Today’s feature image was one of 1000’s taken through the lens of my beloved husband Lloyd AKA Buddy to his family and close friends. He passed from this life into the arms of Jesus on Jan 18, 2022.
Buddy was a kind soul that loved God and his fellow man. He had a desire to make the world a better place. He touched countless lives and shared his vast knowledge with many.
He will be forever missed. I am going to leave his blog up for a little while so everyone can reread his article. I will let everyone know before I take it down. Until then, be bold, be brave and keep your God Focus. Be blessed all throughout your days.
Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “The Filling Up” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.
Our lives are like vessels. Whatever our life containsis is what we have filled up with. Be it good or bad. That’s also going to effect what we have to pass on to others and what they have to pass on to us.
We’ve all known that person who just has to unload every time they come around. We might try to step in and help them out at first but after a while it gets tiresome. Have you ever wondered where all that negativity comes from? If we’re all vessels and carry whatever we’re filled with then why are some people so full of negativity? It has to be one of two things. Either they are filling from the wrong source or someone else is contaminating their vessel at some point in their lives. When I was a kid I use to hear adults say “consider the source ” whenever certain conversations came up. I always thought that phrase was in reference to the negative person but as I’ve gotten older I have come to consider that the negative person might be simply filling up from the wrong source.
When I started my blog a couple of years ago the first goal was to get my photography out in front of the public. The very next words out of my mouth was that “I want to bring as many people as possible into a positive frame of mind.” It’s one of the reasons why you’ll never see politically charged topics on my site. Regardless of anything else I want you to come away from the blog feeling like I have added value to your day. I want this site to be a source of good things that you can fill up with.
I realize that this particular post is a little bit of a deviation from my normal writing but as I stared at the feature image the thought of filling up a vessel was strong in my heart and I felt like it was time to reaffirm my mission for my new readers. Yes I do want to sell copies of the photos but just as important to me is providing inspiration and imparting something that makes your daily life a little better than it was before you opened the link. I want to pour good things into your vessels.
Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook
If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is
Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me on Facebook or Use the Contact form. The YouTube link below takes you one of my slideshows.
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! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse 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.
Lastly, 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 photographer.
Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled Nature Returns 52619a
Many people have the opinion that the age of megaliths was when mankind truly began to conquer nature. We literally built a world made from the bones of the earth. As a child I found a book in my grandfather’s library that was all about ancient mysteries. All of articles in the book were about megalithic cities and artifacts like Stonehenge. I didn’t just wonder about how the stones were cut an moved but I dreamed about what it must have been like to live in those structures. I would imagine what the city sounded like with the music of ancient instruments echoing off of the stones. At a time when every meal was cooked over an open fire. In the days before the internet I would spend hours leafing through dusty old books and learning about stone cutting and leverage. I was convinced that I could build my own megalith o e day. But hey, I was ten years old and anything was possible and rocks were free so they fit into a ten year old’s budget.
Needless to say that as an adult I still have an affinity for stonework. I pass by the wall in tonight’s feature image every day and look at the large blocks of stone. I don’t really know the history of this retaining wall. It stands just a few feet off of the highway and in the winter when there’s no foliage I can read the lay of the land well enough to know that a structure of some kind once stood above the wall. Not far from this spot is the foundation of church that no longer stands and a forgotten graveyard that I have not had a chance to investigate.
But what has really caught my eye lately us the roses that cascade down the stone. They are mixed in with at least four other wild vines. My mind was taken back to my grandfather’s library and the pictures of ancient ruins in South America. Those pictures of vine covered temples and trees growing in the hallowed halls. The broken idols that once symbolized human mastery over nature are now the hunts of serpents and birds. Mankind’s victory over the forces of nature is temporary. The masterfully crafted stone blocks now tumble as the mountain rejects it’s constraints. Rain washes out the mortar and trees push away the stones until one day the wall topples like a child’s toy.
“Nature Returns 52619b” The trees are beginning to topple the old stone wall.
Perhaps if the world stands long enough a young boy will enter his grandfather’s library and whatever form the books will take will feature images of cut stone in Appalachia. Perhaps the boy will marvel at the ancestors skill in shaping the bones of the earth and read about our lives and wonder what must have been like to live in such a marvelous time when stone cutters and code writers worked side by side to tame the land.
Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook
If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is
Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me on Facebook or Use the Contact form. The YouTube link below takes you one of my slideshows.
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! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse 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.
Lastly, 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 photographer.
Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my blog! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Wild Ginger 41619” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.
When I was seventeen years old the words “Wild Ginger” would have brought to mind an image of a girl that I could have never introduced to my mother. However this wild ginger is not quite as spicy as that girl with the Led Zepplin tee shirt and skull earrings. This one is a sweet treat that was highly prized by backwoods mountaineers and puritans alike.
According to Peterson’s Field Guide the rhizomes were boiled down in sugar water until the root was tender and then eaten like candy or dried and ground into a powder for seasoning. The resulting broth could be used as a tea. As with a lot of wild edible plants there’s also recommend medicinal uses that may or may not be valid. From what I understand the spice value was more popular than the medicinal value.
Again I have a plant that I find fascinating but have been apprehensive about actually trying. And there’s a reason. The USDA warns that if you eat too much wild ginger that it can cause kidney damage. In fact it’s been found that some species produce aristolochic acid. A substance that is found in rat poison! I know that some foragers are more daring and will think that I’m too cautious but I tend not try plants that that have questionable reputations. One of the stories that I ran into while researching for tonight’s post is about a mass poisoning that happened in Belgium during the late 90s. There was even deaths. The tragic story said that the deaths were linked to diet pills that contained a Chinese member of this same genus of plant. ( Which is why I always caution readers to do independent research and keep in mind that Forage Friday is only intended to be an entertainment and give you an interesting story to read )
The big question is if the North American variety has the same problem. The USDA warning says yes it does but the history of the plant says no. And, since I’m not a biochemist I’m not really able look much deeper into the toxicology so I don’t risk it.
The plant’s growth patterns do make it a beautiful addition to the shady areas of my property. Once established it grows in thick lush colonies near the Mayapple. I have noticed that the soil in these spots tends to be alluvial.
The wild ginger flowers are reddish brown and very low to the ground. They also smell horrible! That’s because they are pollinated by flies. They actually smell like something that has been dead for a while.
An unopened flower bud of the wild ginger.
Timing has not allowed me to locate a fully open flower but as you can see here the buds look like they could be from an alien world. Once open they look similar to the Trilliums.
Another oddity is that the seed is spread by ants. The tip of the oily seed is cut off by the ant and taken into the colony and the actual seed is left outside to germinate.
In closing, wild ginger is a no go for me due to the risk of damage to diabetic kidneys. The online research says that maybe it’s okay in small amounts and the history shows that that’s how it was used. Not as a main course but as a flavoring. Even as a candy it would not have been consumed in large quantities. The lesson of wild ginger is moderation.
Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to FollowLloyds Lens Photography on Facebook
If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is
Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me on Facebook or Use the Contact form.
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! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse 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.
Lastly, 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 photographer.
Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Mountain Purity” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.
Soft clouds skim the mountains and the scent of the pending rain fills the air. The birds have settled down in the thick underbrush to take cover from the change in weather. During a lull in the wind I ventured out with my camera to see what I might find before the rain begins. The first thing I spotted was my Azalea that was planted by the previous owner. The delicate white flowers bruise very easily and if I’m going to get a shot before they are battered by the storm and turn brown now is the time.
As I’m admiring the bloom from different angles I can’t help think about how pure they look. The white flowers on the field of white felt very fresh and clean. I spent all winter hoping for a chance to capture something with this same feeling of purity but the mild winter here means mostly rain and mud. But the Azalea more than made up for the lost opportunity.
With the rain scent in the air and the white flowers I was feeling very renewed. Soon I heard the lonely cry of a Mourning Dove and I knew that my opportunity for photographing the unspoiled flowers wouldn’t last much longer. Before I knew it I was feeling the sprinkles of the rain hitting the back of my neck. The flowers will be here for a few more days but they will be bruised and my best opportunity has come to a close.
I put my lens cap back on and hovered over the camera body to keep it dry as I stepped back into the house. The lesson that I learned from this experience was to appreciate the moments as they come. The flowers are mine and they bloom every year but I’m not always able to catch them before the hard rains come and the moment is lost. My generation came up with Carpe Diem, Seize The Day and the phrase is now well known. But what is unsaid is that a day is made up of a collection of moments. If we could really seize the moment as it comes then the day will be ours.
Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to FollowLloyds Lens Photography on Facebook
If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is
Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me on Facebook or Use the Contact form.
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! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse 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.
Lastly, 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 photographer.
An unopened flower bud of the wild ginger.
LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 