lloydslensphotographyllc

Forage Friday #18. Autumn Olive, The Forbidden Fruit

Autumn Olive 7310 — Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image was taken specifically for Forage Friday and has been given the title “Autumn Olive 7319”. All of the photos are my original work and are available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Autumn Olive was first brought into North America in 1830 as an ornamental plant and in the 1950s when wildlife habitat was a concern Autumn Olive was recommended by the government as a choice plant to fill that need. And for a good reason too. This shrub prefers soil that is low quality and actually helps to revitalize fertility. The berries are favored by game birds like quail. And they spread the seeds.

The fruit is also edible for humans. It’s tart but sweet and used to make jams. I have eaten them raw as a trail snack but in researching for this article I learned that they are used by some people as a tomato substitute. I even noticed that the internet provides an Autumn Olive ketchup recipe. The fruit is known to be rich in lycopene as is tomatoes. I’ll leave the thrill of discovery up to reader. It won’t be hard because those who are Autumn Olive advocates are eager to share knowledge.

I have stated in the title that Autumn Olive was a forbidden fruit. The plant it highly competitive and shortly after recommending it as a good conservation shrub the government jerked away it’s endorsement and denounced Autumn Olive as an invader. I suppose that it’s true. Autumn Olive is very disease and pest resistant as well as a prolific reproducer. Many of native shrubs that compete for its niche are just squeezed out. It’s even illegal to buy or sell in some places. However, if it’s already wild in your area then don’t let it go to waste. And don’t be fooled by the name Autumn Olive. Tonight’s feature image was taken on July 3rd and the berries are already turning red.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Lloyds Lens Photography web link — Click here to visithttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me on Facebook or Use the Contact form. The YouTube link below takes you one of my slideshows.

https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

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! Simply message me on Facebook oruse 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.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer.

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

Where Sunshine Gatherers

Color Photography, poetry, wildlife

Sunshine gatherers where smiles are born and eyes connect.

With each shared laugh a sunbeam is created and a shadow is defeated.

Where the warmth of a heart is given in pure joy the light lingers.

In these places where the spirit of love is grown the sunshine is sewn.

This happiness takes form and reaches towards the sky, as bright yellow flowers that catch the eye.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

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! Simply message me on Facebook oruse 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.

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

Quiet Reflections

Color Photography, Summersville Lake

The Greeks had a saying that “In wine there is truth, in water there is health. ” I have always understood that the first half of the proverb related to how one who has indulged himself with a bit too much grape loses inhibition and blurts out whatever he’s thinking. The fullness of the proverb’s meaning impacted my mind when a college roommate stumbled in after a night on the town. He weaved and bobbed his way to the bed and fell into it face first. As the alcohol took away his sense of equilibrium he slowly rolled over and said “Stop the world. I want to get off.” Of course he was creatively referring to the room spinning but his expression kinda stuck with me all these years.

The pace that we keep in the modern world is definitely a dizzying experience. The pattern that I’ve noticed is that we binge on experience. We work long hours and come home to eat, watch T.V. and surf the web. Even when we get a chance to stop and catch a breath, relaxation is done with a counterproductive sense of urgency. It’s like we have never left the rat race at all.

The fishing pier in tonight’s feature image is set in the exact same place where I used to go and just sit by the water. I typically had a Zebco 33 rod and reel with an artificial bait. I didn’t really care if I caught any fish because the gear was just an excuse to be there and watch the water. It was my way of stopping the outside world and exiting the pace for a little while. More often than not I wound up playing with the local bluegills by allowing them to chase the lure all the way to shore. The simplicity of the action allowed me to be distracted just enough to allow deeper thoughts to come to the surface. I could have a conversation with God instead of reciting a wish list and calling it a prayer. It was a way to hit the reset button in my mind and clear all the programs that had locked up in mid process.

Today I don’t really do is much fishing as I do just setting by the water and listening to the birds or watching the butterflies play in breeze. The important thing is to sequester myself away from the pace of the outside world and recharge my batteries.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

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! Simply message me on Facebook oruse 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.

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

Learning To Fly

Color Photography

Hello friends!Tonight’s feature image is titled “Fire Cloud 101008” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Once upon a time a young boy stood on top of a windy ridge and opened his jacket. He placed his hands firmly into the pockets and held the jacket out as tightly as his little arms could muster. He was convinced that he could become a living kite. He didn’t fly of course. Even if he jumped as high as he could the wind simply refused to carry him.

I suppose that I’ve been obsessed with flight ever since I can remember. I tried everything that my imagination could conceive. I would run down the hallway as fast as I could and launch myself into the air Superman style arching my back in order to create more lift. I was less than ten years old and every time that we had library days at school I would look for books on airplanes. By the time I was leaping into my bed I already knew about the Bernoulli principle for lift and wing warping for steering. I didn’t really understand the mathematical formulas involved in the books but I figured I’d get the hang of it once airborne.

If you want to learn how to fly like a super hero you need to practice. At one point we had access to some old mattresses. We piled them up a few feet from the porch and would jump into them. Each jump was an effort to expiriment with a new flight technique. I even tried holding onto a couple of balloons. No dice. The mattress stack won again.

The next best thing to flying in the air is flying in water. I knew that because I saw astronauts on T.V. practice weightlessness in a pool. I didn’t have a pool but I did have a lake. There was a high embankment near the official swimming hole with more than enough room to get a run at the edge. I tried everything. The three step and leap into air, the dead run and leaping from a fishing pier. Finally out of desperation I stumbled upon the secret. The combination of a cape and goggles. The beach towel was about the right length so I tied the corners around my neck and lowered my goggles into place. I took a deep breath and held it for a moment. Then a second breath without exhaling. I was inflating myself like a balloon. I backed up into the hot, sharp gravel of the parking lot and ignored the pain as I exploded forward. As I got the wind at the edge of the embankment I arched my back and felt gravity forget me. I was flying! In my initial excitement I lost concentration and gravity found me again but I know that for at least a half of a second I was flying not falling! Overjoyed with my success I giggled and lost the balloon effect. The splashdown not only dislodged my goggles but ripped my makeshift cape from my neck. Thankfully the water wasn’t too deep and after catching my breath I was able to retrieve the towel. Subsequent attempts to duplicate a split second of flight were unsuccessful and I knew it was because the cape got wet and heavy.

The real magic of childhood is not believing that impossible exists. As adults we accept that certain things cannot be accomplished and we give up rather than waste time. As a young boy I worked with what I had to achieve a goal and refused to give up because I believed in the dream. As an adult I know it takes a machine to get airborne but the point is that if a person wants to achieve a goal they’ll find a way to make it happen as long as they don’t know that it’s impossible. They will study and practice and improvise until it happens.

I hope you have enjoyed tonight’s semi-fictional story but more importantly I hope that you continue to work on making your dreams a reality. Even if it means buying an airline ticket and leaving the cape behind. It was only a few short years after leaping into Summersville Lake with a towel for a cape that I achieved my goal of flying by taking the yoke of a Cessna 152. A flight that actually passed over the spot that I used to leap from.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

The Singer

Color Photography, wildlife

Near the boat launch below Kanawha Falls is wonderful old sycamore tree with a hollow base. The old tree has survived a multitude of floods and it roots are exposed so naturally I’m looking down as I pass beneath it’s beaches. Just a few feet above my head I heard the rustling sounds of something moving through the leaves. A tiny hunter soon emerged from a clump of leaves and began to watch me with a serious intensity. Apparently I was encroaching upon his hunting grounds. In an effort to point out that I was being very rude he flitted and fluttered from twig to twig and each time he paused to check my reaction. I snapped the feature image during one of those pauses. However, the thrush remained unimpressed and continued his nonverbal rant. Not being one to hang around when I’m unwanted I continued on to the edge of the launch to capture the falls and hydroelectric plant in my lens.

Kanawha Falls 71119 — The falls and hydroelectric plant on 7-11-19

I wasn’t out of the thrush’s territory for long when I thanked with a beautiful song from his his branches

There are times when I wish that I had a full range of audiovisual equipment and could fully immerse you the experience. There’s something about a thrush’s song that just exudes happiness. I was able to find a decent YouTube video of a thrush’s song for you.

Waking up to the thrush’s song is one of the best things about the warm months. There’s was a time when I preferred to sleep with the windows open because there was no air conditioning. I would fall asleep to the Whip-poor-will and wake up to the thrush. It always seemed to herald a good day to hear those joyful notes.

As I made my way back to the big blue truck I was careful not to disturb my little friend among the branches.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤