yoga tree – Dutch goes the Photo!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Anticipation

Do you quiver?

Welcome to Week 139 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

First of all, I’m running a bit behind schedule, as I am in the middle of redoing my studio space and just got the basics rewired during the past hour. There’s still the audio cabling and arranging of instruments and microphones to set up for some musical work. The end result is that I will be finishing up the weekly round up tomorrow for posting on Wednesday.

This is a perfect lead-in to this week’s theme, as the challenge is to capture Anticipation… That moment, when you know that what your heart desires is arriving soon, or maybe not… Will it or won’t it? All of us have felt the anticipation of that special day, when presents might arrive; it could be a birthday, Chanukah. Eid Al-Fitr, Sinterklaas, Christmas, or any other significant day. The look of wonder in a child’s eyes or many other possibilities.

I anticipate a truly amazing set of images, as we cross the Winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere (and Summer in the south). I’m filled with the joy of what I might get to see and read! Have fun and enjoy this season!

Here’s something we might anticipate…

Each day the Sun rises… it is something that we might take for granted, but I, for one, eagerly anticipate the beauty that the new day will bring. While it is a daily event, there is something of renewal and spiritual recharge that occurs with the birth of the Sun…

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

Anticipate the wonders of the week!

A Monday Morning Moment

Solitary moments

Moments of inspiration can arise any time of the day, as some of us are morning people, afternoon folks or night owls. There’s no rhyme or reason, that I know of, for the time of day for lighting the creative fuses, although I do understand that the distribution of preferred time of day is a tribal survival mechanism.

I’m neither a morning person nor a true night owl, although there is something about the quiet of the morning, before everything is stirring, that is very attractive to me; it allows for that meditative time, when all that surrounds us can be breathed in.

One such moments found me by the yoga tree…

2015-01-23 07.31.11 HDR-1 — *Sol, it arises!*

As it was late Winter, morning was not coming too early for me to catch it and this moment shortly after sunrise was just magical!

Have a wonderful day!

WPC Final Week – Favorites – pt. 2

The Wise Tree

The Final WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge has presented their final theme of All-Time Favorites, which, while being a bit sad that it’s their last prompt, is a great way to finish.

Today’s favorite is one that a lot of people have commented on over the years. It also is one of my favorite subjects, as I took many photos of this particular tree over the years. Yes, of course, I’m talking about the Yoga Tree, which has been the subject of many a shot. Among all those images, it is not easy to pick just one that stands out, though!

So here’s my choice…

yt-2013-11-05-img_2630 — *The Wise Tree*

The Wise Tree is one of the early captures of this wonderful tree in the series that stretched over three years. The cloud pattern is waht drew me in for this shot, and I was not disappointed when I got there!

This tree has given me much joy over the years!

Have a great day!

Awakening in the Fields

Here comes the Sun

The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge has the very hopeful theme of Awakening, which is a great way to think about sunrise!

Sunrise and sunset are probably most photographers’ favorite times of day for the beautiful light that they produce. Or course, sunset is a bit easier on most, as it doesn’t require getting up early in the morning, but for my money, there’s nothing like sunrise, particularly in Winter, as it’s crisp and refreshing!

Here’s one of those mornings…

yt-2014-12-30-07.47.47-HDR-1-Sunrise-Streaks — *Sunrise Streaks*

As the Sun comes up, the Yoga Tree stretches her limbs toward the sky in anticipation of a day filled with energy and recharging.

Have a wonderful day!

Rising in the Fields

Yoga Tree gives birth

The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge has the very hopeful theme of Rise/Set, which asks to share some of our favorite sunrises or sunsets.

There are a couple of these that come to mine, so I may do more than a single post in response to this challenge. Of course, those of you who have followed my blog for a while know what is coming next: the Yoga Tree! I have captured her beauty around the time of many sunrises, as she stood proud in the fields.

This one may be a good place to start…

yt-2013-12-12 07.21.20 HDR-1 — *Birth of the Sun*

All we need is a bit of Miles Davis’ Birth of the Cool album playing in the background, and we can be one with the Universe!

Have a wonderful day!

Posing through the Seasons

A lady stands proud!

The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge provides the theme of Variations on a Theme.

This challenge immediately made me think of a tree that has been a significant part of my photographic life: the Yoga Tree! Her variation across the seasons is nothing short of fantastic, as she adapts and graces the landscape with beauty every day.

Here are some examples of this lady of the fields:

Birth of the Sun

Stormbreaker

Cloudy Morning

Mid-Morning Sun

First Snow

Sol, it arises!

Summer Livery

Autumn’s Wisdom

Smoldering Sunrise

Monochrome

Sunrise Streaks

Autumn Begins

Autumn Beauty

Autumn Color

Winter Morning

Cool Sunrise

These days, she is surrounded by a compost farm, which is not a fitting place for a lady, so these images (and many more!) are a wonderful reminder of days gone by.

Have a wonderful day!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 90

Nothing recycled about creativity!

Welcome to the 90th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge! In the first TPC of the new year, you got to Recycle, which allowed you to take the old and have it turn into something new.

Your entries focused on everything from recycling to rediscovering and improving ourselves; lots of interesting approaches to this theme that really showed off your creativity. Thank you for another week of fun reading for me; I’m getting spoiled by all of your amazing posts!

Nature’s recycling takes us through the seasons…

Winter’s Beauty

Sol, it arises!

Summer Livery

Autumn’s Wisdom

The Yoga Tree has seen her share of recycling, as she stood across many seasons; in Autumn her leaves fall and join the undergrowth to be covered by Winter’s snow; in Spring those nutrients start their trip back into the tree, as she recovers into her full glory of Summer.

The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:

By Sarah takes us out of the old year into the new with a great steampunk look by Sarah and her husband; go check it out!
This week, pensivity101 tells us how she recycles Christmas card to create new cards; the designs look amazing!
This week’s contribution in theonlyD800inthehameau show us a poubelle, as a starting point for recycling; what’s a poubelle, you ask? Go look!
Nicole sbrings us a wonderful piece of what can be made with recycled items in Une Photo, Un Poéme; great place to sit!
Xenia’s post in whippetwisdom talks about the old becoming new with her whippets having a blast!
In Poetry, Short Prose and Walking, Frank’s poem talks of righteousness and grace, as he recycles (or refills) a bottle.
Na’ama Yehuda posted a fantastic entry that shows the lead recycler, which is something that all of us could pick up.
Danny brings us a fantastic image in Danny’s Photographs, which shows what strange animals one may find…
In Read My Thoughts, we get a view of dreamcatchers, which makes me wonder, if they recycle our dreams.
Candace’s post in Netdancer’s Musings shows how wonderful old farm equipment can be repurposed.
In Folly’s Photoworld vol. 2, Petra shares an image that is not only beautiful, but portrays a mood in stunning ways.
This week’s response by Land of Images ask the question about the boat… should it be repaired or put into a garden?
Life in Minutes shares a wonderful set of colorful bins that are just too inviting not to recycle!
In her post in Mara’s Artistry, Mara shows of her crafty side in turning recycled items into wonderful art!
In Poetry in Pictures, we get to see their daughter’s art that she made from fallen leaves; a fantastic Ganesha!
The Nomadic Architect shows off another unusual image, as it captures an installation of pots and pans that looks like flowing water.
In InquisitiveEyeBC, we get treated to a gorgeous image of glass bottles; beautifully done!
In Giggles & Tales, Stella shares a great set of images that tell the tale of recycling!
In Dream Big, Read on a Mission, we get to see a recycling campaign in action: just go check it out!
Bullyboy’s entry for this theme in Travel387 is a beautiful image of a flower, that is also recycled as a cancer drug.
What is the thing with feathers that perches in Black Body? It’s simply beautiful to look at!
Liz McCafferty writes a wonderful post about the history of the grammophone, recycling old components.
In this week’s entry from ForgivingConnects, Debbie focuses on how the old parts of herself have recycled to be the new self; we can’t ever escape our old selves, but rather recycle and improve ourselves.
In VickiMD87, we get to see some rather interesting pieces coming together, as human debris does not turn into a pearl.
Marie’s post in the New 3Rs: Retire, Recharge, Reconnect shows how our detritus can become art!
Musin’ with Susan gives us a look at how recyclables can become a magnificent sculpture!
Miriam tells the story of some birches in her garden in Showers of Blessing, as they died and were reused.
In Layue’s everyday photo blog, we get treated to a mushroom that is amazing to look at!
Miriam writes another great post in Out an’ About, where she shows the various aspects of recycling and loving life!
In Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery we get to see the art that can be created from items found in the sea; very colorful!

I hope that you enjoy these posts and let the authors know!

A Change of Heart

Yogic Seasons

The WordPress Daily Photo Challenge provides the theme of Transformation.

One of our most constant companions, that contribute greatly to our existence on this planet, are trees. These stately producers of oxygen, building material, shelter, shade and so much more, were often worshipped in ancient times for the magic they contain. My appreciation of trees has shown itself in quite a bit of my work, and, in particular, one tree: the Yoga Tree.

Over the years, the Yoga Tree has transformed herself in response to the seasons, as well as her environment, as you can see in the Winter images. She has always stood with pride and dignity, even now, when she is surrounded by the detritus that makes up a compost farm…

Here’s a look at some of her transformations…

The Wise Tree

The Lady in Snowdress

Stately in Summer

Steeped in Color

Winter’s Beauty

Color Abounds

This tree has brought me much joy over the years that I photographed her, and I hope that some of these images bring a bit of joy to those who view them.

Have a wonderful day!

Good day, Sunshine!

Wisdom and light

The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge has the wonderful theme of ooh, Shiny!; on Monday I posted a piece with a bit of reflection to celebrate a bit of occlusion of the Sun by the Moon (no totality in New England).

This time, let’s take a look back at one of the images that I still enjoy from my Yoga Tree series…

This image is definitely among the top of my list of Yoga Tree photographs, particularly, as it was one of the very early ones in the series; it was not the first, but certainly is the first to convince me that there was a lot to capture of this wondrous tree. Oh, and yes, this is an iPhone shot as well.

Hope you enjoy!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Morning

Welcome the morning!

Welcome to Week 51 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge. I really enjoyed reading through your responses to last week’s theme of Forward! There is never a shortage of creativity or directions, into which you take these challenges. A lot of fun!

So I am sitting here in the cafeteria on the 9th floor of the Red Hat tower in Raleigh, North Carolina, thinking what might be a good follow up to the past couple of weeks, while also thinking ahead toward today’s work. I was a little stymied for ideas, when Nature helped out… The sun came out from behind the clouds and stared me right in the face with this week’s theme: Morning!

We may not always enjoy getting up early in the morning, as we fumble for that first cup of coffee, but for those of us who are fans, the morning light often carries beauty with it. So, I’m challenging you to capture something that is quintessential morning, and share it with us!

As always, feel free to be creative in your interpretation of the theme, and be sure to put your best effort into creating something evocative in your images. I’m looking forward to seeing your great posts!

Here’s an image that a lot of you have seen before, that was captured during that first hour of morning…

This photo kicked off an extensive series of Yoga Tree images that lasted for several years; she graces a compost farm these days, which mars the scenery, but she’s still proud!

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

Very much looking forward to all of your great images! Should be a fun week!

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