Nature – Of Bears and Boating

365 Photos: Day 18

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” ― Robert Lynd

365 Photos: Day 17

“What is now proved was once only imagined.” ― William Blake

365 Photos: Day 16

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more.” ― George Gordon Byron

365 Photos: Day 8

“He viewed us, as we passed him by,
With calm and yet with questioning eye,
But moveless still, as though the stone
Were portion of his being’s own.” ― Edward Robeson Taylor

365 Photos: Day 7

“Winter changes into stone the water of heaven and the heart of man.” ― Victor Hugo

365 Photos: Day 6

“We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
since days of long ago.” ― Robert Burns

365 Photos: Day 5

“Life is but a day:
A fragile dewdrop on its perilious way
From a tree’s summit” ― John Keats

365 Photos: Day 4

“Nothing reminds us of an awakening more than rain.” ― Dejan Stojanovic

365 Photos: Day 3

“Life is the flower for which love is the honey.” -Victor Hugo

365 Photos: Day 2

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” ― Albert Camus

Spring fever

Springing forward

A hint of spring

Photo of the day

“In nine lifetimes, you’ll never know as much about your cat as your cat knows about you.”
― Michel de Montaigne

Photo of the day

“But pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed;
Or, like the snow-fall in the river,
A moment white, then melts forever.”
― Robert Burns

A Year in review…and photos, too

So, here we are again. One chapter in the book of life ending, another beginning. I always look forward to a new year. Part of it is the unmitigated relief of having made it through the holidays without committing a felony; but also, there’s an unspoken promise of recommencement. The aura of renewal and the endless possibilities of what may come, beckon me like a moth to a flame.

It’s all illusion, of course. Logic dictates that there is no real difference between the end of one year, and the beginning of the next; no earth shattering kaboom; no sparkling fairy awaiting the stroke of midnight to sprinkle a handful of pixie dust on our heads, magically erasing twelve months of poor choices and lost opportunities. It’s just another day, like any other.

But to hope is to be human. A new year ushers in a sense of liberation and emancipation, and gives us permission to let go of our past and embrace the future. This is a concept I readily espouse. Although, I find that in order to completely move forward, I must first reflect.

It was a productive year, albeit exhausting. What did I do, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

This year I:

continued my foray into the mysterious world of geology, tried my hand at a little field work, and discovered I should leave it to the professionals.
participated in April’s Camp NaNoWriMo and won, exceeding my 25K word goal by nearly 5K. Of course, I haven’t let a single word written during that month to see the light of day. I shuddered at the very thought.
embraced a dairy-free diet. My stomach and I get along much better these days.
spent the long Memorial weekend with the BFF and her family, exploring South Padre Island. There’s nothing quite so relaxing as a beautiful beach, good company, and jug of margaritas.
discovered – and conquered – statistics. Did you know that sometimes in statistics, p’s and q’s wear hats? Crazy, yet oddly adorable.
learned that I’m too old to frolic on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street. It’s a task best left to the degenerate youth. I did, however, have a wonderful time celebrating the BFF’s milestone birthday in the city she loves.
took a step toward tackling my fear of being eaten by a bear while camping. No, I didn’t go camping in bear infested woods. That’s just stupid. I did go hiking for the first time, though. And loved it. Maybe next time I will forego the hotel in town and stay in a cabin by the lake. Yeah, right.

While my writing was somewhat sporadic after Camp NaNoWriMo, I did take quite a few photos. In the spirit of the coming year, and in an effort to toast 2013, here are a few.

Enjoy.

Happy New Year.

Autumn in the garden

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” – John Muir

Summer at the Arboretum

A rare thing happened here in my corner of Texas. We were gifted with a mild July. Usually by this point in summer, the dreaded dome of high pressure has firmly planted itself over the region, deftly deflecting any wayward “cold fronts” and pushing the mercury over the century mark. But this year, we have had unseasonably cool temperatures – afternoon highs in the high eighties and low nineties with morning lows in –*gasp*– the sixties.

It was almost like autumn.

So, what do you do when you are treated to fabulous weather in the middle of the summer? Go to the Arboretum and take pictures of bugs, of course.

Duh.

Enjoy.

On a sad note: It seems August will not be unseasonably cool. Today’s high: 103.