an honest answer, don't ask the question. And she had a heart of gold.  As a teenager and in my early twenties I so very much enjoyed those times with her.  

Joy was there for my mom just before my dad died.  She arrived, she moved in, she supported, she teased my dad into doing things, like eating his food, that much to my mother frustration she could not do.  Joy was there for me when my dad died. She knew how much I grieved when cancer took his life.  He was way too young.

In 2001 we left South Africa to move to the the United States and in 2006 my mother had a brain tumor.  Joy was there.  When I flew home, she came to stay. And when I left, she stayed on for a number of weeks supporting and being there for my mother.  Our relationship became long distance.  I would try to phone her every couple of months.  When her younger son passed away from Lou Gehrig's disease I grieved with her.  He had been my age, and my friend.  He was way to young to die.  In 2007, when my mom passed away so suddenly, she was once again there for me.  Not physically this time but emotionally she was a phone call away.  

Joy became not only my aunt and my friend, but a very tangible link to my mother. She told me the stories of my mothers youth. She did not know the family like my mother did but she knew my mother.  Like my mother she understood me.  She understood my fears, my hurts, my heartaches, my highs and lows.  She encouraged me, consoled me and brought me closer to resolving the things that I could resolve, and bluntly told me to let go of the things I could not resolve.  I tried my very best to stay in touch with her regularly.  Did it happen every month, no, time zones mess with me, and sometimes we were out of town.  But when I did happen to get her, what a blessing.  We picked up where we left off.  Laughing, encouraging, being one with each other.  An international conversation that lasted 1 hour was always too short.  

One day I phoned to find out that her daughter was struggling with the same disease that had taken her son and my heart broke for her sorrow, and, once again, I grieved with her when her daughter passed away.  Again I grieved with and for her when her grandson passed away. Both were too young to die.  We both agreed that this was not the natural order of life.  

And then I phoned, and she was struggling to breathe.  She told me that she had developed a condition that had made her pretty much bed bound.  My heart broke. She had always been a vital woman and to hear this was saddening.  To be so far away even harder.  There is the frustration of wanting to do so much and yet being unable to be there to do it. Unable to help out, in the same way that she had helped me out.  Slowly this life that I had drawn so close to, this life that had endeared me to her, was slipping away.  

My last phone call she did not answer, and I was told that she was not good and it would not be long.  I had a week to prepare for what was to come, for my mind to wrap around the years of love. The mental knew that she would not want to live like this, the conversations we had spoken to that effect were a reminder for me. Yet the emotional struggled with the letting go. Wanting to hold on to that family link that we have had from when I was a young child but also the friendship and closeness we had had for 44 years.  I wanted to just tell her I loved her one more time. To tell her it was okay.  Joy passed away on Good Friday.

She passed away on a day where she would have celebrated the death of her Lord with communion and remembrance. And on this day not unlike the previous week, I grieved and said my goodbyes to the life I had loved so dearly. And on that evening I went to the Good Friday service and I shared in the communion and remembered both her and the meaning of Good Friday.  It was not easy, nor is it still.  The tears flow as I write this and I know that she would say to me "Dry up your tears child, you know I am at peace.  I would not want to live on this earth longer than I need to.  I would not want to continue to live the way I was living, tied to a bed".  The head knows, the heart not so much.  But I am so glad that I ended each telephone call with the words "I love you, talk to you soon".  I know that even though I did not have the opportunity to say my goodbyes, she knew that I loved her.  My mother, having lost a son, always told us that she loved us. I am thankful for that and that I was able to pass that love on.

I hope that in time I can become that person that my aunt was for me.  Whether it be to family or friend.  To have the opportunity to take a young life under my wing and shelter them. To be a friend. To love unconditionally.  To be there emotionally. To know that I have made a difference in that persons life, just as Joy made in mine.  Like my mother, I will miss her dearly. I will miss the conversations, the bluntness, the laughter, the truth, the soft chiding, the love. I will miss her very essence.  She made a difference, and I am so grateful that it was with me. 

“An ordinary visit to a beautiful garden always creates an extraordinary time!”

― Mehmet Murat ildan 

Thank you for walking this difficult blog with me.  My way, very often, of walking through grief is through the written word.  One lesson I have learned through my life, there is only one guarantee in life ~ if you are born, you will die ~ Always remember to tell those you love that you love them. Life is unexpected and we only have one day at a time.  

This is the Circle of Life and time passes by.....


Please remember to take a look at what Sophie James, Bluebells on the Green, Glasgow Lifestyle Photographer has to offer this month in the circle blog.

If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my facebook page or my Flickr Page

Project 10 Challenge: April 2014: Adventure

Project 10 challenge is a group of photographers that have a circle blog. Beyond that they invite photographers to link a personal blog to their page.  That is something I have been doing for a while now.  I enjoy reading everyone's take on the topic and I enjoy adding mine. Adventure is right up my alley.

Richard's second name is "Let's see how we can take Sharleen out of her comfort zone" and invariably he does.  I, on the other hand, have a second name that goes something like this "What the heck have you got me into this time". After the fact, I really enjoy the adventure - during it, not so much. This particular adventure took place last year but I still think of it and ask myself "Are you nuts".  

We do a lot of outdoor camping.  Along with the camping comes the kayaking. Pretty neat. We do ocean kayaking, river kayaking, mangrove kayaking, and now it seems stream kayaking or better yet a trickle of water kayaking.  The kayak is pretty stable and I have got the whole hang of the moves, although I have to say that I think Richard does all the work.  So join me as we take an adventurous trip down the Turner River, near Collier Seminole State Park in Florida, USA.  

It was a beautiful day to go kayaking.  The sun was shining bright and once breakfast was done we were on our way.  Richard said that a friend had recommended this river to kayak, and that if we were able to go far enough we should hit the 1000 islands.  Sounds cool.

Something about South Florida you should know, kayaking on rivers, you are mainly heading through mangroves.  Some of these photo's played havoc with my eyes as I edited them. The reflections were amazing.  Kayaking down the Turner River was a breeze, or so I thought.

Until I happened to look to my right and lying submerged in water was this guy. "Soooo" I asked Richard "did you know that there was going to be alligators on this river?"  Of course, he is innocence personified and denies any knowledge of alligators on the Turner River.  Common sense should tell me that most of the rivers in South Florida have alligators. 

And so deeper in we go.  I will confess that scenery is spectacular and it is so quiet it is almost eerie.  There is no one around.  We have no cellphone if something goes wrong. Mmm, no gps either.  And yet deeper we travel.

You have no idea what you are going to see and a Kingfisher up in the branches is a real treat. This was a first for me and I loved every minute of stopping and watching it for a while.

On we go, deeper and deeper into the mangroves. The river is getting narrower and a little shallow, but we push on.  Coming around a corner you never know what you may startle into flight.  In this case it was a snowy egret.

So by now the water is really shallow and in some places the kayak is having difficulty moving through, and nervous Nellie is starting to feel just a little uncomfortable as we pass yet another alligator.   It seems that as we go deeper so they seem to be more visible and somewhat bigger.  

I am now at about turn around point.  The kayak has stuck once to often and I feel like I am gator food in the waiting.  We struggle to turn the kayak around, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I am not putting a foot in the water.  No siree, not happening.  When we headed into the mangroves I saw this really cute, cuddly baby gator.  I was so excited.  Told Richard I could take this one home.  So heading back we come up to it again.  Still sunning itself on the log.  

What we did not see going in was mama - who was now very visible on the other side of the river watching her baby.  Yikes, good thing I did not know at the time that you should really not come between mama and her baby.  But seeing her was enough to say time out.  

It is now about time to head out of dodge.  I am ready to find terra firma again and leave the alligators behind.  Thank goodness, they are not their African cousins or this African would have been crocodile food without a doubt.  

Living life with Richard can be fun, never comfortable, but fun.  I have slept in a cave.  I have done a short hike through the mountains that took 10 hours, and at one point came face to face with baboons.  We have scuba dived in Mozambique. We have gone into the rural of Southern Africa where we have camped in tents - no running water, no electricity.  Over the years I have sure been stretched out of my comfort zone.

I hope you enjoyed my South Florida adventure.  

For more of my photos you can check out my facebook page or my Flickr page

Project 10 Challenge: March 2014: Magic (al)

Project 10 Challenge set the task at doing something in the theme of Magic. The informal definition of Magic is something wonderful, exciting.  A Magic moment would be something that fascinating, captivating, and spellbinding.  

So here is my take on Magic.  In March we headed out to Las Vegas.  The purpose was to connect with my brother whom I had not seen for a year. That in itself was magic. However.... 

This blog is dedicated to the fascinating, captivating and spellbinding experience of the Grand Canyon Skywalk on the West Rim.

Driving into the area all we can see is helicopters and light planes heading in and out of the area.  The mountain range is stunning and I am excited to be able to get up close.  Once we had gone through the checkpoint (oh yeah there is a checkpoint) and done all the administrative work of deciding which package to take and what all the costs involved were, we finally began our journey through the Grand Canyon Skywalk on the West Rim.  

A little bit about the history of the Grand Canyon Skywalk on the West Rim is that it is run by the Hualapai Tribe.  The name means people of the pines so I discovered in a 45 minute conversation with a gentleman of the tribe. First stop was down to a typical old time miners village set in the era of Cowboys and Indians.  The view of the canyon was amazing and I could not wait to get a little closer to the edge.  However, not too close as I have two left feet and it is a long way down.

The second stop was the skywalk and the view from the edge of the canyon is pretty darn awesome.  So did I walk - no! Here's the deal.  I would have hated to walk on something that plunged down below me, but I was willing to do it. However, I was not going to pay $30 to walk on there and not take my camera.  Sorry, the whole idea was to be able to take photographs.  I am not just there to "see" the view I am there to "capture" the view.  Phew - that makes sense to me, and it gets me out of having to walk on a piece of glass. :)

We were welcomed at the Skywalk area with traditional American Indian music and dancing and it was a treat to experience this part of life that I have always found fascinating and wanted to learn more about. 

Another very interesting aspect of the Skywalk area is that they have created examples of how they different tribes lived in days gone back and while talking I learned so much about lifestyles, old time, migration of the American Indian, why some tribes built on plateaus, the value of building a teepee with branches of a fir tree (why they left the teepee as it was when they moved on was so that the seeds from the fir tree would fall to the ground and eventually new firs would start to grow).  I learned about traditional laws of the old days, and laws how they impacted the tribes today.  What a pleasure it was to stand and talk to this gentleman and learn a little bit about what I have always been captivated by.

They showed the different homes and sweat lodges of the various tribes and it was very interesting to see, as I have read about them and always visualized something much bigger. The lower of the two sweat lodges was used by the Navajo tribe. The notice board said "Used for ceremonial purposes, the sweat lodge accommodated four to six peopled, and was used to cleanse the mind, body and spirit.  Small stones are heated on a fire, and placed in the middle of the mud hut.  Water is then poured over the rocks to create steam.  While in the sweat lodge the participants pray to the creator"  

Our third stop was probably the most spectacular of all three with views of the canyon going wide and deep. Once again the edges had no railings, and I was careful not to get too close to the edge.  I have two left feet and it was a long, long way down.  However, the view from as close to the edge as I would venture was breath taking.

The third stop also had a minor hill you could climb to get a higher vantage point.  This is where we stopped for lunch.  Flying around us were large crows and I have to confess my black boat tailed gackles looked really small in comparison.  

This is just a small portion of the magical trip to the Grand Canyon West Rim Skywalk.  On this day I checked off one of the items on my bucket list, to be on an American Indian Reservation and to actually talk to someone about the past and the present of the culture of American Indians.  That in itself, for me, is magic. 

If you did not see the blog on the Valley of Fire which is 40 minutes out of Vegas click here

For the blog on the Las Vegas strip click here

If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my facebook page or my Flickr Page