lloydslensphotographyllc

Winter And Wild Teas

In the natural world winter is a time for rest. The animals tend to stay in their dens. The hardwood trees are in a deep sleep as are the bears. Even the deer find a nice place in the deep woods where they can shelter from the cold. The days are still short and the cold nights are long. Just perfect for deep rest.

The giant elm tree in tonight’s feature image is just as beautiful in the winter as it is with its leaves on in the warmer months. One of the special treats of the colder months when I was a kid was bark teas. I’d be careful about where I harvested the bark (see note below) but elm actually has a nice spicy flavor. Several years ago I was able to try it for the first time. Traditionally it’s used for sore throats and colds ( I’m not a doctor or a certified anything so this is historical statement and not medical advice) due to the gelatinous fiber it yields. The flavor is similar to the Balsam Poplar that grows in higher elevations. In just a few months the buds will begin to swell and they make a good tea as well. In the old days, the Basswood (Linden or Lyme in Europe) buds were a source of winter food for my ancestors. Winter hikes in my teens always included stopping by a grove of black birch for a handful of wintergreen flavored twigs to nibble on. Sassafras was also a wonderful bark tea with an aroma that filled the house. There’s also the Carolina Spicebush who’s twigs provide a very lemon like flavor and the red berries of the stag horn sumac which has to be filtered well but gives us a pink lemonade in winter.

Perhaps that’s why I like this big old elm tree so much. It’s not only because it’s awesome to look at but it reminds me of all the cool stuff that the Appalachian forests provide even in winter.

(NOTE: WHILE THE TREES AND FOOD USES MENTIONED IN TONIGHT’S POST WERE TRADITIONALLY USED IN APPALACHIA THERE ARE HAZARDS AND FOOD ALLERGIES TO CONSIDER. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ELM IN TONIGHT’S POST IS GROWING NEAR A PLACE WHERE HAZARDOUS SOIL CONTAMINATION IS A RISK AND THEREFORE I WOULD CONSIDER THIS PARTICULAR TREE UNSUITABLE FOR CONSUMPTION. IT’S A SAD REALITY OF THE MODERN WORLD AND JUST NOT WORTH THE RISK. MCHM IS IN USE IN THE REGION AND LOCALS KNOW ALL TOO WELL THAT BY THE TIME A SPILL IS REPORTED IT’S ALREADY TOO LATE TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION. )

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

Antique Service Desk Bell — Ring this bell for Facebook

Recently, I’ve been made aware that many of my posts on Facebook are being buried in the feed. So, if you don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website at the bottom of theWelcome Page

Tonight’s Feature Image is “The Big Elm At London West Virginia 12.27.18” and is available for purchase by usingthe Contact Form on my website. ( just click on the the bell below)

(Note, I do not share or sell contact information. EVER)

4X6 is $5.00

5X7 is $10.00

8X10 is $15.00

Some cropping may be necessary for certain sizes.

Antique Service Desk Bell in Black and White — Ring this bell to order prints or schedule portraits

I’m also available for portraits by appointment. Use the Contact Form or message me on Facebook for details.

The Road Ahead

Color Photography

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is traditionally the period when people say goodbye to the past and hello to the future. It’s one of those in between times when anything can happen. Where past and present meet to determine the future. People are beginning to think about New Year’s resolutions. We have a tendency to review a list of “never agains” and “I’m gonnas”. When I looked over my own list I started to realize that both the “I’m gonna” list and the “never again” list was the same thing. It was just two different ways of expressing regret. Perhaps a better way to say it is that regrets come in two flavors. Regret that’s rooted in what did and regret that is rooted in what I didn’t do. The more I examined and thought about my list the more I realized that it was reliving those regrets on a daily basis that was holding me to past. I would pick a few of these regrets and base my New Year’s resolutions on the feeling of regret. Here’s the problem. I carried the regret into the New Year and always wound up repeating that pattern. What I had was a self identity problem. I was viewing myself as the guy who always does the things that brings regret. I was defeating my own purposes before I could even get started. After a little more contemplation I decided that the feeling of regret should be treated like an alarm clock. It’s something that’s only supposed to wake us up but not something that keeps us awake. If we hold onto it then it becomes like an anchor that holds us to the past.

So, this year why not try to address this resolution thing not with a list of regrets but a list of opportunities. Opportunities to change the overall patterns of action/inaction by seeing yourself as the person who owns the moment and is capable of forging them into a bright future.

Tonight’s Feature Image is “The Bright Day Ahead” and is available for purchase by usingthe Contact Form on my website. ( just click the picture of the bell below)

(Note, I do not share or sell contact information. EVER)

4X6 is $5.00

5X7 is $10.00

8X10 is $15.00

Some cropping may be necessary for certain sizes.

I’m also available for portraits by appointment. Use the Contact Form or message me on Facebook for details.

The One True Gift

Christmas, Color Photography

The Most Recognizable Christmas Decoration is of course the Nativity Scene itself. When I was a kid it was just as common as the Snowman and Santa Claus are today. Every village square and every church yard displayed a large manger scene with livestock, wise men, shepherds and angels. Almost every home had a rustic miniature nativity that seemed to be either on the coffee table or the large stereo cabinet in the living room.

The secular world certainly has lots of questions about where Jesus was born, how he was born and they’re quick to point out that December 25th was not his real birthday. Yeah, we knew that already. And it doesn’t matter. My faith is not in the date. My faith is not in how many wise men actually showed up. It doesn’t matter if he was born in a manger or under a tree and then brought into the manger later. My faith is in the identity of the child who was given out of the love of my creator for all of mankind. My salvation is in the fact that Jesus was both God and Man and that his innocent blood would be shed thirty three years later to bring reconciliation between us and father God. It’s just that simple. And, if I can just hold on to the truth of why we celebrate and who we celebrate then it truly is Christmas every day.

Normally I end my blog post by pitching my business and instructions on how to contact me or follow my page but tonight I wanted to take a break and just give you something from the heart. Tonight’s image is untitled and not for sale. It’s simply a confession of my faith. That though Jesus Christ I was reconciled unto God almighty. There’s a Christmas gift for ya. From reconciliation to redemption and the things God has in store for the believer beyond this broken world.

Merry Christmas friends and may God bless us every one.

Tomorrow night there will be no post. I’m taking Christmas Day off to spend time with family. My next post will be on December 26th.

The Star Of Bethlehem

Christmas, Color Photography

Tonight I want to Continue with looking into the meaning behind Christmas decorations with the Star Of Bethlehem. Today it’s either used as a topper for the Christmas Tree or displayed as part of the Nativity Scene. As I researched for tonight’s post I was amazed at the number of articles that try to figure out how to make the Star into some explainable cosmic event such as a Supernova, Comet or an alignment of the planets. That would make it easier to explain away the miraculous birth of the Messiah. As if all that happened was that the Magi studied star charts and calculated when the event would occur. While I believe that there was a certain amount of looking for signs that would lead up to the appearance of the Star Of Bethlehem I believe that the Star Of Bethlehem itself was a special creation of God that existed only for a limited time to fulfill the Prophecy.

Numbers 24:17
“I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.”

What I learned most while reading up on the Star Of Bethlehem was that in trying to deconstruct a miracle it’s so easy to lose it. How often do we pray for answers and then try to explain those answers away? We all do that at some point in life. Outside of the obvious symbol of Star in fulfillment of prophecy I think that the Star on the top of the Christmas Tree should remind us to simply trust and follow. If we can learn that the God will do the rest.

Standing in for the Star Of Bethlehem in tonight’s feature image is the full moon as seen through a cross six lens filter.

Tonight’s Feature Image is untitled but is available for purchase by usingthe Contact Form on my website. ( just click the picture of the bell below)

(Note, I do not share or sell contact information. EVER)

4X6 is $5.00

5X7 is $10.00

8X10 is $15.00

Some cropping may be necessary for certain sizes.

I’m also available for portraits by appointment. Use the Contact Form or message me on Facebook for details.

A Short Pause For Family

Christmas, Color Photography, Landscapes

Today I have spent the entire day with my extended family celebrating our traditional Christmas. Because the evening’s events went a little longer than expected (which is a good thing) my post is actually going to come after midnight. We’ll pickup with the meaning behind Christmas decorations on Sunday Evening (December 23rd ). Tomorrow night we’ll be looking into the star on top of the tree. I hope everyone has had as much of a blessed day as I have.

Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Hemlocks In Winter 2018” and is available for purchase by usingthe Contact Form on my website. ( just click the picture of the bell below)

(Note, I do not share or sell contact information. EVER)

4X6 is $5.00

5X7 is $10.00

8X10 is $15.00

Some cropping may be necessary for certain sizes.

I’m also available for portraits by appointment. Use the Contact Form or message me on Facebook for details.