Color Photography – Page 128 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

Rainy Days On The Kanawha River

The rain falls gently into the landscape surrounding my Appalachian home. Each drop momentarily dances on the Kanawha River before merging with the waters and joining in the flow. I often wonder about the hidden landscapes beneath the rivers. The lake is drained every year and even though it’s never really completely empty we can still see much of what’s hidden. The old foundations of Gad and the broken roads become visible.

The hidden landscape of Salmon Run including an underwater bridge.

But whatever lays beneath the deep places of the river are always a mystery. I imagine deep canyons patrolled by packs walleye and dark underwater caves guarded by monstrous catfish. I wonder if they look up with same sense of simple amazement at the ripples on the surface? Do they understand their connection to the sky and know that their world falls from the heavens in tiny little drops that dance in joy before joining the great flow towards the oceans?

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Alone On The River

Color Photography

A few leaves cling to the branches and the river has taken on the cool green hue it often shows in winter. Most of the songbirds have either moved South or settled in for the winter. The cold North wind whispers a lulaby as it moves through the empty forest. My big blue truck eases off of the pavement and into gravel lot on the edge of the Kanawha River.

At the far range of my lens the single sycamore stands tall among the maples and oaks. The pure white barks also stands out giving the tree the appearance of priesthood. The sycamore reaches skyward with its limbs asking God for protection from the winter storms on behalf of its sleeping wooden flock.

It’s not hard to imagine that the sycamore is a priestly tree. In the Book of Exodus chapter 15:25 God instructs Moses to cast a tree into bitter waters to make them sweet. I’ve always imagined that it was a sycamore tree. Partly because the sycamore has the ability to filter contaminated water.

Wilderness survivalists are taught to tap into a sycamore tree to get a drink in areas where the water isn’t thought to potable. Special cells in the vessels of sycamore function like a filter to clean the water. It’s not a magic bullet but it’s said to be effective in removing waterborne diseases. Chemical contamination might be a different story though.

Yes. The sycamore has to be a special tree indeed I tell myself as the wintery scene echoes in my lens.

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Forage Friday #36 Basswood

Color Photography

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image was taken just for Forage Friday. All of the photos are my original work and are available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

It’s said that only God can count the number of trees there are in a seed. And one of most unique seeds on my mountain is the Basswood. (Known as lime it linden by my European readers. ) Basswood gets it’s name from the fibrous inner bark that comes in interwoven strands that was called bass in the old days. The bass is best collected from wood that’s been dead for the few days but once you have it it’s made into cordage by twisting and coiling. The resulting cords can me made into fairly strong rope or baskets.

The wood from Basswood is best known for carving. It’s fairly soft and easy to shape by beginners. But it’s also the secret behind Viking shields. The wood is relatively easy to peel into sheets. These sheets were then layered in a way that is similar to the way plywood is made today. The trick is to make the grain of the wood criss cross on a 90 degree angle so that the layers support each other. The Vikings held the layers together with a glue made from milk. Think of how tough it is to scrape melted and dried cheese out of a dish and you’ll get idea of how strong the milk glue is. A final layer of linen was glued on and painted. The whole shield would be reinforced with either an iron ring or laminated linen. This technique lasted well into the Renaissance .

Defense from roving bands of Viking raiders isn’t really a priority today but the Basswood is still a tree with a lot to offer. The mildly sweet flowers are a favorite food for honey bees and are collected by herbalists. The tea made from linden flowers is used for a wide variety of issues. The properties of the tea are said to be especially useful for colds and flu. The tree is rich in mucilage ( a slimy type of plant fiber that also found in okra ) which is soothing to sore throats and believed to help congestion of the airways. The linden flowers are also said to be a mild sedative as well as help fight inflammation. ( as always please remember that I have no medical training and I’m only pointing out interesting tid-bits with the intention of providing a conversation starter. )

The food value of Basswood is if particular interest to me. Not only does it provide honey (with help from the bees ) but it can also feed us directly. Several of my primitive serval books talk about the spring buds being used to thicken stews. Or that can be steamed and eaten by themselves. The young leaves if Basswood have been useful in salad. Older leaves are edible but not as tasty. They can also be a little tough if they’re too mature. There’s about thirty species of tilia ( The scientific name of Basswood) and this quality might vary depending on the species and growing conditions. The food potential for Basswood makes it a desirable tree for those who might live in areas with limitations on gardening since it’s mainly grown as landscaping. A single tree planted as landscaping probably won’t feed you all year round but the option of collecting the flowers for a high quality tea could provide a source of enjoyment and give you that sense of accomplishment that all gardeners have.

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A Quick Stop At Gauley Bridge And Morning Memories

Color Photography

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

The fog gently floats on the surface of the river as the Sun breaks through the gap between two mountains. The small birds below the bridge quickly scatter into what’s left of the high weeds along the banks of the river. They get quiet but the still flit around a bit rustling the dead leaves. Sometimes there’s a heron in the shallow edges but today it’s decided to stay on the roost until it warms up a bit. I rolled down the window for a better view of the outside world and when I do the cold air spills in and causes the steam from my coffee to show. I listened for the geese calls but they’re on the ground today and not giving away their position. I can smell the wood smoke from a nearby chimney and it always takes me back to random memories of stoking the fire in that old Fisher stove on cold mornings. In my mind I can hear the squeaky iron hinges on the stove and feel the heat of the hot coals as I rake back the ashes and lay a fresh piece of cured oak on the grate and breath new life into the fire. As the flames spring to life and catch on the fresh wood I’d close the door of the stove and open the draught. Soon the crackling sound of a strong fire would prompt me to close the draught again.

A gust of wind invades the cab of my big blue truck and I’m pulled into the present by the sudden chill. The sooner my morning errands are finished the sooner I can go home. I carefully back up the truck and head back on the road.

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December Sunrise

Color Photography

November Sunrise — Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “December Sunrise” and it’s available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

The morning mists pour out of my Appalachian Mountains as the big blue truck comes to a rest on the Kanawha River. I step out and drop the tailgate and have a seat. The aroma of fresh brewed coffee rises up from my travel mug as I take a sip. From somewhere out of my sight I hear the geese calls as they gather for a morning swim in the chilly water. The golden light is carried into the valley on the fog as it traces the flow of the rivers and flock of small birds cross the sky in unison. The breeze isn’t strong but it does have a bite as passes. As take in the ever growing glow of morning sun I hear the train approach on the other side of the water and I know that it’s time to return to the road and be about my daily tasks. But perhaps I don’t need to leave my peaceful moment behind. With the snap of the shutter my morning sunshine is safely tucked away into my little black box where I can rake it back out anytime I want a peaceful moment to be lost in.

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Thank you again for your support of my page!❤