Scotland ~ Almost a Year Ago

We have another snowy, possibly even stormy week ahead of us here in Maine and I can't help thinking it was almost a year ago when our daughter and son-in-law accompanied us on a March trip to Scotland. So much has happened since that lovely family time together and I still have not finished editing and posting all my photos. I did manage one blog post last April titled The Bride with Pearls and a Fuchsia Bouquet. Just married at City Chambers in Edinburgh, the couple allowed me to photograph their exuberance and happiness. I've always hoped the pictures would find a way to them through the internet...March 9th will be their first wedding anniversary.

Our plan was to drive through the highlands and on to the Isle of Skye after our stay in Edinburgh. Early spring flowers and a soft green haze were in evidence in spite of the chill. Our first stop was a charming Inn called Monachyle Mhor in Valquhidder Glen.

A perfectly timed evening ramble with a setting sun casting a golden glow across the glen took our breath away. The wind was fierce and we welcomed the crackling fire at the inn...not to mention sampling some unique single malt whiskeys!

We left Monachyle Mhor the next morning with real regret.

No paintings, books or photos prepared us for the sheer scale and stark beauty of the highlands. We all tried to capture the atmosphere...here are some of mine...

My daughter quipped this solitary little house must be the most photographed home in the highlands!

...and on to Fort William for a cozy lunch and picturesque Eilean Donan, but I will save that for another day.

The Chinese Brush Applied to Photography ~ Random Memory #30 ~ Hong Kong

I try to remember many things while composing a shot, light, angle, composition and camera settings and many shots wind up in my computer trash bin. I practice almost daily, I want the steps to seem as natural as brush strokes.

Five hundred revolutions of the ink stick on my ink stone. Add a few drops of water and let my mind wander while keeping the circular motion smooth and steady. When satisfied with the consistency, dip the point of the brush into the ink and make the first stroke on the rice paper. There is no turning back.

Click

Random Memory #30 ~ Hong Kong

I am sitting at a table in Mr. Lao's class with my felt cloth and a section of rice paper unfurled before me. I have been grinding ink and making horizontal and vertical lines on my rice paper over and over and over. I have been doing this for weeks.

A fellow student arrives with a small package which she proudly unwraps to show Mr. Lao. It is an exquisitely carved antique ink stone, the surface smooth as silk. It is a wonderful find she purchased in one of the many fine shops in Central...it could have been a museum piece. Mr. Lao's face is a blank mask, he says, "Put it away. It belongs to a Master."

It will be months before I am allowed to paint a cherry blossom.

My shots on the move are rapid, instinctive, free and relaxed. Sometimes the result is startling.

Cold is so Clean

We had a January thaw, a tease that left bare ground giving us an opportunity for walks without the threat of hidden ice, or ankle breaking depressions underfoot.

We could see wind rippled water, sapphire blue, between the ice floes in the bay. Slanted light left long shadows across dull brown grass...and then it snowed again. It was just a dusting that arrived with frigid temperatures that burned skin with a numbing intensity.

The following photos were taken with a wide angle lens. Clicking on the images will reveal more detail.

Cold is so clean.

A Rare Day

Winter bestows its own delights for the photographer in Maine, but an interesting sky is a rarity. Now that I've written that, there will undoubtedly be many who disagree! I love the brilliant blue of a deep freeze and the flat gray that comes with the anticipation of snow...beauty can be found in all weather...however, I'm a cloud fan and a chaser of shadows and slivers of light. The following photos were taken at the Blue Hill Fairground two days before Nemo. It was a frigid brisk walk with a sky that made the weathered buildings pop in the landscape.

Peter and Cooper race ahead of me trying to keep warm!

Weather warnings were increasingly ominous in the days that followed. The next photo was taken of snowfall in the early hours before the storm intensified. It could have been much worse...and the power stayed on!

Glittering crystals in the day's waning light.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cooper wishes everyone a rapturous Valentine's Day!

Hazel....Cooper's Valentine!

Pippin, the newest member in our dachshund family!

Greetings created from a combination of Pip Camera, Pixlr Express+ and Skitch apps.

Wishing you a very happy Valentine's Day full of love, chocolate and flowers with a good dog at your side!

Nemo and the Year of the Snake

It will be dark soon. The wind has picked up rattling the windows and snow swirls in dense clouds of haphazard patterns. The sound is similar to a low muffled roar rising and falling with each powerful gust. We probably have at least 24 inches of snow....and counting!

Nemo! Since when did winter storms have names?

Creating a path for Cooper is the first order of the day. No doubt mini dachshund companions all over the northeast were out with their shovels and snowblowers this morning!

It's Chinese New Year today, the Year of the Snake!

2012 brought profound changes and challenges for my children and parents. I am so proud of their grace, humor and courage. Happy New Year!

The Year of the Snake

January Thaw

It was a somber Holiday season for many of us. Every carol seemed a rebuke and the lights were dimmer in the wake of the Newtown killings. Here at home we dug out from under two snowstorms while our hearts and attention were focused on family matters. January invites a winter state of mind, one of reflection and observation of the piercing beauty that comes with the cold.

...and we wait for the sun and signs of a thaw.

#Newtown

No words...

Flares, Rays, Sparkle and Bokeh

When we first moved to Maine I warned our children that in November and December they will have only three hours of daylight if they sleep until noon. The difference from Connecticut was dramatic and more than a little overwhelming. I can't say I have ever gotten used to our short days, but I am resigned!

I am posting the following images to banish the dark! Here is a collection of flares, rays, sparkle and that curious term, bokeh, of Japanese origin.

Light flare, taken late afternoon at Mere Point, 25 June, 2009.

A wine glass catches the light as the sun slowly sinks into the horizon over Maquoit Bay in front of our cottage, 29 August, 2011.

Light rays break through heavy clouds in an image titled One of those Moments, 18 June, 2011.

Just Before Sunset rays streaming over the cottage bank at the water's edge, 18 July, 2010.

Flickr friend, Karen Mallonee, captured the purity of morning light at her beloved Minnetoska in the western Maryland mountains, 27 June, 2009. Image posted with the kind permission of Karma/(Karen) on Flickr.

Tiny shore birds skitter through eel grass and seaweed on the sparkling shore of a small Maine island, 31 August, 2011.

Maquoit Bay yields a gift of sparkling silver just before an approaching storm, 12 August, 2012.

And finally bokeh in a macro shot of late spring lupine, 28 May, 2012.

A splash of color from hibiscus in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, 31 January, 2012.

Winter reveals its subtle beauty in icy bokeh, 26 December, 2011.

Photos are always better if you click on the images to view them in a larger size. There will be more light too!