Peaceful places – Page 34 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

Cold Days & Favorite Meals

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Holly In The Park 120120a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Cold wind curls over the mountains and spills into my life. Old man winter can rage on but he cannot reach me. A warm thermos of coffee serves as an elixir of health as I sit in my chair and watch the firelight from across the room. As the snow swirls outside my frost covered window the winter mood overtakes me and there’s only one thing I can do. Put on a pot of homemade soup. The pantry is well stocked with the usual ingredients and before long the house is full of the aroma of childhood memories. I allow the crock pot to simmer most of the day as I worked my day job. Patience has it’s own reward at the end of day when the flavors of the vegetables and beef are blended perfectly and served with a grilled cheese sandwich. It’s my profound belief that God gave us cold snowy days so we can better enjoy comfort foods like a good homemade stew.

Before I close let me ask what your favorite winter meal is?

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

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.

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First Hunt

Color Photography, Fiction Story, Landscapes, winter

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “First Snow 120120a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The canoe glides silently through the water as the youth watches for any sign of movement on the banks. The weight of his responsibility is balanced only by his people’s faith in his skills. His movement is slow and determined so as not to disturb the noisy blue jays that live in the trees. He’s been hunting this area for a few months now and he knows not only the landscape but also the lives of the animals that call this place home. He knows that the falls are close by the subtle changes in the current and a simple change in the angle of his paddle brings him to shore. He hunkered down behind a stand of seedling hemlock and waited. He prayed for favor as his sharp eyes kept a vigil on low gaps of the meadow before him. It wasn’t long before the buck made his appearance. He moved along the tree line staying close to cover of the thick brambles. The young man notched an arrow in his bow and waited. As the buck drew closer the young man could see it’s breath in the cold air. For a split second they locked eyes as the arrow slipped from the bow. A single moment stretched into an eternity as the arrow struck its mark. The young man began to sing his song of thanks to his creator as he ceremoniously began to dress the animal for transport back to his village. Once more his canoe glides across the water and comes to a stop where his family greets him with joy and excitement for his success. This was his first solo hunt and he had proven himself to be worthy of their faith.

I hope you have enjoyed this little bit of fiction. Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

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 would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

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https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

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Rose Hips & Winter

Color Photography, wildlife, winter

I awoke to a new world today. The first day of December arrived on time and covered my mountain with a blanket of fresh snow. “You need to get out with your camera.” My wife said gently as she began to give our dog his morning belly rub. Soon afterwards I found myself going up the mountain in my big blue truck. The fresh aroma of coffee wafting up from my thermos is all the more satisfying when the snow is blowing. I stopped by several different places to take pictures and eventually made my way to Muddlety Creek to visit the marsh. The songbirds were huddled in the thickets well protected from the icy dagger like wind sweeping across the open wetlands. The marsh is thick with the swamp rose which seems to not suffer from issues that domestic roses need constant defending from. The bright red hips are the perfect accent amid the tan snow covered reeds. I set the breaks on the big blue truck and roll the window down. The silence of the marsh brings an otherworldly feel to the scene as I snap the shutter. This day will become a snow globe in my lens and all that exists is the berries and myself.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

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 would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

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.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

The Park Sleeps And Waits

Color Photography, Fiction Story, Landscapes

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Stone Stairway 112420a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The wind carries a deep chill as it sweeps across the Kanawha River. The only occupants of the park are the small animals that scurrying through empty pathways. Those who played games in park during the days of the sun have left behind only the faded footprints and echoes of laughter. The stonework holds memories of the lovers holding hands as they decend from the parking lot to enjoy each other’s company beneath the oaks. It was a blue sky day when the light fell gently through the leaves. The bird’s held back songs for only a moment as a ring was presented in nervous anticipation. The sparkle of the small gemstone was dimmed only by the twinkle of eyes in joyful acceptance. The embrace that followed halted the flow of time for moment of eternity. The scene was witnessed by passing strangers who had also come to this place to begin their never ending embrace all those decades ago. The older gentleman smiles warmly as he looks on and his bride accepts the clasp of his hand. They move on quietly so as not to disturb the young couple. The stone stairway listens to the young couple’s plans as they lay out precisely how they will be decorated for the ceremony in Spring when the sparrows return and new life is exploding everywhere. There will ribbons and archways and many loved ones positioned in the soft new grass. There will be potted violets and pansies to form the aisle and it will be a thing to remember on that day when all things are new again. But for now the shadows grow and the time of rest is at hand. The oaks sleep and the stones wait in anticipation and excitement of their own as they look forward to the sun’s return and the new memories to be made.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

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 would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

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.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

The Lesson Of The Willow

Color Photography, Landscapes, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Rebirth 112420a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Men came. They came with axes and saws and chains and they began to bite and gnaw at my base until they pulled me down. They dismembered me and hauled me away in pieces. But I was not defeated. Beneath the cold ground my roots found the strength to live. I will never yield. I will never give up. I will live.

On the banks of the Kanawha River at the little Kanawha Falls park is another of my favorite trees. The sandbar willows are vigorous. The roots are strong and grow deep enough to anchor them against flooding. Willows are also the source of growth and rooting hormones found in the gardening supplies. Which is why this particular willow has a second lease on life

A closer view of the willow prop roots.

This willow was cut down a few years ago and when I first noticed the trees growing up from the stump I thought that they were separate trees and that the stump was just caught up by the new growth. But on closer inspection I found that this is all the same tree. The tree was just that determined to live.

Forests are good analogs for society. In the Bible when Jesus heals the blind man it takes two attempts. Jesus spits on the ground and makes clay which is put on the man’s eyes and when Jesus asks what he sees the man replied that he saw men as trees that walk. I believe that it wasn’t a failure of Jesus and that he had to try again. Instead, I believe that Jesus first opened the blind man’s spiritual vision before opening his natural vision. In short, I believe that Jesus was showing the blind man something special. There are other places in the Bible where mankind is likened to trees. Actually, there’s a lot of places in the Bible that trees symbolize mankind, tribes or kings.

There is always going to be times of great loss. Times when it looks like we’ve lost all of our growth. The “powers that be” are always eager to pull us down and part out our gains. But if our roots are strong and we are determined we can come back stronger than ever.

Another tree secret is that trees are a community. Science has proven that they even talk to each other through a fungal network that even helps them exchange sugars. The forest will even keep very old stumps alive and try to help them regrow. It’s possible that some old stumps even serve as a databank for the surrounding forest just as mankind needs those from previous generations to lead and guide us.

When the leaves are on we can see that the old willow stump is definitely still alive.

My final thought for tonight is to never give up and never accept the face value of any situation as the final outcome. Each and every one of us is stronger than we think and we all have the opportunity to rise again and start over.Image Titled “Rebirth 112420b”.
Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

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 would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

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.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/