Color Photography – Page 159 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

Things Are Just Ducky #4

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Nice Day For A Swim ” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

George waddled up to the edge of the river and took a deep breath. He paused for a moment and caressed the cool grass with his webbed toes. The sun was shining and he didn’t seem to have a care in the world. He enjoyed the soft breeze as it ruffled his feathers slightly and looked out at world around him. Then he hopped into the river with a plop. For a moment he bobbed like a cork which was always something that made him giggle. He plunged his face into the water and shook his head vigorously to clean his bill just like his mother taught him.

The smooth water flowed around him as he paddled across the surface in no particular pattern. He went where he pleased as his curiosity inspired him. The odd swirl moving against the current meant an insect that he could chase.

George allowed the current to carry him to the edge of the falls. He could hear the water crashing into the rocks below and just as he went over the edge a quick flap of his wings he was airborne. He circled around and landed on the water at the base of Kanawha Falls where the minnows are stunned by going over the edge. George ate his fill before finding some quiet cove where he could nap in peace. Just before his eyelids became too heavy to hold open he looked skyward and thanked God for making him a duck.

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A country Drive On The First Of June

Color Photography, Landscapes

Hello Friends!Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Country Drive 6119″and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

The late Spring air smells of rain mingled with honeysuckle and roses as I cruise the back roads of Nicholas County. I have the windows down in my big blue truck as I queue up the music from my youth. I drive a little slower than I did then if I’m not late. Okay, I drive a lot slower. A friend once teased me by saying that every time I found a straight stretch in the road that the state had to come along behind me and paint new lines to replace the ones I blew off.

Back then I was kinda locked into the “guy thing”. Expressing masculinity through raw power and that meant speed and loud music at the time. I have a distinct memory of this same road and the soundtrack from Top Gun blaring out of a 1985 silver Dodge Colt at unmentionable speeds.

However, these days I have more of an appreciation for taking in the view and looking for the little things that go unnoticed by the average person. Things like the rust on the roof of the barn and the small birds that frequent power lines above the road. You might say that I’ve discovered that there’s an art to driving on a country road.

You still have to have that edge of a sharp eye and reflexes. You still need to feel the wheels in contact with road. Only it’s not about keeping it between the lines. Instead it’s about not missing the experience. But, it’s a different kind of thrill.

The contrast between the two driving styles brings up the thought of how I view time now as compared to then. My younger self was thinking, “Don’t waste time getting there” while today it’s more like “Don’t waste opportunity getting there”. I suppose that as I’ve gotten older I have a better appreciation for the here and now. Some if that comes from being established as my own person but most of it comes from finally realizing that all we really have is the moment in which we exist.

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Forage Friday #11 Yarrow

Color Photography, Forage Friday

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Yarrow 6119A” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Achilles surveyed the battlefield. He was covered in dirt, sweat and blood. He and his men had won the day but this moment of rest wouldn’t last long. Many of the soldiers were wounded and he would most likely need them again before morning. He sheathed his kopis sword and held his hoplon above his head to shade his eyes from the Mediterranean sun. He barely make out the the white blooms growing on the edge of grass. His men looked on as he waded into the grass and plucked a few fern-like leaves from the woody stalk and crushed them between his thumb and forefinger. He held the freshly formed pulp up to his nose just like Chiron taught him. The aromatic oils even smelled like medicine. He called one of the warriors to his side and applied the pulp to the man’s wounded hand. Almost imeadiatly the blood clotted and the bleeding stopped. The plant was powerful medicine indeed. One day soon it would even heal the most famous wound in Greek history, Achilles’ own heel.

I may have taken a little bit of a creative license with Greek history in the story above. But when I saw the yarrow growing in the ditch near the old pasture I knew that I had to include it Forage Friday. Typically when you think about foraging you think about exotic wildcrafted herbs and spices. Or sweet berries and fruits that are gathered in buckets and baked into all manor of goodies. But tonight I wanted to introduce you to some wilderness first aid. Tonight’s plant is yarrow.

Yarrow gets it’s scientific name from it’s association with the Greek hero Achilles. The genus Achillea is found pretty much worldwide and it’s one of those special plants that needs to be treated with respect. I have successfully used it myself but with some caution. ⚠️ As I have stated in previous Forage Friday posts anybody can have an adverse reaction to any plant at any time. ⚠️ In Peterson’s Field Guide James A Duke states that yarrow has over 100 biologically active compounds. And while some traditional uses are internal I’m just not comfortable discussing internal uses. One of the reasons why is that some strains of yarrow contain dangerous alkaloids. Yarrow also has a tendency to retain contamination from the soil it grows in and so the history of the land is an important consideration. Overuse of yarrow is known to cause an allergic reaction to sunlight so it’s recommend that even external use is short term. With that in mind let’s take a look at the uses.

As stated in the story above yarrow is probably best known as a clotting agent. The last time collected it I hung it upside down in a cool dry place out of the direct sun and waited for the fern-like leaves to become dry and brittle. Then simply stripped them from the simi-woody stalk and crushed them into a powder by rubbing them between two spoons over a bowl. The resulting powder can be sprinkled into minor nicks and scrapes to control bleeding. Adding other plants like plantain (plantago spp. Not the banana like fruit ) will have synergistic effect that is said to help prevent an infection.

Yarrow leaves 6119 — A closer look at the light green fern-like yarrow leaves.

I’ve not tried to use the stem for starting a friction fire yet but my instincts say that it’s worth a try.

I don’t really remember where but I do remember reading somewhere that a few leaves added to the compost pile helps speed up the composting process.

One last word of caution. Yarrow is one of those plants that really resembles poison hemlock so if you think that you’re interested in exploring it further please do plenty of research on both plants so that you recognize the difference.

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The War Stories

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Toy Soldiers 2216″and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

“Pawpaw, tell me a war story”. These were the words that were often spoken in innocence while sitting my grandfather’s lap. As a child I didn’t really understand the hesitation before he would reply. Forsplit second the look in my grandfather’s eyes would shift into that “Thousand Meter Stare”. He would look down at me and the familiar gentle demeanor would return and the stories would begin.

I was used to the edited for T.V. versions of all the classic World War Two movies and stories. The Big Red 1 comes to mind. There was also reruns of Hogan’s Heroes and we would laugh at Sergeant Shultz as Hogan outsmarted the Nazis again. My grandfather’s war stories were always about the funny things that happened in camp. One that stands out in my memory was about when he was the new guy in the unit. He got into argument with another GI and it escalated into an all out brawl. It was dark and as they fought they fell into a coal shaft. The other men broke up the fight and when everyone calmed down he learned that the man he was fighting with was his new commander. The two men were best friends for the rest of their lives. There was a point in history when the natural outcome of a fight was normally reconciliation and many friendships started with such a story.

I remember another war story about sharing rations with refugees. A young widow with children was given a few canned goods.

One more than one occasion the stories were told while I was setting up toy soldiers. Green plastic army men who would be positioned in formations around the living room as he spoke. I would take time to set them up and make bomb noises as I knocked them all down. Pawpaw never allowed me to see any discomfort in his eyes. He just continued to tell about the friends he made and he focused on what positive stories that he had.

What I didn’t really understand at such a young age was that my sound effects that I made with my mouth were probably making him relive the shelling event that ended his service. He carried the shrapnel in his leg and neck for the rest of his life. In fact as I look back at my memories of pawpaw’s war stories they always included lessons about how precious life is and how blessed we are to have it in the way we did.

June sixth is a special day in history. It’s the day that so many people made the ultimate sacrifice for liberty and freedom of the world. But I fear, that amidst all the ceremonies and fine speeches that we risk turning history into a game played with toy soldiers. Every year we set them up and knock them down. And when the game is over we put them back into their box until the next calibration. These soldiers are not plastic. And every day the box gets a little lighter than the day before. Soon, the box will be completely empty. It’s awesome to set aside special days to honor the things that were done to prevent evil from taking over the globe but these men and women are still with us every day. I have to believe that they have more stories to tell besides the war stories. My grandfather did. I lost my pawpaw in the Fall of 1985. There was so many stories that we could have written together if only we had the chance. By the time this article is published the D Day celebrations will be over. But if you have anyone from that generation make an effort to spend time with them. Even if that person isn’t a veteran they’re going to have something to share. If they’re healthy enough to go outside then help them build a new story. One that lets them know that they still matter. Give them some peace stories to tell.

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No Agenda On Three Rivers

Color Photography, Landscapes

The afternoon sun fills the three rivers area as the water rolls lazily by. I had stopped at one of my favorite places to enjoy the last few rays of the sun and watch to see if the local eagle makes an appearance. So far I’ve not had a second chance to get a photo of it. The water birds still here though. As I look out towards the trestle bridge I hear the familiar sound of train coming up the track on the opposite side of the river. Small flycatchers skim the river picking off insects and performing acrobatic maneuvers that fighter jets can only dream of. In spite of the sun a damp breeze foretells of the coming rain. It’s a “No Agenda” kind of evening so I enjoy the sun while it lasts. I listen to the birds and eventually the mourning dove confirms my forecasts. Just beyond the mountains northwest of me the clouds are moving in and the light slowly dims and tells me that it’s time to climb back up into the big blue truck and head home.

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