lloydslensphotographyllc

Transition 2020

New River Gorge Bridge 123119. — Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “New River Gorge Bridge 113119” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

As I look up to the engineering marvel that spans the canyon before me the cold winter wind nips at ears. The New River Gorge sleeps on gathering it’s strength for the oncoming Spring. Even the river seems particularly tranquil as the cold water slips by beneath the Tunney Hunsaker Bridge.

The significance of this place on this day isn’t lost in me. I stand in a place of transition on a day of transition.

As I said the other day I make no resolutions for New Year’s Day but instead will make small course corrections throughout the year. In 2019 I learned that transition itself is a lifelong process. As humans we are in a constant state of flux. We’re either moving closer to our goals or drifting away from them. If we wait for one day out of the year to maintain course we’ll spend our whole lives adrift.

What will 2020 hold for us? Whatever we make it into.

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Playing On The Gauley River

Color Photography

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Morning Play On The Gauley River 111619” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

The mists rise early on the Gauley River foretelling an oncoming rain. The birds scramble to gather food and thicken their nests against cool damp air that comes with winter in these mountains. As the water laps over the painted sandstone pebbles I realize than my breathing has slowed to match the sounds of ripples as the river ebbs and flows over the river’s edge. The blue mountains peek out over the tree tops to observe the game as I gather smooth stones one at time and skim them across the surface of the river.

There’s something to be said for maintaining simplicity in your life. The uncomplicated act of casting a little round stone into the flow in an effort to make it jump and dance pushes away all of the chaos that comes with outside world. In all of nature the importance of playing in the life of adults is obvious. It doesn’t really have to be a demanding game . There’s no need for a point system and you don’t really need competition. You just need it to occupy enough of your mind to push back the demands on your life’s energy.
It doesn’t matter if it’s skipping stones or tossing cards into a hat. It’s a little way to take back part of your ownership of life.

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The Beautiful Little Box

black and white photography, Color Photography

Seedbox 122719 BW — Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Seedbox 122719BW” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

I can hear the small birds chirping just out of sight as creep along the ditch on the little side road below the interstate highway. Winter has definitely given us a mild start and the warm weather has given me an opportunity to grab a few extra photos between errands. I stopped in this spot because I caught a glimpse of some dark blue berries as I drove by. As I approach the vine to investigate I realized that I was surrounded by hundreds of tiny cube shaped seedheads. The top of each little box seems to be decorated with a finely carved relief carving. The ornamentation gives the little box the look of something one might find in a Victorian home. One pore in the center of the ornamentation allows seeds to escape. The seeds themselves are so small that hundreds of them will fit on the surface of a U.S. dime. The plant itself is nearly five feet tall.

I remembered seeing an example of the seedhead in one of my guide books but it’s not listed as food or medicine so I never really paid much attention to it. In fact it took me a couple of hours on Google just to confirm the name. Locally it’s been called rattlebox because the dry box shaped pods do make a slight rattling noise but there’s also a poison plant called rattlebox and several that go by rattleweed. So the most widely used common name is “Seedbox”. The scientific name is Ludwigia alternifolia. The genus Ludwigia tells me that it’s the same family as the primrose that adorns the edges of my yard with large yellow flowers in summer and us actually capable of listening for bees to come close. (Primrose actually sweetens it’s nectar in response to the buzzing of bees). The species name alternifolia tells me that the leaves alternate up the stem instead of growing in parallel. In this time of year the plant takes on a beautiful orange color.

The orange color of Seedbox in late December.

As a part of the ecology of Appalachia and beyond Seedbox seems to be a food source for several insects but small butterflies were named on several links.

A very small butterfly takes a break in the gravel. One of many that feeds on Seedbox.

The flower of the Seedbox closely resembles a primrose only smaller and it has that happy yellow color that makes is suitable for certain spots on my property as part of my native landscape and the fact that it attracts butterflies makes it more desirable. As a bonus we also get the beautifully designed box in winter. Image Titled “Seedbox 122719C”

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The Edge Of Destiny

Color Photography

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Where Dreams Awaken” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Standing on the edge of reality one realizes the the junction of what is and what may be. There is that place where hopes and dreams intersects with strength of will and determinations. We forge our destiny like steel by tempering our failures into victory. Steel is heated, folded and hammered over and over again until all the impurities are brought to the top and removed. The steel is then shaped to its given purpose and a balance is struck between hardness and flexibility. Only after being shaped and tested is it polished and given it’s final edge.

Achieving a goal is the same. We are put through the fire and hammered over and over again to bring out our faults and weaknesses so that they can be removed. We’ll be tested over and over again and tempered by the master maker until we have the right mix of hardness and flexibility to meet our purpose.

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I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

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Forage Friday #39 Virginia Creeper ( by special request)

Forage Friday

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “The Creeper On The Stairs” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Before we dig into tonight’s Forage Friday post I have to address an issue that was raised by a comment on one of the Facebook groups I share with. The commenter said that she had trouble with trespassers “foraging” on her property. And that she had to involve the police because of the damage done to the plants she had reserved for her own use. So, in no way, shape or form should anyone enter private property without permission from the landowner.

Today I received an email from Annette who wanted to ask about Virginia Creeper. Specifically, if it could be used to make rope. The answer is yes. But, there are better options. Virginia Creeper is a strong flexible vine native to the Appalachian Mountains. It’s often mistaken for poison ivy but Virginia Creeper has five leaves per cluster where poison ivy only has three leaves per cluster. Both vines can have what’s called prop roots that hold them to the sides of structures and trees so without the leaves it can be hard to tell the difference. Especially with young vines that are the size one might use to lash poles together for a shelter. One of the identification factors for Virginia Creeper is that it’s tendrils branch out and end in little disks.

I have never had an allergic reaction to Virginia Creeper but in research for this article I learned that some people do get a rash but it’s mild.

As cordage the use of Virginia Creeper seems to be in baskets. The supple vine is woven between limber twigs and is strong enough to hold a moderate amount of weight.

A better option for cordage might be spruce roots which are both stronger and more flexible but in a lot West Virginia spruce is not as available as Virginia Creeper. Another good option would be young grape vines.

Virginia Creeper is not a type of grape but is a “cousin” of grape. However Virginia Creeper berries are listed as toxic with a list of nasty symptoms of poisoning.

In spite of the warnings of a possible rash Peterson’s Field Guide says that Native Americans used the leaves of Virginia Creeper to treat the rash of poison sumac and that the leaves are used in combination with vinegar to wash wounds. But, this is something that I do not have firsthand knowledge of and therefore I can’t really say if it works.

The most common use for Virginia Creeper is in landscaping. The vine can be planted as a way to provide shade and turns a beautiful velvety red in Fall.

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