Green Get-away

Today Jon and I headed to the Como Park Conservatory for a morning walk and

It was beautiful, though there were lots of people there, too many for me to really slow down and make serious photographs. I find that I need a lot of alone time to truly pay attention when I photograph, otherwise I simply don’t see the world the way that I want to see it. Still, I enjoyed being surrounded by green. My heart soared inhaling the scent of flowers and green things in the air. And my senses basked with the gentle touch of warmth and humidity on my face.

It is. . .undisputed by neuro-psychologists and philosophers that the type, and extent, of attention we pay changes the nature of the world that we experience.”
― Iain McGilchrist, The Matter With Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions, and the Unmaking of the World

By the time I had wandered through all of the parts of the conservatory I was ready to head home. I was tired of being jostled by people passing on the narrow paths in the greenhouses and looking forward to working on the photographs I made during my visit.

This simple short get-away reminded me that there are ways to escape winter even if I don’t travel to far off places. I think I will make a few more greenhouse visits over the coming weeks to remind me that winter doesn’t last forever.

Gray January Days

This morning when I woke up the sun was shining and the sky was a beautiful pale blue accenting the frosted trees on the other side of the pond. I quickly made a few photos of the beautiful blue sky and frosted trees. Then I sat to meditate. By the time I finished meditating clouds covered almost all the blue sky — again! What a string of gray days we’ve been having. I am grateful that I got to see the blue sky before it was covered up by clouds this morning.

But I also say this: that light is an invitation to happiness, and that happiness, when it’s done right, is a kind of holiness, palpable and redemptive.

— Mary Oliver

Even the snow covered pond looked magical in the early morning light…

And speaking of frosted trees — I cannot remember a winter when we had so many days with frost or snow covered trees. It has been one of the most beautiful January’s in my memory.