Category Archives: Manifestations of Beauty

Beauty in the photographs details: Hollyhock Chair Boat

There is so much in this photograph that I love.

The place itself I love. It is the Hollyhock Retreat center on Cortes Island in British Columbia, a beautiful, remote, and Magical, Transformative place, especially in the summertime. I first went there in 1978 And attended a 13 week long Resident fellow program with a different workshop each week. I attended a dream workshop where I learned that I was Dan, Dan, The rainbow man, a healer and a teacher. And for the last 45 years, I’ve lived being a Healer and a teacher. I learned about Quan Yen (or Kuan Yin),The bodhisattva of compassion. I learned it from John Blofeld, that Very British China convert, Who wrote so beautifully about Quan Yen (or Kuan Yin), and also  translated the I Ching. John Blofeld so enjoyed his afternoon tea :). I learned about the I Ching, and Tarot cards. And I learned from the wind, the trees, low and high tides, I learned from the lapping of the water, BJ, Whiskey and orange juice, early morning sunshine, the wonderful gardens, and even more wonderful vegetarian meals. I learned by working with Bill Glackman, now a lifetime friend, doing handyman work around the then COld Mountain Institute.

But what do I love about this picture! I love the early morning light, with the side-light and long shadows. I love the empty chair and the empty boat, both waiting for us/me/you.

I can feel myself sitting in that chair, with my eyes closed, warm, with the sunshine on my face and arms in the cool morning, and ever so gently, I feel a slight breeze. With each breath, I breathe in the light, salty smells of the sea. I hear the gentle lapping of water on the beach. I hear the bird calls of morning,  welcoming the new day. That chair is a place to simply be, mindfully and appreciatively.

The empty boat, red and white and waiting, Is not about mindfulness. The empty boat is about adventure awaiting! Come,Let us row away to adventure! Morning is the time for both contemplation and beginning of adventures! I love that in this photograph.

I love the colors, the greens of the grass and the tree. I love the shades of blues in the sea, and in the mountains across the sea.  I love the bands of lighter color blue on the water.

I love how small I am in that early morning light, And how big that quiet sea is,  and how the shrouded mountains are at the top the photograph.

I love the lines of the small waves, lapping towards the shore.

I love the juxtaposition of the living Green tree, the stump, and the wooden chair. Three stages of existence?

I love the variations between the rocky shore, The tidal zone with it’s small rocks and mud , and the two big rocks In the nearby shallow water.

When I look at this picture, I feel gratitude, the hopes of a new morning, The beckoning of mindfulness and adventure, and the sheer beauty of it all: colors, bands of blue and green, and waves, sea, trees, shore, chair, boat, and distant mountains… and ME!

Our first daffodil of Spring 2017

Our first daffodil of Spring! It reminds me of the quote from one of my favorite movies, “City of Angels” where Nicolas Cage reads the following from Hemingway. Cycles, and even pain, end, as flowers bloom once again.

“You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintery light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen.”
― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

Beauty in the photographs details:Teapots

I love this photo! 

I love this photo and put a lot of work into it. I wanted to emphasize the teapots, the linen, the reflections, and therefore made everything but the table and the teapots into a black background.

What do I love in this photograph?

The T shape folded white tablecloth and the detailed weaving of that tablecloth.

The white teapot in the foreground, with its beautiful curved elegant handle shaped perfectly for pouring. The gentle curved classy but deliberately understated spout, that white 5 petaled rose on the knob of the cover, and that so wonderfully curved reflection of light on top. I love the reflection of the trees of the garden and the afternoon sun on the front of the teapot. That teapot is elegant perfection in the service of tea! Yet, we often don’t see it. Thinking about something else, we just pour our tea.

The blue handled, blue spouted, Blue topped, colorful teapot in the background. I love the colors, the flowers, the orange with yellow dotted bottom. I love the shape of the handle and the tear drop shaped top handle. I love the bright light and shadow of the afternoon sun on the teapot. I love the shape and The light and  the shadows of the blue handle against the black background.

I love the light of the sun and the shapes it makes on the tablecloth at the top of the photo.

I love how the teapots in their simple elegant beauty, and the tablecloth, and the sunlight on the tablecloth are the stars of this photograph. Yet, the tea cup and the plate with the scone almost hidden at the top are also part of the photograph.

For me, this is almost a perfect photograph that brings me great joy, and great remembrances of the teahouse in Victoria British Columbia.

Glacier Bay National Park Alaska Icebergs 2016

After breaking off the glacier, the icebergs are what I found most fascinating. Below are photographs of these ephemeral beauties that were floating near our ship.

With shapes like birds, animals, and wonderful blues whites and greens these were tremendously beautiful.

Hope you enjoy them!  Simply click on any image to see the larger version. I will be making individual blog entries of my favorites.

Daisies and stump on summer jubilee trail walk

Daisies basking and bowing to the sun, next to the brown tree stump,  along the Jubilee trail. Color and Black and white version of the same photograph.

Cactus shimmering from within: 3 views

Outside of the La Brae tar pits in Los Angeles was this wonderful cactus that seemed to shine from within. Below is the original and two B&W versions of the original. Beauty seen from multiple color and Black and white  persectives!

 

 

White Duck, Curves, Dream Glow, Beauty

I loved the curve of the duck, so I’ve cropped the photo and put a “white dream glow” around the edges. I also love the dreamy black eye and the red beak.

Below is the original photo at the Seattle Woodland Zoo.

Seattle Zoo: Animal Creative Photos

A listening, then talking sheep. The gorgeous curves of a white duck, and that white duck plucking its feather, and three versions of a photo of goat with mosquito for you viewing please.

Click to enlarge! Enjoy. I used Lightroom to make the effects.