Posts in Category: Pic of the Day
Snow Fence. Happy Sunday!
Snow fence along a beach house access road. Kennebunk Maine
“If your eye is generous, your whole being is full of light!” Jesus
This little stretch of snowfence protects a corner in an access road for a group houses on our local beach, where the wind across the marsh might drift the snow across the road. As you can tell from its condition, it has stood there at least since I moved here over 20 years ago, and I can’t honestly remember it looking any better then. This is after about a foot, maybe 8 inches right along the coast, within the sound of the surf, of fresh blowing snow. We expect another 12-24 inches in next 24 hours, a real nor-easter. The snowfence does its job, more or less. There is, every nor-easter, a sizable drift in front of it. Because, of course, that is the way it works. It is not so much a snowfence as wind fence. By slowing the passing wind, it causes the snow to drop out on the downwind side. In this next storm I expect the snow will backfill to cover all but the tips of the slats. It does not prevent drifts so much as to encourage them to form somewhere short of the road.
I like the line and curve of it against the snow, and what the wind does with the surface of the drift…the carving, the light and shadow, and in this shot, the brooding bank of cloud and the touch of blue sky above.
As I started to post this image for yesterday’s Pic for Today, just because I like the beauty of it, the whole concept of erecting a snow fence to fence out the snow…or a wind fence to tame the wind…stuck me as having a spiritual dimension, and I decided to save it for the Generous Eye today.
Now that I reflect on it a bit more, I not sure what to do with it. The wind, in the new testament, is, very often, the spirit. They are the same word in the language Jesus most likely spoke, and, if I remember right, in Hebrew as well. Jesus, speaking to an honest and devout Jew come to inquire of him, said “No one can see the Kingdom of God who is not born again.” When the questioner questioned the possibility of anyone being born twice, Jesus went to to say, “Turely I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of the wind (spirit). You must be born of water and the wind. Flesh is born of flesh, but wind is born of wind.” (Or flesh is born of flesh, but the spirit is born of spirit.) “Don’t be surprised that I said you must be born again. The wind blows where it will. You hear the sound of its passing, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with anyone born of the wind…born of the spirit.” That, of course, only confused the questioner more. And that, of course, was Jesus’s point. He was saying that something has to happen to you, before you can see God’s Kingdom…before you can see God at work in the world and in eternity. Something has to change in you. I am pretty sure he was also paying the questioner, who had already admitted that he saw God and God’s presence in the things Jesus was doing and saying, a compliment. He was telling this honest, devout Jew, that if he saw God in what Jesus was going, he was already born again…born of the wind, born of the spirit…whether he knew it or not. But that is straying pretty far from snowfences. Or is it?
My first thought was about the futility of trying to fence out the snow, or the wind. At the very most, all we do is slow the wind and reposition the snow. It is equally impossible of course to fence out, or to fence in, the spirit. It is an odd thought, but building a church, or establishing a doctrine (building a fence) might slow the spirit enough so you get a drift on the down wind side, a congregation or a denomination, but it does not stop the spirit from blowing where it will. And I am not at all sure I want to be part of the drift. If I am going to be snow in this metaphor, I want to be the snow still blowing in the wind…I want to part of the movement, the force, the power and unknowable purpose of the spirit. And maybe Jesus was telling his devout Jew that too…not to settle in the drift, behind the snowfence, but to get up into the wind again and get moving. The Kingdom of God is not a place, it is a movement like the wind…a way of being suspended…lifted out of yourself and part of the great wind that is God acting in love in the world. You have to be born of the wind, born on the wind (I don’t know if Jesus had that pun to play with in his language, but we do in ours 🙂 Our mother’s carried us in a womb of flesh…the spirit carries us on the wind of loving creation. Born of and in the flesh and born of and on the spirit.
So yes, when I look at this snowfence I see beauty, but I am also amused. A snowfence? As though anyone could fence in the snow. A wind fence, as though anyone could fence in the wind. And who are you in this metaphor? I know who I want to be. I want to be God’s creative love in action. I want to be a particle of snow, a paricle of water, a particle of flesh, born on the mighty breath of God in this world and eternity. Happy Sunday!
The Bluebird of unhappiness
Eastern Bluebird, Kennebunk Maine
We continue to get unusual numbers of Bluebirds in the yard this winter…any at all is unusual, as before this winter we had never had one…but they are appearing in small flocks of 4-8 individuals at least once a week. We even had one at the sunflower feeder yesterday, and that is very unusual for a Bluebird. I have to say, they did not look like the bluebirds of happiness yesterday with a foot of new snow on the ground covering their feeding areas and temperatures in the single digits. This image was taken through the thermopane glass of the kitchen sliding door, so it is not as sharp as it might be, but it does catch the frumpy attitude of a cold Bluebird. There is another foot or more of snow in the forecast over the next 2 days, so I don’t think the Bluebirds’ mood is going to improve anytime soon. We may see more of them at the sunflower feeder though. 🙂
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program Mode. 1/250th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Kennebunk Eagle
Bald Eagle, Kennebunk Maine
Here is the best of my shots from my encounter with the Kennebunk Eagle two days ago. I celebrated the encounter with a poem that day too. February 8. A pair of Bald Eagles nest somewhere along the Mousam between the bridge over the Mousam on Route 1 and the bridge on Route 9. Probably someone knows where, but I don’t. It must be on private land along the river. The pair, or one or the other of them, is often perched across the river from Roger’s Pond Park just off Route 1 in the center of town. I go there several times a week in hopes of catching one on a perch low enough for good photos. This one was not…it was high up in a tall pine half way up the big bank on the other side of the river.
I shot this at 600mm equivalent field of view, then processed it in Polarr on my iPad Pro, then cropped it heavily in BigPhoto and upscaled it to 16mp again, so it has, you might say, been through the wringer. 1/800th @ ISO 100 @ f4.
White Pelicans posing
American White Pelicans, Viera Wetlands, Florida
There were a few American White Pelicans at Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands in Viera, Florida when I visited with my Point and Shoot Nature Photography class last month. Two of these three seemed intent on posing. It rained off and on all the time we were there and though the light was subdued, it was actually pretty good light for white birds. You can see the unusual amount of feather detail in this pair.
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program Mode. 1/250th @ ISO 125 @ f4. Processed in Polarr and then cropped and resized in BigPhoto on my iPad Pro.
Wood Stork attended
Wood Stork, Snowy Egret, 2 White Ibis, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville Florida
This appears to a Wood Stork attended by a Snowy Egret and two White Ibis. Mixed species feeding groups are common among birds, and especially common among wading birds. In fact, groups of waders might more properly be called “cooperative feeding groups” Each species in the group benefits from the activity of the others. White Ibis and Egrets often feed together. They are after different prey, and in going after what each wants they stir up what the other wants. The Wood Stork in this image is not really part of the group. It is simply standing and preening while the Egret and Ibis move around it. Still it makes an interesting, visually, grouping. 🙂
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program mode. 1/320th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Pine Siskin
Pine Siskin, Kennebunk Maine
I have not seen a Pine Siskin in our yard for many years now, perhaps as many as ten…until yesterday. A Bluebird sitting on the deck rail below the feeders caught my eye and sent me for the camera. It popped up into the trees behind the feeders when I opened the deck door and I got of a few shots before it moved over to a group of Bluebirds and Juncos feeding under our big pine, but then as I stood there with my head out the door in the February cold, several birds came to the thistle sock. At first, of course, I thought I was looking at very pale winter Goldfiches, but a second look showed them to be Pine Siskins. What do you know? Of course they may come every year and I have just missed them for the past 10, but I was certainly delighted to see them. We have had Bluebirds in the yead for the first time this winter, and others in area are reporting more Bluebirds then normal, and now Siskins. All it would take now is a few Redpoles, and a flock of Bohemian Waxwings to make it a truly record winter. 🙂
Sony RX10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/250th @ f4 @ ISO 320. Program mode. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
American Bittern, Ritch Grissom Wetlands, Viera Florida
American Bitterns are always a treat for me to see. I have only seen them in Florida and New Jersey…mostly in Florida, and I only get to Florida a few times a year. This one is at Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands in Viera Florida, one of the best places for bird photography on the east coast. Not the closest view I have ever had, but satisfying in its context, and in the pose…classic bittern.
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program mode. 1/320th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Cardinal in the bush. Happy Sunday
Northern Cardinal, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville Florida
“If your eye is generous, your whole being is full of light!” Jesus
It is hard to resist attempting a shot of a Northern Cardinal when one sits less than 6 feet away. And sits while you stand there looking. The fact that it is buried in dense leaves and twigs, and, if it were not so bright red, would basically be invisible to the naked eye, should not stop you…at least if you have manual (and selective) focus on your camera. My Sony has an interesting feature called Direct Manual Focus, which allows you to set one of the control rings on the lens barrel to manual focus, while keeping the camera in auto focus. Then, when you use the ring, the camera automatically switches to manual until you stop moving the ring. It also has a “focus lock” button that allows you to lock in the focus once achieved. When I use it, I get the focus close with DMF and then let the Auto focus do its work, which it does nicely, and then lock it. And you get an image like this: Cardinal in the bush… with highly selective focus.
And I am thinking that the generous eye has to have its own DMF…its own highly selective and intentional focus. We go through the world, too often, and too many of us, on auto focus, allowing circumstance and our inner mood to determine what we focus on. Too often we are distracted by the bright leaves and the tangle of twigs (and thorns) that this world presents, when, in fact there is a Cardinal in the bush, waiting to fill our souls with beauty, if we can shift our focus to see it clearly. The generous eye requires conscious decision, especially while we are developing it (and in this world we will always be developing it). If we are going to be full of light, we need to choose what to focus on. God is good, and often makes what will nourish our souls both bright and beautiful, like the Cardinal, so it is had to miss…but miss it we will, too often, unless we take the time to focus.
I could have walked right by this bush and not seen the Cardinal. (In fact it was pointed out to me by someone who had seen it wriggle its way in there.) I could have decided it was not worth the effort, buried as it was. But the generous eye both sees and takes the time to focus…and is always rewarded with beauty.
Of course, what nourishes our souls is not always bright or even apparently beautiful. Sometimes it is very subtitle. Sometimes it is just a glint of light among the shadows. If we do not take the time to practice our selective focus when something as bright and beautiful as a Cardinal is found in a bush…then we will certainly miss the more subtle presentations of God’s beauty and that light the generous eye finds buried in the shadows of this world.
I would like to think that the focus of the generous eye will become automatic in time, and that I will one day walk in a world where everything I see is beautiful and full of light. I am confident I will. But while I walk in this world still, I plan to practice selective focus until it approaches automatic…so that I don’t miss God’s beauty and light when it is right there in the bush beside me. May your eye be generous and your focus deliberate, and may you be presented with many opportunities to practice today and every day. Happy Sunday!
Tricolor
Tricolored Heron, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville FL
There were a great number of Tricolored Herons along Blackpoint Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge last week each time I visited. This one owned the feeding rights along a section of ditch next to the Cruickshank trail between the parking and the tower. He was there every time I was. Since the ditch is right next to the trail, and not very wide, he offered a great photo ops as he went about his feeding business. People on the trail moved him a few yards, but always up or down the ditch, and if you approached cautiously he would sit right across the ditch from you. Great Florida light too. What a is not to like?
Sony Rx10iii at 477mm equivalent field of view. 1/1000th @ f4 @ ISO 100. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Reddish Egret in flight, with reflection
Reddish Egret, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, FL
Reddish Egrets are, most days, my favorite wading bird. They are the clowns of the shallow pools. They don’t seem to be able to do anything without evoking at least a smile. If this were a picture of a Great or a Snowy Egret in a similar pose, it would look elegant and refined. As it is, with the Reddish Egret as the center of attention, it looks, to me, just a bit silly…slightly slapstick. It is the burden the Reddish Egret has to bear, and it does so with a measure of a grace all its own. No one can say the Reddish Egret does not enjoy being Reddish…if we are amused, that is not its fault. 🙂
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/1000th @ ISO 125 @ f4. Processes in Polarr on my iPad Pro.