lloydslensphotographyllc

The Unfaded Echoes Of Summer

Unfaded Echo Of Summer — Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Unfaded Echoe Of Summer” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Every September the soundtrack in my head gets stuck on Don Henley’s Boys Of Summer. I guess that the part that sticks with me is “Empty Lake, empty beach, the sun goes down alone.” The somewhat somber tone of the lyrics us so fitting for end of Summer. The song goes on to tell the story of lost love and the persistent memory of the Summer romance.

The Summers of our youth do seem to linger in our minds like the last light of the setting sun. As part of the Mtv generation, the song plays with it’s own video created from a montage of memories.

I believe that still have a few weeks of lake season left but the time has come to savor every sunset. Soon the gates of the dam will open and the waters that were once the domain of day cruisers and party barges will be the playground for kayaks and rafts as the Gauley River swells and rushes down to meet the New River and form the Kanawha. But those memories of the flat water and the life of summer will remain unfaded.

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The Last Bloom

Color Photography

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Rose Of Sharon 82019B” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at thre bottom of the article.

The last bloom on my Rose Of Sharon has folded up marking the change of season from Summer to Fall. I know that we’re still a few days away from the calendar date and the official change but God doesn’t follow our calendar. Instead He sends the change when He is ready. The wonderful colors of the wildflowers give space to the yellows, reds and oranges as the Appalachian Mountains end the growing season in a blaze of glory. At first it makes me a little sad to see the birds flying South and to see the bees fold their wings and crawl into the hive but then I think of long walks through open forests. Cool crispy mornings with a cup of coffee and fog rolling in from the river. The smell of wood smoke mingled with the aroma of a homemade stew that has simmered for hours on a woodstove.

Over the next few weeks and into October we’ll have different signs and signals that change is in the wind. From this point until spring I’ll be watching the buds on my Rose Of Sharon. As part of my natural calendar they mark the start of Spring and the end of Summer.

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Beauty Lingers

Color Photography

Gently resting in the soft purple flowers the monarch butterfly slowly opens its wings and folds them up again. The steady rhythm is mesmerizing. As I continued to watch I found myself berating in time with the wings. With each pump of wings the day’s stress and negativity just drain away. Science tells us that the reason why a butterfly does this while feeding is because it’s wing muscles are connected to it’s feeding muscles. The reason why we find this so calming is because we’re just as much a part of creation as it is. When we are out in the natural world we instinctively sync up with natural rhythems. Not in some oogie-boogie way but in the same way that water knows it’s course to the sea. If you’re in tune with yourself you’ll notice that when there’s a soft breeze that your heart rate drops a little. When the sun shines we smile more. When wildlife approaches we become still. We might have to be taught how to react but we know that something special is happening.

The Monarch lingers on the bloom long enough for my spirit to completely settle and leave the artificial world of computers behind.

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Forage Friday #25 Goldenrod

Color Photography, Forage Friday

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Golden Morning In The Mists” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Please remember that Forage Friday is only intended to be a conversation starter. I highly recommend that you do further research before trying any wild edible / medicinal plants for the first time.

As the morning mists roll back and allow the mountains to welcome the morning sun my big blue truck rolls to a stop near the defunct strip mine. The goldenrod stands tall in the the thinning fog. This specimen is large. the base of the main stem is about one quarter of an inch thick.

goldenrod is one of those plants that often catches a bad wrap. While its true that some people have an allergy to Goldenrod it’s reputation for causing hay fever is a bit distorted. The truth is that Peterson’s Field guides recommends it for treating hay fever. A lot of folks in Appalachia and in rural America in general say that honey that is made from goldenrod is the best treatment for allergies. I have wondered if it was just the presence of the pollen & nectar in the honey or if the bees somehow enhance the effect during the process of making honey. It’s also said that crushing the flowers and chewing them so that the juice is slowly swallowed can relieve a sore throat. The most common medicinal use is as a diuretic and is indicated for just about anything that increased urine flow might help. The guides also say that Native Americans would use th roots on burns.

The food uses seem to be as a tea. Both leaves and flowers can be used fresh or dried to provide a tea that has a flavor similar to anise. Here’s where we transition into the utilitarian qualities of goldenrod. Anise is not just a flavoring for old time candy. It’s used as fishing lure to enhance bait. I’d miss my guess if golden rod couldn’t be used the same way. And, if you’re a successful fisherman without a match or Bic lighter that Goldenrod stem is there to come to the rescue. The Stem of goldenrod is an almost perfect friction fire tool. I say almost because it’s a bit easy to break. Friction fire in the Eastern Woodlands is a challenge to say the least. I’ve tried several methods and devices such as bow drills and pump drills and I’ve gotten to the point of creating a thin wisp of smoke but I’ve never got the red hot coal that brings flames. However, I’m convinced that the fault was in my technique and the most successful attempts that I have ever had was using the Goldenrod stem as a drill bit.

Image Title “Black And Yellow Locust Borer On Goldenrod” available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

On the right side of the page we have a familiar sight. The “W” pattern on the back of the beetle tells me that it’s a Black and Yellow Locust Borer. While they are pretty hard on the locust trees they’re harmless to people. After they emerge from the locust tree they feed of goldenrod. In fact the sweetness of goldenrod is so attractive to insects that you’ll need to make sure that only the leaves & flowers are going into your tea.

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September Sky 2019

Color Photography

As I travel East on Route 60 just beyond the Glen Ferris Inn I’m struck by the sky above the Three Rivers. I have always been a Sky wathcher. As a little kid I’d run outside every time I heard an airplane and look for the contrails. Today I still look up and count the contrails. But eighteen years ago my world changed.

I was working as a framer in a prefab home plant. The housing bubble was just in the early stage of collapse but the company managed to give us enough work to keep the machines running. We kept a radio up at full volume but you couldn’t really hear the music well over all saws and nail guns. We were working steadily but not hard because we wanted to try and get in a full shift. Suddenly all the machinery stopped. A slight feeling of panic washed over me because the last time this happened there had been a life threatening injury on the floor. I looked up to see who had pushed the emergency stop button and why. There was no blood on the floor and that was a slight relief. Then the voice on the radio announced that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. We switched over to NPR to hear more news just in time to hear that news announcer say “Write this date down.”. One of my coworkers knelt down and wrote in the sawdust. 911, Emergency. At this point we thought about the Hindenburg going down in flames. Then the second plane hit. I was in denial and having been allowed to shadow a radar operator as a kid I said that this was some kind of routing error. Then, the Pentagon was hit. The plant manager called for an extended break so everyone could gather their thoughts and deal with the fact that we were suddenly at war on our own land. The crew moved out of the plant and into the lumber yard. I looked up to see the deepest blue sky in my entire life. The crystal blue was completely unbroken by clouds and contrails. The old gospel song Uncloudy Day began to play in the back of my mind and I felt the peace of God replace those unsteady feelings. I wasn’t really sure what the future would hold but I knew that it would be okay.

It wasn’t long after that when they closed the plant but every year on September Eleventh when the T.V. shows those images again and those who were closer to Ground Zero tell their stories I can smell the sawdust and see that deep blue sky. And I can hear Uncloudy Day in my mind and spirit.

The sky is full of contrails once again. Even though I look forward to the Uncloudy Day spoken of in the song I’m comforted by the sight of passenger jets roaring through the sky.

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