Sunday Serenity

Embrace Sunday Serenity as a day to relax and recharge your mind and body with autumn’s beautiful hues.

Sundays are for kicking back and relaxing, so let’s take a moment and breathe in the serenity that surrounds us when we can! This particular day of the week is often a precious respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, a tranquil oasis where we can recharge and rejuvenate our minds and bodies.

Here is today’s moment…

Autumn Serenity

This image dates back from 2012, a period when I played with lots of different approaches to photography, exploring various techniques and styles that would enhance my artistic expression. In this case, I looked to let the colors speak for themselves by taking the image out of focus and allowing the eyes to take in a sense of autumn, capturing the rich hues of red, orange, and yellow that define the season. This method created a dreamy quality, evoking a nostalgic feeling, as if the viewer is transported to a serene moment in nature where time stands still, inviting reflection and appreciation for the beauty around us. The blurred edges of the image deftly guide the observer’s imagination, urging them to fill in the details with their own memories of fall and the emotions that it stirs within.

A moment of contemplation with the lovely autumnal colors reminds us of the beauty of nature during this season. As we take a deep breath, let the crisp air fill our lungs, awakening our senses and grounding us in the present moment. Engaging in this simple act of mindfulness can transform our Sundays into a more fulfilling experience. Whether it’s sipping a warm cup of spiced tea while watching the leaves dance in the wind or taking a leisurely stroll through a nearby park, immersing ourselves in the seasonal splendor can elevate our spirit and clarity. Let’s cherish this time to reflect on the week past and set intentions for the days ahead, embracing the calming influence of autumn in our lives.

Sunday Serenity

On this rainy Sunday morning, a past autumn reflection from East Haddam; this image captures the early autumn colors in the trees, enhanced by their reflection in a stream.

As the rain is coming down steadily on this Sunday morning, I thought that a quiet autumn reflection from a couple of years ago might be in order.

Here’s that thought…

Reflection on Autumn

This image came about from a bit of noodling and looking for something different, as we were photographing in East Haddam. With some early autumnal color showing in the trees, the reflection in the stream created a bit more depth of those colors.

Enjoy your moment of serenity!

Sunday Serenity

A bit of serenity at Tower Hill Botanic Garden with an eye toward the variations of green colors.

As today was a rather nice day, I decided to spend some time at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in nearby Boylston, Massachusetts. When I went there last week, all of my shooting was in the Infrared part of the spectrum. Today, I went purely for some visible light exploration, as there were many colors of all variety to enjoy.

Here’s one of the images from today’s crop…

Green Abounds!

If my searching is accurate, this is a rather healthy crop of oregano. I was drawn to the symmetries that are everywhere in this noble herb. Little star-shaped plants, reaching up ever higher as they absorb light, water and nutrients along the way.

Snowy Sunday

A snowy day is a perfect moment for Cashew, our Siberian Forest Cat. A short bit of play in the snow for this mighty hunter!

I think I mentioned on this past iPhone Friday about which one is the best camera… Another part of the photography equation is the opportunity presented by the moment, which today demonstrated beautifully. Overnight we had a lovely bit of snowfall. After clearing our driveway, I came inside and let the dogs out into the backyard, as they love playing in the snow.

Of course, that meant that one of our cats, Cashew, was rather dissatisfied. He let me know by making his snow noises, which are interesting vocalizations of excitement and displeasure at the same time.

So this happened…

The Mighty Hunter

Cashew loves the snow; he is a Siberian Forest Cat, after all, and he knows his preferred environment. He actually paws at the snow to see if there is any possible snack and is ready to pounce!

I let him have his fun for a little while, before picking him up and bringing him back inside. As we do have larger carnivores in our area, it is not safe for even a Siberian to be outside for too long.

Catnaps and Sundays

Cat photo contribution!

At some point during our week, we all look to get some time to relax and recover from the busy schedules that keep driving us forward during the workweek.  Usually, it’s not until Sunday that this time arrives, as Saturday has time for errands and other minor tasks around the house.

Unfortunately, there’s still some leftover work to be done before starting Monday’s busy schedule, but with a morning jog and a visit from my daughter it should still be relaxing.

Despie that, there is one denizen of our house that manages just fine….

Noodle’s abode

A shoebox is all that Noodle needed to relax!

The Sound of Silence

Hello, snow my old friend!

It’s Sunday in New England and it’s about to snow again… current forecast is another 12 inches of the pretty white stuff from today into Monday.  All the groceries are bought for the next couple of days, so I’m planning to go for a bit of a trek into the wonderful outdoors and maybe get a couple of photo opportunities in.  Should be fun, as I might even break out my snow shoes and give them a test.

I’m sure I won’t see anything like these, but they did cross my mind this morning…

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Starfield

This image came from a bit of experimentation a couple of years back, as I visualized going  through a field of flowery stars nearing warp speed…  It’s one of those images that is a bit unsettling visually, as my eye never completely comes to rest anywhere specifically in it.  I’m curious what it does to your eyes.

I’ll also try to get some yoga in, depending on availability and, of course, there will be some time for guitar practice.  I just got a book of Simon & Garfunkel songs and am really drawn to Sound of Silence.  Here’s a taste…

Have a wonderful day!

Relaxed Sunday – Vacation and R.E.M.

A nice day coming up!

As we’re still waiting for all the leaves that have dropped in the yard to dry out a bit from the soaking that they received over the past week, I’ll spend a bit of time shopping on this lovely Sunday.  My wife’s birthday is coming up, so I will find something of interest!

Additionally, I’ll spend a bit more time planning our vacation in Italy next year, with a bit of additional research about the lovely Chianti region.  As we’re going in mid-May, there’s plenty of time, particularly since I already have our lodging booked.

This will be our first sizeable vacation trip since our visit to Scotland in 2013; we spent some time in Maine last year that was very enjoyable, but not as long a vacation.  We’ll spend a couple of days in Rome after arriving, before going up the country, where we’ll be staying in Colordesoli for just over a week.

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Eilean Donan castle

This image is from our trip to Scotland, where Eilean Donan castle was on our list of locations that we wanted to visit.  Our trip to Italy will require a bit less driving around, as we covered over a thousand miles in Scotland 🙂

Guitar practice

There will be time for guitar practice, which has been focused on a bunch of fundamental skills over the past number of weeks, as I’m trying to create more independence in each of my fingers; it’s amazing how much our fingers are used to working together most of the time!

As I have been working on improving my fingerstyle skills, I’ll be spending some time today re-learning ‘Everybody Hurts‘ by R.E.M., which I have thus far only played using a strumming pattern.

A great song, and thanks to Justin Sandercoe of JustinGuitar, whose lessons are available on YouTube for free (it’s a good thing to support him, though, as I have done, by picking up some of his books and courses), I will have a solid starting point:

Enjoy your day!!

A Walk Through the Woods

Oxbow in Autumn

After a busy week and Saturday, I spent a little time this morning to catch up on some of the images from last weekend’s hike through the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge.  It was my first attempt at doing some further exploration of this lovely wetlands area.  After doing a bit of research, I found that the primary purpose for which the Refuge was created is its “…particular value in carrying out the national migratory bird management program.”

The Refuge’s interspersion of wetland, forested upland and old field habitats is ideally suited for this purpose. The Refuge supports a diverse mix of migratory birds including waterfowl, wading birds, raptors, shorebirds, passerines, as well as resident mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. The extensive and regionally significant wetlands occurring on and adjacent to the Oxbow Refuge, including their associated tributary drainages and headwaters, have been listed as a priority for protection under both the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986. The portion of the Oxbow NWR south of Route 2 lies within the 12,900-acre Central Nashua River Valley Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) designated by the Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs, and the portions of the Refuge north of Route 2 are included in the Squannassit ACEC due to the unique environmental characteristics and values of these wildlife habitats.
Here are some additional images from last weekend’s trek.

Color in the Pines

Even coniferous trees are showing the effect of the changing season, as some of the needles are withering on this pine in anticipation of dropping before Winter arrives.  Of course, we get to enjoy a soft bed under the tree from years of accumulated pine needles.

Leaves Preparing to Fall

As we look up to the sky, there is an interleaving pattern above us, showing the structure of individual leaves as they overlap with one another.The path is inviting, showing us the way betwixt ferns and trees with warm tones telling us of gentle strolls and comfortable temperatures.

Ancient Ferns

The persistent drought has caused these ferns to change from their familiar green to warm, yellowish tones.  Given the age of ferns, one cannot help but imagine what it would be like to be surrounded by a forest of them, listening for the stealthy approach of a flock of velociraptors… (luckily, no humanoids ever had that opportunity, except in Hollywood).

Swamp Construct

Nature has an uncanny way of presenting us with lines and colors that draw our eyes to them.  She never disappoints!

Technical Details

All images were captured with a Fujifilm X-T1

Lazy Sunday Morning

Noodle relaxes well!

Sometimes, it’s nice to just kick back and relax on a Sunday morning, while the weather passes.  There’s one member of our household who’s very good at this…

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It’s a tough cat life…

This is Noodle, our useless cat.  She’s not much of a mouser (ignores them), she spends most of her day lying around somewhere, insists in getting all over your keyboard when you’re trying to type, and only speaks up when she wants something from you.  Of course, that could just be the definition of the word ‘cat’.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Sunday Morning – Vincent

Starry, starry night!

It’s a beautiful morning this Sunday, as we’re enjoying a long weekend in the United States with Labor Day giving us Monday off.  This morning is starting with watching the Italian Grand Prix at Monza for breakfast, and then doing a bit of yard work before tomorrow’s expected rainfall; as Hermine makes her way up the Atlantic coast and depsites a bit of leftovers in New England.

After all that, I will focus on spending some quality time on guitar practice and working on a new song to learn.  Today, I have selected Don McLean’s wonderful song, Vincent, which should give me plenty of challenges.

This song should be a lot of fun to learn with the help of Justin Sandercoe, whose Justinguitar videos are a boon to learning guitar.  I will be using his video on learning Vincent for this effort:

Have a wonderful day!