Trees of Julington Durbin Preserve

Looking at the tree tops today. Sun was just coming up and lit up the branches. I really like the crisp outlines against the blue sky in the mornings. I'll have to work some pastels up out of these.

The first one I was struck by the downward curve on the limbs on the bottom half of the tree. Why do they grow like that? I love the curves, whatever the reason.

The next one I really liked the wrought iron curly cues on the branches.

The last one I liked because it just looks like a fractal.

Reason enough to get up

The sunrise this morning was beautiful. I took pictures of the clouds through my windshield while driving down St. Augustine Road, doubtless endangering my life and my dog's, but I couldn't help myself. And the only other people on the road are early garage sale shoppers. Those people are nuts.

And then, toward the end of our run in the preserve I looked up and realized that I was forgetting to enjoy the tops of the trees. I'm always so focused on what's going on at eye level and sometimes really lovely things are happening right over my head.

Patience is rewarding

Daisy is watching a man with a beautiful border collie walk down the trail. I made her sit while they went by and she was doing fine until the man's dog made a move in her direction, and then she leaped towards them. After making her sit again, I decided to wait for a while before continuing.

I am trying to teach Daisy to be calm around other dogs and people. This requires a lot of patience on my part and I don't have any, so it's something I'm learning as we go.

It helps to have a camera when you're learning patience. While waiting for my dog to become resigned to the fact that we weren't going anywhere and the man with the collie wasn't coming back, I began taking pictures of what was around us.

I like this one because there are layers of color—green, lavender, brown and gold as well as layers of depth—undergrowth, tree trunks, mist and sky.

Here are a couple more, same spot, one left and one right.

Opposites attract

I took these on the same morning. I got there early enough to see the moon and stayed late enough to greet the sun. That's pretty magical. The beginning of the walk is spooky and quiet but by the end of it the trees look like they're on fire and all the birds are yakking away. Who knows what they're going on about? 

Closure…

the principle of. Isn't that what it's called? When the lines don't meet but your mind completes them for you? It wasn't what I was thinking about when I took this picture, but I looked at it again today and realized that it illustrates the principle of closure perfectly. You know the web is there, even though the lines disappear. My life is like this. I can't see my daughter, but I know she's there on the other side of the world. I am part of the web and she's the other side of it, the line that reappears between the branches. I miss her, but I know the sun shines on her the same way that it shines on me, whenever I go walking in the woods.

Three different days

 This from two days ago. There's something very wonderful about vapor trails in the sky, especially first thing in the morning. All those people going someplace, who knows where? And here we are, me and the dog, seeing the streaks of their passing.

 Early yesterday, I was out looking for wild blackberries to dig up and take home and there's a short cut through this field of grass, all dead now, but it glows orange this time of day, and Daisy is just a ghost walking through it.

These little flowers are so pretty, tiny and delicate, strung with little bits of spider webbing. I can never resist them.

Fire and water

This morning it was a good time to walk out in the woods. The air smelled particularly sweet. I have no idea what I'm smelling as I walk along, but it's nice. Started out looking like the woods was on fire as the dog and I left the parking lot.

Further along, the light turned quite magical, with electric greens and the glow of the rising sun on fallen pine needles.

Then, at the end of our walk, I saw dew on the green stuff along the path and tried to take a picture of it. Spotted this big grasshopper in the middle of this flowering feathery grass, no doubt drying off after pulling an all nighter.