Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Tranquility In Red 111421” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.
Frost clings to the ridges today as I run my Saturday errands. In late Fall and Early Winter the distant mountains look like something out of a story book. But here in the shelter of the holler some of the forest still enjoys the few extra days of full glory. I’ve always been drawn to certain spots. Especially if that spot is adorned by special trees. Here the little dogwood in full crimson display holds its leaves with all its might against the incoming grip of Old Man Winter. I don’t think that there’s a season where this little tree doesn’t seem inviting. Mankind was made for a close relationship with creation. We shouldn’t be surprised when nature seems to want to hold us in those certain places. We are every bit as native to the trees as are the birds that play and sing in their branches.
Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.
Announcement 2.0
For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.
We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.
Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!
To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.
If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.
I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.
Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographerThank you again for your support of my page!♥️
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Hen-Of-The-Woods 111321” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.
Please remember that Forage Friday is presented as trivia and not to be mistaken for medical advice. Furthermore, always be absolutely positive about the identity of any fungus that you intend to ingest. In the world of fungus you might only get one mistake. In full disclosure, I have way more experience with herbs and trees than I do fungi. Therefore you should seek other sources and learn more before foraging.
Thomas could hear his stomach growling loudly as strode the old path down to the river. In his belt he carried his hatchet with it’s wooden cover to protect the edge. He also carried long piece of river cane and a few fish hooks. The other hand held a hand woven basket. It wasn’t fancy. Just a few whips of slippery elm with an old rope for a handle. No intricate weaving patterns. Just a simple box that he could use to carry fish. In the Depression Erain Appalachia rubber was hard to come by so instead of Y shaped slingshot he had a simple Shepard’s sling and a few large pebbles. He already twn years old and felt that it was time for him to start helping to feed his brothers and sisters. But Thomas never made it to the river. Not today anyway. Today he spotted a huge pheasant roosted at the base of an old oak tree. Carefully he sat the pole and basket down on the trail and retrieved his sling. He played a golf ball sized stone in pocket and cast it Apache style. Just like his grandfather taught him. The rock torn a clean hole through the target but the target never moved. Thomas had fallen prey to his eyes playing tricks on him. His well placed shot had hit a huge mushroom. Thomas’s confusion was understandable. The polypore mushroom he saw looks so much like a bird that people call it “Hen-Of-The-Woods”. It may not have been the pheasant he’d hoped for but it was still a good find. The mushroom completely filled his basket and he took it home to his mother right away. Thomas and his mother prepared the mushroom together. The truth was that she’d spotted the fungus a few days ago and was planning to harvest it herself but she pretended to be surprised for Thomas. She was proud of him for wanting to step up and contribute. First she cut the white base from the main fruit body and washed them. Those she would set aside for making a broth to add to soups. They’re a little on the tough side but if she diced them and laid them out near the stove they’d dry up and be OK. The rest she simply cooked in her cast iron skillet with salt and pepper in the beech nut oil family had made a few days ago. Since Thomas was the who provided the meal he got to sit at the head of the table and say grace at dinner.
In the interest of full disclosure I am not positive about the identity of the mushroom in tonight’s Feature Image. I’m fairly certain that it’s Hen-Of-The-Woods but the photo is several years old and I can’t go back and double check.
Like a lot of wild edibles Hen-Of-The-Woods is rich in vitamins and minerals. It’s also a source of beta glucans that may help lower cholesterol.
In traditional Chinese medicine Hen-Of-The-Woods is thought to help modulate the immune system. The theory is that the fungus strengthens the immune system when it needs to be stimulated and but also holds the immune system back when it overreacts. The mechanisms of how this happens is better explained by by an expert so I’ll have to ask the readers that are interested to remember that my blog is primarily about the photos I take and that the Forage Friday posts are only intended to be a conversation starter.
Lastly, Hen-Of-The-Woods is not the same as Chicken-Of-The-Woods. Hen-Of-The-Woods is Grifola frondosa and Chicken-Of-The-Woods is Leatiporus sulphureus. Both are polypore mushrooms and have a similar appearance but are not the same.
Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.
Announcement 2.0
For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.
We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.
Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!
To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.
If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.
I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.
Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographerThank you again for your support of my page!♥️
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Fall Leaves 111221” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.
Rain falls steadily in the cold night as I sit quietly reflecting on the image from a few short days ago. Most of the Appalachian Forest was still in peak color. Deep crimson of the Scarlet Oak and Dogwood, the rich yellow of hickory, beech and birch along with all the other various tones cast against the marbled blue sky gives you feeling of living in a painting. But Tonight’s strong gale is sure to strip the canvas bare and in place of the brilliant leaves will have the textures of stone and wood. Tall boles will stretch ever skyward and the forest will sleep. Rest well my beloved mountains. In just 39 days the New Light arrives and shadows will slowly ebb as they always do.
Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.
Announcement 2.0
For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.
We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.
Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!
To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.
If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.
I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.
Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographerThank you again for your support of my page!♥️
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “November’s Window 111121a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.
Cool mists embrace the mountain as I sit quietly and allow my spirit to listen a while. The little spot on the edge of my property is my low sanctuary but higher up on the mountain is my high sanctuary. This is the place where I learned to allow the outside world to drift away with the misty rain and center myself in nature. The scent of earth is carried in the mists and the sound of small creatures playing in the forest floods my attention for a little while. The soft omnipresent glow of the sun lights up each remaining leaf and in that light the forest is transformed into a world with no less beauty than staind glass. The concept of flow was recently reintroduced to me. It’s a surprisingly simple concept and yet difficult to define. And yet in these secluded spots the flow of life is found. And as difficult as I find it to explain I know it when it’s there. One person said that it’s not the river but the current within the water. So for the moment I’ll say that it’s not the light but the illumination that defines flow in this moment.
Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.
Announcement 2.0
For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.
We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.
Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!
To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.
If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.
I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.
Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographerThank you again for your support of my page!♥️
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Autumn’s Enchantment 111021” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.
Crisp mountain air brings me back to carefree days of roaming my grandfather’s forest in my youth. The stand of timber on the edge of the back pasture held a lot of my adventures. The black walnuts there were old and somewhat twisted and gave me the feeling of being in an enchanted forest from an adventure movie or novel. The ground in that area was always covered by clubmoss and other ferns and that just enhanced the otherworldly feeling. The wildlife was always rich there as well. Squirrels, rabbits and deer as well as hawks and owls seemed to gravitate there. On crisp fall days I didn’t have to worry too much about snakes and could explore without having to watch every single step. An old stand of dogwoods in the area always provided a stout staff. When dogwoods die in the wilds only the parts that are in contact with the ground tend to rot and the rest of it cures in the open air. If you find one that’s the right size you can usually just pluck it from the ground. To bring the stick to the right size all that’s needed is to wedge it between two living trees and lever it back and forth until it breaks. When the air is cool and leaves are at full color I always get the urge to return to my old stomping ground and cut a good stick so I can just head off into the great wherever looking for what may come.
Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.
Announcement 2.0
For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.
We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.
Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!
To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.
If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.
I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.
Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographerThank you again for your support of my page!♥️
LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 