Late February afternoon

"Late February days; and now, at last,
Might you have thought that
Winter's woe was past;
So fair the sky was and so soft the air."

William Morris

Hidden Valley

It's too cold to go outdoors, so I'm cleaning out some of my computer's files.  I'm not getting very far because it's a wonderful trip down memory lane.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

"Come forth into the light of things.  Let nature be your teacher."
William Wordsworth

Sunshine

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."
James. M. Barrie

Evening

The hills hide the brilliant sunsets, but it is a peaceful, quiet time.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only one page."

St. Augustine

At the lake

And now for the kiss of the wind,
And the touch of the air's soft hands,
With the rest from strife and the heat of life,
With the freedom of lakes and lands.

from the poem In Summer, 

      by Paul Laurence Dunbar

At the wood pile

One day while walking with my camera after a light shower, I was looking for inspiration when I spied a wood pile.  Who knew it was possible to become completely absorbed by a spider web on a wood pile.

I am not interested in shooting new things - I am interested to see things new.

Ernest Haas

Drought

New Zealand is a beautiful country, and I love to snap photos there.  I recently read an article challenging the reader to try to tell a story rather than snapping the usual tourist photos.  Much of the South Island is gripped by a devastating drought.  Farmers are hanging on, and worrying.  I wanted to tell the story of the drought through photos.  That's not as easy as I thought it would be, but here are a few of my attempts.

Sheep are adaptable animals that find shade wherever they can, and seem to thrive regardless of the conditions.

Pastureland is suffering from lack of moisture, but weeds still grow.

Streams that months ago brought fresh, clear water from the high country are now a trickle.

Clouds bring hope and the occasional light shower, but not the days of rain that's needed.

"Always rains after a dry spell."  (old saying)

Clothes pins

Washing Day

Washing day! Washing day!
Mother rubs the clothes this way.
Rub-a-dub,
Rub-a-dub,
Up and down inside the tub!
          (Nursery Rhyme)

Canada Geese

I captured this shot of these majestic birds in New Zealand.





One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.

Henry Miller

Trees

Trees are some of my favourite subjects.

This old gum tree made me think of an old portrait of a stately family matriarch in a beautiful ball gown that billows around her ankles.  (That and a song about a kookaburra.)

We are the trees.
     Our dark and leafy glade
Bands the bright earth with softer mysteries.
Beneath us changed and tamed the seasons run;
In burning zones, we build against the sun
Long centuries of shade.
(From Song of the trees
     by Mary Colborne-Veel)

Doubtful Sound New Zealand

Many tourists visit the more accessible Milford Sound, but Doubtful Sound is just as beautiful.  The Sound was shrouded in fog and mist this day.  The only way of capturing photos is on a moving boat.  One can be completely absorbed by the quiet ruggedness of the place, and still happily snap photos.

The day's rain left lacey waterfalls everywhere.

Boats belonging to people who live and work here.

There is Pleasure in the Pathless Woods

There is pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is rapture in the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar: 
I love not man the less, but nature more,
From these our interviews, from which I steal
From all I may be, or been before,
To mingle with the Universe and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.
 Lord Byron

Christchurch New Zealand

Everywhere in downtown Christchurch the devastation from the 2011 earthquake is still visible.  However, the mood I sensed in the city is one of rebuilding and optimism.  I hope I'm right.

The main street leading to the cathedral tells much of the story.  The tram is running.  On the right is scaffolding where the beautiful old buildings that housed the arts center are being restored. (In this city, scaffolding is a welcome sight.)  On the left is a vacant building awaiting deconstruction.  In the center, like a huge scar, is the cathedral.

The cathedral ruins.  It is heartbreaking that this former place of worship seems to be treated with so little respect as it awaits the decision on its fate.  Surely a tarp over it to keep the pigeons out would not be too much. 

This photo was taken from the top of a moving double decker bus.  This theatre is awaiting deconstruction, and I imagine this is how it looked the day of the earthquake.

The ReStart Mall was erected shortly after the earthquake in an effort to bring people back to the area.  It is a mall that is made up of shipping containers.  It has become a popular tourist attraction, and spoke to me of the optimism and resilience the city has.

The facade of the Christchurch Art Gallery is made up of well over 1000 panes of glass.  Not one pane fell out, was broken or cracked during the earthquake.  At the time of construction in 2002, it was built to withstand seismic events.  However, currently there is structural work being done to earthquake-proof it to current standards, and the gallery is scheduled to reopen in late 2015.

I hope I'm able to see this beautiful city again in a few years.

"Man never made a material as resilient as the human spirit."  Bernard Williams

Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens in Christchurch New Zealand were begun a hundred years ago.  They hold specimens from all over the world.  This sort of collection could never pass bio-security these days, but it is good to see this remnant of past days.  These massive, beautiful gardens provide hours of relaxation (and inspiration) to the weary tourist, or anyone who loves gardening. 

The perennial border after a shower.

I'm inspired to try growing dahlias after seeing this display.

...Maybe a rock garden.









"Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination."

Alice Morse Earle

Stone

The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time.

Henry David Thoreau

Rainforest

A rainforest is something this prairie girl does not experience very often.  The ride to Doubtful Sound in New Zealand winds through a beautiful rainforest.  The day we visited, it was raining.  This was the first rain they had had in several weeks.  I'm sure the vegetation needed the rain. Much of the landscape was shrouded in mist, but that only added to the atmosphere, and just seemed right.  I managed to snap a few shots while trying to keep my camera dry.

"It's not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews the weary spirit."

Robert Louis Stevenson

Cows in fog

"How thick the fog is.  I can't see the road.  All the people in the world could pass by and I would never know."

Eugene O'Neill 

(From A Long Day's Journey into Night)

Sheep

There is certainly no shortage of sheep to photograph in New Zealand.  They have a reputation for being not very bright: however, whenever I approached with my camera they seemed to have a knack for putting their heads down, or turning around and showing me their backsides.  They are quite photogenic when they decide to cooperate.

 
Clouds
White sheep, white sheep,
On a blue hill,
When the wind stops,
You all stand still.
When the wind blows,
You walk away slow.
White sheep, white sheep,
Where do you go?

Christina Rossetti

Road

Still round the corner there may wait,
A new road or a secret gate.
                    J. R. R. Tolkien
 
 

A New Zealand Road

Adventure

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.

                    Confucius