Poetry and art?

I had some sort of epiphany while studying a certain type of photography. I've done macro before. I love macro in every sense because it fits with the world around me.

But I wanted to take it to the next level. 

Maybe Macro is the wrong word because it isn't truly macro macro like itty bitty insects and microscopic items [although I really love tiny tiny things to photograph!]. 

I think 'Artistically' different may be what I want to say or

...try.

I even decided to try my hand at creatively writing a blurb -- in the poetic sense to describe what the feeling was when I took the shot.

This whole process uses more thinking skills than I've previously done.

Maybe it is just a phase or a distraction to keep my mind occupied during the 'brown' month of November. It is fun though.

I sway
whispering secrets
untold
with the 
zephyr's sighing song...

The sun golden light

illuminates 

the last fern.

Autumn whispers...

Miss Aurora introduced me to her fascination of grasses a couple of years ago. Since then, I've stopped and looked at grasses and tried to figure out the best way to make them something special when seen through my camera lens.

Catching the sunlight
the grasses sway
in the wind
waiting for
the seasons to

pass

In a sense, that is exactly what grasses do. The have beautiful seed heads that the winds spread over the ground. The seeds wait for spring to arrive and sprout up with new life.

So fall in a sense is just a way for nature and plants to take a break so they can resume their jobs come spring.

These photos were taken while Aurora and I explored the Old Settler's Trail. I enjoy walking with another visual artist that introduces me to new ways of looking at nature's beauty.

And of course, I could not resist taking along our Minifigs to represent us hiking together.

How to take a photo of Minifigures in the wild by Aurora:

...with Charlie's help of course!

Have a safe and wonderful weekend.

Leading up to Gun Deer Season

 Everything is set for the 'invasion' of the woods tomorrow morning. Our little farm is 25 acres of deep forest with a small meadow. Our property is 500 feet wide and a half mile long with steep terrain and a small creek in the middle of it.

My neighbor to the west sometimes hunts or will allow some other folks to hunt on his land. He always takes them along our fence line and shows them where NOT to hunt or shoot. He is a wonderful neighbor and is always very conscious of our animals and land.

During gun deer season the normally abandoned 600+ acres of land to the east of us is inundated with hunters. Some are from the family that owns the Estate and some are friends of friends of friends who are invited to hunt the BIG hunt. In many years past we've had folks drive down our driveway to our house thinking they could just use our drive to get to the neighbor's land. We've used do not trespass signs, and for years we put a chain across our driveway to keep the riff raff out.

Many years ago a bunch of walking hunters with guns decided to walk through our yard thinking they were still on the neighbor's land. My husband who is a Vietnam Veteran did not take kindly to that.

However. That all said.
In 30 years we have not had a mishap other than a bullet from a hunter hitting the tree that hubby was sitting in.

Thus...
I am forbidden to walk in our woods for NINE DAYS. Can you imagine me getting sidelined like that???

Actually this nine days is always set aside for a deep house cleaning and reorganization of the junk in the basement which includes purging.

So this is where I have been sitting for many mornings with a camera to watch the antics of our local deer.

Just over the thermos, you can see my little 'hut' which looks in a western direction into the woods.

My mules generally stand nearby waiting to catch the morning sunlight.

The view from my little 'stand' which is only about 6 feet off the ground. I can get a pretty nice view of the meadow that is east of us. 

I won't be in either of these places while the big hunt is on. 

I may do a more traditional female thing when I am bored of cleaning house. I may go and visit some of the craft fairs that will be happening locally.

Some photos from this week's sittings at my look out spot:

This little buck had been chasing little doe yearlings....

Yearlings in the early morning...

Random shots from this week:

So from this afternoon until the evening of the 26th, I most likely won't be sitting out in my little place or wandering the woods.

It will be some sort of torture for me. However, the house should get cleaned, organized, and we should enjoy watching the birds at the feeders.

I think there will be some Lego play involved too. We have a Christmas Village to complete!

Hiking Wildcat Mountain State Park

I went hiking with Aurora again for our Fall hike at Wildcat Mountain State Park. We were too late for the peak fall colors but we still had almost picture perfect weather for our hike. The Old Settler's Trail drops from the ridge to a valley where we walked in peace and out of the gusts of winds.

We had our 'fearless' leader lead the way. Funny how he seems to know the trails by heart. He has only done this trail three times.

There are a few very steep parts of the trail and one is at the trail head where you descend log and dirt stairs down into a valley. The part we all forget is that this is a lollipop loop which means you have to come back up those stairs. 

The other steep part is coming around the base of the outcropping of rock and following the steep log and dirt steps up to the top of the rock. There is a look out on top with a guard rail to keep the idiots from climbing out on the prepuces and falling. 

I hopped over the railing and stepped to the edge as I have done for years.

In the summer you have to walk through poison ivy to see the tip of the rock.

Really, it isn't that scenic and wild at the end of the rock. The beauty is all around when you look down at the forest and valley below from the proper place behind the barriers. This rock and the scene it looks down on are best viewed in early spring and late fall.

I love the visuals on the trail. My favorite it this long bridge. This trail is also used for snowshoeing in the winter.

Same bridge in August 2020:

How different things look in different seasons. Try the winter! 
December 2016:

The trail through the pine stand was one of the trails I was so looking forward to. In years past, this has always been so incredibly beautiful no matter what the season. However, last years heavy wet snowfall combined with high winds took its toll on this gorgeous part of the trail.

August 2020:

and early morning in 2016:

Much to our surprise we were lucky enough to spot a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers. I was only able to get these two halfway decent shots of one of them working on a tree.

I have two nesting pairs of these in our surrounding forest. They are shy birds that generally are hard to see unless you are deep in the forest. This was one of the rare times that I/we got to watch them work while seemingly undisturbed by our presence.

Another look at the trails that run through the woods in the summer.
August 2020:

Meanwhile we headed back towards the parking lot with the late afternoon sun shining down into the trees below us just before having to climb back up the steep stairway.

I really think these trails are stunning in any light and any season.

Last but not least...there is the overlook next to the parking lot. The view is downright stunning.

Our view on Wednesday:

and just below the overlook a view of the river taken at the same outlook at a different angle in October 2018:

This view looks down on the Kickapoo River.

Aurora and I had fun walking, talking, moving slippery leaves out of our way so we wouldn't slip and fall. The fun part of hiking with Aurora is that she has taught me to look at things differently with my eyes and camera.

Last note.
There are also up to 15 to 20 miles that are for equine and hikers. That may be my next challenge. 

November beauties

I'm still trying to make sure that November will not be that bleh month. I'm working hard at it by spending time outdoors and searching for things that are beautiful.

Usually by now we have a first snowfall and the ice is forming on the grasses in the creek bottom. Not so this year.  The mornings are frosty and the days are tolerable.

On our last very gloomy and overcast day, I decided to go out and look for something. Anything.

These trees I think are Hop Hornbeam trees which are also known as Ironwood.

Every tree speaks to me
fluttering from an Autumn Tree
~~Emily Bronte

I saw it as a plain old tree with startling leaves in the understory of the woods. Some of these trees are low enough that the winds don't take away all of their leaves in the winter. 

From there I started to hunt for little things. You know, that stuff you step over when you go for a walk.

The mossy log that shines with a brilliant green now that summer has passed into recent memory. 

The lichen with moss on dead wood.

The browned leaves of ferns that glow orange in the late afternoon sun.

I came home after that hike and felt I'd given November a pretty good effort but found it a bit wanting.

I came home and thought about this season again. I checked my email and had an update from OM Systems [formerly Olympus Cameras]. Since I am an OM user, I get emails for different events and 'how to' videos that explain how to get more use out of your camera.

The email was titled 'it's in our Nature'.
Specifically it addressed Kacho Fugetsu which is an old Japanese philosophy that translates loosely into Flower, Moon, Wind, and Bird. 

OM's philosophy is to go out and do continuous self discovery through nature.

Of course I know it is advertising and promotion of their products. Discover yourself through photography.

They had four little videos to watch. I was rather inspired by the words of the video. They stirred something in me that made me want to go out and find something intensely wonderful with my camera.

From the video... a few sentences 

I am everywhere...

above you in the canopy
and nestled right at 
your 
feet...

For you 
I drape the world 
in splendor
embellishing every valley
and forest
with marvels hoping that you
upon your arrival

capture my essence...

Link: Flower

I ended up with some motivation to go find something unique.

This is not my normal work, but it is a place I am  at the moment to trying something different out to see how it feels.

It combines a longer lens used in the sense of a macro lens and creating a depth of field that gives the viewer one thing to look at. That item can be mundane in a way, but unusual in how it was photographed. The best days for this kind of photography are heavily overcast days.

Tiny Fungi:

Spent Golden Rod through brush:

A dead fleabane flower in the pasture:

Rain droplets on Powderhorn Lichen:

There is so much to see out there before the snowfall will cover it up and then I'll have to change up my focus again.

That's okay, it is the best way to stay fresh and explore.

That Tough Little Dog

Thursday morning, I looked at the weather and decided that even if it was really windy, I would go on my hike.

There are ways to avoid winds when you live in an area that is steeped with hills and valleys.

Charlie is finally getting used to his Hi-Vis vest. It isn't a coat but more of a canvas vest with bright colors and reflective strips on it. He gets excited now when I bring it out of its basket. He knows we are going on a car ride and hike. 

You would think that such a short little dog like him would be reluctant to go on hikes.
Nope. Charlie lives for cooler weather and adventure. 

Of course he has been raised as a hiking dog from the get go. So he doesn't know that most of his kind of mixed breed prefer the couch and long days of napping. He can do that too, in fact he can excel at it. 

Now if I grab a backpack he is on high alert and watches me like a hawk.

Once we got on the trail, he trotted forward. He does stop and make sure I am coming along. A few times he slowed to a crawl and had me go ahead. He seemed hesitant. He may have smelled coyotes or other creatures.

Cellphone shot looking up at Hanson's Rock

Trail below Hanson's Rock.
I love both the trail that goes on top of the rock and the steep
trail that goes around the bottom of the rock formation.

Short video of a 360 view of where we were standing-- almost 30 seconds.

It was an amazing walk through the steep valleys near Hanson's Rock. Parts of the trail were pretty intense for footing because of the deep leaves. Under the leaves there are roots and rocks that would be ankle turners if one didn't exercise caution. 

I even broke off a nice stick and used it as a walking stick to negotiate the worst section. I do recall riding this part of the trail in 1996 and being thankful that I was on a mule that seemed not to be bothered by the footing.

We headed down towards the most remote campsite on the Kickapoo Valley Reserve at campsite F. From any trail head you choose, it is over a 3 mile trek to get to. Charlie and I took a break there and shared and apple and some water.

We found the foundation of the old spring house and explored that. The fresh watercress smelled amazing.

The rest of our journey was rather unexciting, we just tried to hurry up a bit so I could get home before dark. We took the West Ridge trail back which is wider than some of the other trails and is better maintained.

I thought Charlie would collapse and fall asleep in his little car seat. He didn't. He sat up and made sure I navigated properly in order to get home.

Once at home, he shed his vest and assisted me with chores before taking a snooze on the couch.

That is one tough little dog!

5.81 miles