After yesterday’s post about the tragedy of the swan and loss I want to get back to my normal outlook on life. It might seem odd after writing about the need for community and companionship to then blog about how much I enjoy solitude but the secret is a life with balance. I have previously said that my highway to heaven is a dirt road. A nice forest path will do even better. Even if it’s a boardwalk in a park. Just escaping from the chaotic noise and replacing it with the song birds and occasional tree frog does wonderful things to my soul. The image above was taken in the Fall but in my heart it’s always Springtime in the forest. Just thinking about it brings me to a point where I can almost smell the earthy aroma of the moss growing on a fallen log. I can hear the scurrying of tiny feet in the dry leaves. Insects are buzzing about the trunks of the trees and as they pass through the filtered light their wings are backlit giving the impression of fairies living in the woods. For a moment there’s the thumping of a grouse beating the air to establish his territory. The breeze occasionally shifts and brings the scent of wildflowers. The chaos and clamor of so called modern life is a whole world away and there is peace. Just beyond the trail is a large rock or a log that is the perfect spot for sitting. Taking time to enjoy nature is like listening to God’s whispers.
Author: lloydslensphotographyllc
I am a West Virginia native who has always loved photography. I have studied it for many years. I recently turned my hobby into a business. I do event photography, senior and family portraits. I also have several home décor prints and items available for purchase. Some of my photos have been used for book covers. I hope to soon have an on line store at this site.
The Missing
Unfortunately this is not really one my happier posts. The image above was taken at Hawks Nest State Park. The Swans were brought in to enhance the beauty of the lake formed by the flood control dam. They were a mated pair. The Swans did their job wonderfully. Gracefully floating around lake and spreading joy, peace and love to all who came to the lake. Until one person who either through ignorance or malice shot and killed one of them. Shortly thereafter, the other got sick and died. Why would someone do such a thing as to kill the swan? I don’t know exactly. I try not to attribute to malice that which can be explained as ignorance. What kind of weapon was used? The truth is death doesn’t come in degrees and except for the amount of suffering the swan endured it doesn’t matter. One of the things that I love about nature is simplicity. To the surviving swan all that matters is the emptiness. She doesn’t perceive any difference between a gun, bow & arrow, catapult, wolf, coyote or oncoming traffic. Gone is gone and that’s it.
In the early days of the internet I became a fan of the late Ron Hood and his Hood’s Woods survival blog. I don’t if the rules originated from him or if he just promoted them but here is the rules of three for survival.
1. You can live three minutes without air.
2. You can live three hours without shelter.
3. You can live three days without water.
4. You can live three weeks without food. (under the right conditions)
5. You can only survive three months without love.
Love is just as essential to life as anything on the list. Without love a person’s body goes on but the soul begins to die. However, there is hope. As long as the body can continue to function a love life can be restored. Not only can you be restored but you can come back stronger and happier than ever before. Just like in physical survival emotional survival relies on the ability to adapt and continue the journey. In physical survival we have to adapt our diet. Nobody has been saved by finding a spectacular pizza tree in the deep forests. In emotional survival we have to hold onto the love and respect of friends and family. We have to just keep moving forward with determination until the point of rescue. Never fail to offer a stranger a smile. It may be returned with the potential of a friendship that becomes more. Don’t be afraid to hug someone. You may just find out that they are waiting for you to rescue them back. The swans were brought here and isolated. The surviving swan had no community to draw on for support. We don’t have to be alone. If you’re hurting today the best advice I can give you is to go out and find at least one person who could use a friend and then be one.
Two Sunshine Blogger Awards in one week
I want to give a big thank you to Bartek for not only nominating me for a Sunshine Blogger Award and for the opportunity to take part in some creative writing. (The link takes you to part one of Unknown Destiny team write)
- If you could hear colours, how would your favourite colour sound? A) I think green sounds like a shady spot on a warm day
- If you could enter a world from a book or movie, what would it be? A) I think I could live in the world of Star Trek without too much “tribble” 😉
- When reading this sentence. ‘Proper punctuation makes all the difference between a sentence that’s well written, and a sentence that’s, well, written.’ do you feel like you need to work on it like me? A) yes, I rely heavily on my wife to be my editor.
- Midas touch or healing touch? A) HEALING TOUCH EVERY TIME
- If life could have background music, but only 3 songs, what would they be? A) I’m not sure. But I would need one high energy song, one song for romance and one worship song
- Your 1 wish can come true, no limits, what would it be? A) Solomon wished for wisdom and by it he gained everything else.
- If you could become an animal/creature, real or mythological what would you be? A) I’m going to cheat a little bit and say a shape shifter like Odo from Space 9.
- Over one night you can learn 3 out of 6909 languages that are spoken in the world today. What are they? A) Algonquin, Gaelic and Latin
- What superpower do you desire? A) flight
- Which of your blog posts are you most proud of? A) I don’t think I have a a favorite post but working with stone has been the most popular most popular. https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/2018/02/25/working-with-stone-and-hearts-of-stone-too
- Did you ever experience unexplained/paranormal event? can you describe it? A) I had a close encounter of the first kind. It was a classic red orb ufo that lit up the whole mountain. I am experienced with military flares and it was no flare. However, I do think that it’s earthly technology that has not been introduced to the public.
And as usual, I am leaving it up to voluntarily tagging yourself. Just leave a comment below so I can see who picks up the challenge 😁
Sunshine Blogger Awards number one
I want to thank Sophia for the Sunshine Blogger Award and especially for the kind words she used to describe my blog. I always look forward to her posts as well. Please visit Sophia’s blog and you’ll see right away what makes her special!
And Her Questions Are:
1) What is something that excites you these days?
A) The idea of homesteading.
2) What is your spirit animal?
A) I guess I’m going with my Border Beagle. He was a gift from God.
3) What is the best advice someone has given you?
A) I was taught the difference between being told what to think and how to think.
4) What was your first blog post and would you change anything about it now?
A) My first post was rather bland.
5) What is your favorite post ever written?
A) I don’t think I have a a favorite post but working with stone has been the most popular most popular.
https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/2018/02/25/working-with-stone-and-hearts-of-stone-too/
6) Which philosopher just gets you?
A) I’ve never studied philosophy formally. Most of my ideals are biblical. My core beliefs include personal autonomy and a distaste for anything that interferes with a natural state of being.
7) Where are you from?
A) West Virginia, USA.
8) What inspired you to start blogging?
A) I sell prints of my photography. My blog is basically advertising for my business.
9) Who is your favourite person in the world and why?
A) My Wife Angela. Why? We have true love. True love doesn’t just happen. It’s continuing process.
10) How would the people closest to you describe you?
A) I hope that they would say that I’m a good person in spite of my many flaws.
11) Invent your own question and answer it!
A). It was suggested that I tell a little bit about a prank involving a fake snake. This is a pretty common prank in my area. I have some friends who are only afraid of three kinds of snakes.
1. Live ones.
2. Dead ones.
3. And Fake Ones!
In the 90s I was on the overnight crew of a large store. I was stocking some shelves and found a damaged bag of balloons which would need to be turned back in to the supplier for a credit. There was balloons of every color include one long, slender, black balloon. It got my attention because it seemed out of place in the colorful bag of rainbow colors and short round festive bubbles if joy. My inner villain began to form a master plan. I snickered as I tucked the odd balloon in my shirt pocket. I coolly began to ask my coworkers if they knew anything about a snake being spotted in the warehouse. In reality we had a mouse problem and when there’s mice the snakes will follow. There was lots of denial and calls of B.S. but soon I heard people asking each other and I knew my trap was set. Everyone was in the break room for lunch when I blew up the balloon and knelt down outside of the door. Feigning panic I screamed “I told you that there’s a snake in the store!” and released the jet powered rubber torpedo into the room. I was rewarded with the chaos that I sought to induce as soda bottles and plastic forks filled the air. One person was even setting in a chair climbing up an invisible tree. One person who was the oldest and wise was not fooled however. It’s said that youthful vigor can never overcome experience and treachery and that is the truth. She didn’t panic at all. Without missing a beat (no pun intended) she faked a heart attack! She won final victory in the prank war to say the least. 😂
Okay folks, as regular followers know I’m uncomfortable tagging others. As usual, I’m leaving it open to voluntarily picking up the challenge. Just use the same questions as above and above and leave a link in the comments so I can see your answers. The challenge is open to the public so feel to introduce yourself 😁
The First signs of Spring
The days are noticeably longer in the Appalachian mountains. Mother nature has begun to open her sleepy eyes. The buds on the trees have begun to swell and some of early flowers will be in bloom in just a few weeks. We’re still expected a few cold days and a spring snow is quite common in the end of March or early April. The Southern breeze occasionally peeks up out of the Gulf of Mexico to share warm kisses and hasten the thaw. Soon it will be time to plant gardens and make plans for cookouts and family gatherings. Most of all, there’s opportunity to find a nice quiet spot and just breathe in nature.
The tree in the image above grows in a park next to New River Gorge Bridge. The bridge is over 3000 feet long (924 m) and 876 feet high (276 m)
The catwalk under the bridge is open to the public and tourists can walk out over the gorge. I have texted with and seen pictures of one of the engineers walking the steel beams without a net or safety line. But I digress.
With the weather warming up I hope to bring you some fresh images of West Virginia. Our mountains and valleys are truly beautiful in the Spring.
LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 