thoughts and musings – Page 4 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

A Little Bird Told Me…

Stepping softly on the edge of forest trail I came to large patch of bramble briars. The smell of the oak and hickory mingled with the scent of a fireplace warning the cabin in the valley below. It was hunting season and I had been in the woods since dawn. I found a fallen log and laid my rifle across my lap as I sat down for lunch. I was down to the crust of my sandwich when a noticed a tiny set eyes watching me from inside the bramble. I carefully observed the tiny spectator as he started fluttered from cane to cane searching for insects. I whispered to him that today wasn’t a good hunt for anyone and tossed the crust of bread on the forest floor at the root of the bramble. He paused for a moment and flew away with the bread. A few minutes later he returned with his mate. They landed at my feet and to my surprise they spoke. “Your kindness in sharing your meal has given us food for the day. So as a way of saying thank you we will share the secrets that we learned while flying to and fro”.

And here’s a few things that I learned from them.

1. The easiest lie to believe is the one that you want to be true. Nobody baits a snare with stones.

2. You’re free to fly to wherever you want to go but be sure that it’s a place where you want to be.

3. Take the opportunity to sing and spread joy every chance you get because the blessings you give come back to you in the end.

4. Anyone who loves you is family.

5. The early bird gets the worm but he has to scratch for it.

6. You’ll never learn to fly until you stop being afraid to fall.

7. Gossip and News are two different things. Learn how to tell the difference.

8. You can’t un-tweet. (See number 7 )

9. Some things just don’t belong in the nest. Get rid of anything harmful.

10. Birds of a feather will flock together so spend time with friends .

And then they just flew back into the bramble bush and disappeared. I never saw them again. However, ever since that day when I hear the birds singing in the morning there are two who seem to chirp a little happier than the rest.

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Tonight’s Feature Images (Titled the love birds ) are available for purchase as either individuals or as a set. Just message me for details about how to purchase.

At The End Of The Day

Color Photography, Summersville Lake, Thoughts and Musing

Deep blue fades to black as the golden sunset transitions to red. In the forest edge the Katydids give their calls. The soft breeze carries the scent of freshly brewed coffee rising out of the warm cup in my hand. The day’s work is far behind me. I wasn’t really finished with all my tasks today but that’s alright. If we can’t take a few minutes to quietly enjoy God’s beautiful creation then what’s the value of the day’s effort in the first place? Sometimes a project turns out to be a little bit more than you anticipated. I started today with an ambitious list of “future accomplishments” to achieve. However, that didn’t happen. While it’s important to have goals life is more than a list. Life is a gift. At the end of day it’s not the accomplishments that should be counted. It’s the living that counts.

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A Walk To A Thinking Spot

black and white photography

The mid morning sun has driven away most of the clouds. As I walk the gravel road that leads into the forest I’m aware of almost everything that moves just inside the trees. Several squirrels and a few chipmunks scurry around looking for the first of fallen acorns. The birds flitter from branch to branch. The buzzing of insects is all around. A few leaves tumble down from the canopy. The sounds of nature fill the air. The rapids in the Gauley River below roar and the voices of the other park patrons blend into the chorus. There are five females, two males and three children all near the playground. I can’t see them. But I know that they are there. I can follow the concentration of the bird noises which grows softer where the humans are present. Deeper into the forest the chaos of the outside world fades away. I can smell the horseshoe fungus growing in a black locus tree. The smell of Wintergreen tells me a large birch tree is nearby. As I drop over the hill the forest opens up into a small clearing. A stump left behind by the park rangers is the perfect spot to enjoy the solitude. A place where the unbroken chain of thoughts and contemplation can lead me to a place where inspiration lives. And then it happens. An idea is born and it grows into a dream. And the dream was wonderful. I’ll open the little file in my memory and tuck the dream safely away for now. I began to walk back to my big blue truck occasionally peeking into the file in my memory checking on the little fledgling dream. He has to be kept safe and warm while I prepare a place for the dream live.

If your mind can conceive and your heart can believe, then your will can achieve.

Our dreams are possible only if we work to make them real.

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Return To Wading Willows

Color Photography, Landscapes, Thoughts and Musing

The sound of the rippling water lapping at the shore combined with song birds brings a sense of peaceful joy. I approached the wading willows as if greeting old friends. The willows seem to dance ever so slightly in the river’s currents and it feels as though they are listening to the songs of nature themselves. In the distance the osprey soars across the sky looking for a pearch stunned by falls. Dragonflies skim the waters surface as they hunt occasionally leaving little ripples of their own and the evening sun reflected in the tiny waves produces a light show that only God himself could engineer. The breeze coming off of Kanawha Falls is cool and gently stirs in and around the small park. I take a deep breath and release the stress of the workday into the river so that it will carry away the cares of the outside world. I thank God for choosing to place this natural sanctuary here for me. I take a few minutes to tell him about my day and seek his wisdom. But most importantly I listen. I listen to voice of peace spoken by God and echoed by the moving water. The conversation isn’t long and with my peace renewed I climb back up into the big blue truck and head for home.

It’s important to take time to decompress and find peace throughout the day. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please share to your social. You can also like and follow Lloyd’s Lens Photography on Facebook

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Child’s Play

Color Photography, Thoughts and Musing

Ah, the carefree days of youth. The smell of the grass and the sun’s caress on my face. Most of all, the time to just wonder around and roam the landscape. I would love to have had a camera in those days when the whole world was one big adventure. The very pasture where I took the picture of my uncle’s calf in the feature image was one of the best places to be a kid. I remember gathering up a whole coffee can full of green plastic army men and positioning them in the rocky outcrops just a little beyond this spot. In the days before electronic devices we would go down to the swampy spot in the bottom of the pasture and prospect for fossils of reeds and such by banging the sandstone together until it cracked. Later on after I married I actually found a few while gathering stone to fix potholes in the driveway. There is a spring close by and at times the field was full of little clay chimneys created by crayfish. Also known as the mountains lobsters these crustaceans live on dry land and burrow holes to find underground water. Just over the hill is a field of honor where two knights (my brother and I) would meet to have duals. A dead stick was the weapon of choice and at one point we had a whole arena set up. A fallen tree served as the main contact point. The “knights” would stand on the log and battle for hours. There was really no way to win. Losing however was accomplished by either having your stick broken down until it was useless or losing your balance and falling off of the log. The consequences of losing was the shameful walk to the edge of the woods to find a new stick.

We would swing on grape vines, climb trees and skip stones. There might even be the remnants of a fort deep in forest.

Come to think of it, I’m adult enough to get out and act like a kid again. Who wants to go jump in a mud puddle? I won’t tell your mom. 😉

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