Color Photography – Page 234 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

Goodbye 2017

The old year is fading away like the last few minutes of the setting sun. I’ve spent the past few days listening to talk about New Year’s superstitious. If you’re to ensure a prosperous New Year there’s a laundry list of do’s and don’ts. Does it work? Well, that depends. Ceremonies formalize intention. It helps us focus on actions and actions bring results.

I can’t tell you what your 2018 goals should be. I can’t tell you what you should leave behind in 2017. What I can tell you is that resolutions without actions are just another wish list.

I plan to spend the last day of 2017 creating a playbook for 2018. Each entry will include a goal, actions that will be needed and a blank page for adjusting the actions.

My 2018 wish for you is that your plans are actionable. 🙂

A Path To Wander

Color Photography, Thoughts and Musing, travel

Our paths are not always easy in life. Some roads are paved others are rocky and then there are the ones that are forbidden. If you’re a curious person like me then you know how hard it is to leave a mystery behind. There’s a locked gate in front of this road. I know from soil survey maps that it’s a strip mine. One of many in my area. And there’s actually a guard just out of sight here. The guard tolerates my stopping at the gate and snapping a few pictures every so often. Sometimes he wants to see how the image turns out. But I’m not allowed to see what is on the other side of the hill. The urge to see what is out there is a basic human drive. We’re all explorers at heart. We need to find out where the road goes and what is out there. It’s not always a physical road like this one. Sometimes it’s an idea or a question that provides the puzzle. Exploring is more than just seeing. It’s experiencing the goal. The sound of the birds in a hidden meadow. It’s the bite of the winter wind and the glimmer of ice while the land sleeps. It’s life in motion. It’s the difference between living and existing.

The Seeker

Color Photography, Thoughts and Musing

I stood in a spot between the land and the sea.

I stood there between youth and maturity.

Alone in the crowd.

I called out and the waves answered; answered with your name.

I spent an eternity in a single moment.

I feared.

I despaired.

I reached out with my hands and caught only the wind.

Between the dark and the dawn I stood there.

I waited.

I hoped.

I reached out with my heart found that you were already here.

Waiting to be found once again.

Cathedral Falls, A Natural Sanctuary

Color Photography, travel

About one mile East of Gauley Bridge West Virginia is Cathedral Falls. The cascade of water is about 60 feet high and the stream that feeds the falls is call Cane Branch. The little roadside park is easy to access so I stop by often. The path to the base of the falls is left in what is best described as a natural state. If you are sure-footed it’s no big deal. I water is only ankle deep in most places and if you can avoid slippery rocks you can walk right up the stream. If you can be there in the right light it’s one of our best photo ops. The image here was taken in the Spring. The air at Cathedral Falls is highly oxygenated due to the cascade. It’s a good place to go and just quietly exist as part of God’s creation. The cascading water seems to carry away the stress and anxiety that clings to the soul after a day of making modern life work. Green ferns and moss grows everywhere in the canyon. Birds and butterflies are often present. The birds sing their songs and butterflies seem to dance to the tune.

Cathedral Falls is one of God’s special spots. I’m happy to share it with you but you should see it for yourself.

Into the dawn

Color Photography, Thoughts and Musing

Every day is a new beginning. Every moment is the opportunity to build the future. Every child of 80s knows in his or her heart that the future is so bright that we gotta wear shades. 😎 I could focus on not knowing where the road goes but I choose to focus instead on the bright day lying just beyond the fog. I’m looking for big things to happen in 2018. I hope they happen for you too.