A multi-media account of my travels through life
That’s my friend Mary with two of her standard poodles. Until I stayed at Mary’s house I had never spent any time around Standard Poodles. I can see the attraction to them. Their intelligence is very obvious and they move with a certain grace that is hard to describe. I was hoping to get a nice portrait of Mary and her poodles but the picture above is as close as we got. Trying to corral these canines proved to be a chore, as the picture below demonstrates. The dogs had other ideas. ❧
It may sound odd but after nineteen years in Florida but I am enjoying the process of getting re-acquainted with winter in North Carolina. Don’t get me wrong, I am not about to move to Minnesota. It has been plenty cold for me with temperatures dropping into the teens at night and sometimes barely breaking 40 degrees during the day. But there is treasure everywhere and there is certainly treasure in winter. It is an integral part of the automatic earth, a time of slumber and re-alignment. It is also a time of crisp, rich blue skies with low-slung cirrus clouds that seem to materialize before your eyes and quickly join forces to make a bright day gray.
Armed only with the iPhone camera I enjoyed a walk down Potts Branch Rd. today and climbed a pasture hill to enjoy the view and snap this photo. Tango, of course, was at my side and he too enjoyed the smells and sights. Every day is a gift. ❧
Back home in North Carolina after three weeks in Florida. It was a whirlwind of activity and people. I loved it all but it is good to return to the quiet of the mountains. To all whom I saw – I love you all and enjoyed every minute. To those whom I missed – forgive me. I swear someone is stealing minutes, nay, hours from my day. So I have chosen this image because it reminds me of my life: aging with deep lines and swirls but lots of color and plenty of life. Happy New Year everyone. ❧
The holidays are officially over. Tomorrow — Monday, January 6th — we return to “real time” but the past two weeks have been that special time of the year when things seem to slow down and focus draws inward to home and hearth. For me this passing holiday time has been especially memorable, a time to share the joy of my cousins and, in particular, a special woman — cousin Bunny — who can be seen greeting her great grandson Winston.
Consider, for a moment, the generational spread that is captured in this picture. Winston is just ten weeks old. Bunny is 93 years old. If Winston lives to be as old as Bunny the year will be 2106. Any 93 year old person who gazed upon Bunny when she was Winston’s age would have been born in 1827!
Let’s come at it from another perspective. When Winston was born in 2013 the president of the U.S. was Barack Obama. When Bunny was born in 1920 the president was Woodrow Wilson. And for our imagined 93 year old who gazed upon the newborn Bunny in 1920 the president in 1827 was John Quincy Adams! ❧
For those who savored a week of sun and fun in Florida the week has been a disappointment. It has been stormy for several days and the sky has been gray and gloomy. As always, however, the Gulf or Mexico is still beautiful. It doesn’t matter what the weather might be the Gulf is always enchanting. ❧
This picture is my 93 year-old cousin Bunny with her son, John. You might have guessed it was taken on Christmas Day. I’ve written about Bunny before. She is a dear person who has reached a point in her life that none of us ever want to see—a vast netherland with no beginning and no end. It is the Land of Dementia and its population is growing with each passing day.
Bunny seems incapable of retaining recent memory yet she remembers the past very well. I always try to lead her to that land she remembers. It is populated with her parents and my grandparents along with numerous souls from the town of Norton, Massachusetts. My connection to the town is garbled in her mind. I did live there in my youth but Bunny was in her early thirties and long gone by that time. But she talks to me as a contemporary and I do the best I can to sustain the memory. It always seemed to bring her some joy to talk about “good old Norton.”
Today, however, was markedly different. I couldn’t lead her anywhere. For the first time she failed to recognize me. “You look very familiar,” she said. “It’s your cousin, Alice.” I replied. She nodded but I wasn’t sure the information conveyed very well. Her usual enthusiasm at seeing my dog Tango was also absent. We attempted a conversation about the recent Christmas celebration but she couldn’t recall it. Then I told her that her youngest son would arrive tomorrow and that his children—now adults—would be bringing their newborns. That piqued her interest. “A new generation?” she asked. “Yes,” I said, “a whole new generation.”
For just a moment the Bunny of old emerged from the gripping fog of her dementia. Her eyes got bright and ever so sweetly she simply said, “Wow.” ❧
It is the eve of Christmas, a time when Christians celebrate the birth of a child. Perhaps the child was like this one…sweetly smiling with an aura of love. Merry Christmas everyone. ❧
Like a vast number of Americans I have traveled “home for the holidays.” Last Wednesday I packed up the dog and cat, a few clothes and the usual vast array of tech items (cameras, computers, etc.) and set off for Sarasota, Florida where I will stay for at least three weeks. It is a bit strange to be back here after six months in North Carolina. The urban nature of this ever-growing Gulf Coast city is overwhelming as is the vast wealth that is conspicuously on display. It is offset by the warmth and love of family and friends but is, nevertheless, a reminder of why I have made the decision to live full-time in Carolina for a while.
My images for the next couple of weeks will be a hodgepodge of old and new. I discovered an extensive file of old photos on the laptop and will pull some from that source. The above is an example. This is some of my first serious macro work. I’m not sure of the date but I think it is around 2006. I had just gotten a Canon 60mm macro lens and went to one of my favorite haunts, Carlton Preserve, early in the morning. The dew had settled on the hundreds of spider webs that littered the trees and shrubs, even on the grass. This is a photo of the dew drops on a web. ❧
Here’s another shot from my encounter with friend Mary’s Toulouse Geese. This gosling is being held be Mary. Don’t let the shyness fool you. They arrive hard-wired to take a bite of you. In fact, this one was probably about to take a bit of Mary’s hand. 🙂 ❧
My friend Mary is mourning the loss of her male Toulouse Goose. His name was Doodle and he was twelve. Three and a half years ago he fathered several goslings and I was fortunate enough to get their pictures. Doodle is survived by a mate and two daughters who are greatly grieving his loss. Mary wrote on Facebook,
After 12 good years of life he has passed over the Rainbow Bridge. If dogs and cats can go over, why not a much loved goose. His much younger mate and their two daughters are very lonely without him. If anyone has or knows of anyone within 100 miles of Sarasota, Fl who has geese please put me in contact with them. Many thanks.
The new male has big wings to fill. Doodle was an excellent protector and, of course, had been with his ladies for many years. Change is hard for all of us mammals. I certainly wish the survivors well. ❧
Alice's WanderLand 