Every Day is a Gift!
Terri’s latest Sunday Stills challenge of Feathers inspired me to get out and take a few bird photos early yesterday morning. The featured image was taken in January on Jeklyll Island, Georgia. The rest were taken yesterday.
Wood Stork in Coastal Georgia
Many thanks to Terri for her Sunday Stills challenge Fine Feathered Friends
Every Day is a Gift
This week Egidio challenges us to go Into the Woods for some Forest Bathing. He tells us “Shinrin-yoku is a concept that was developed in Japan in the 1980s as a form of natural therapy and stress relief. In English, it is translated as “forest bathing” or immersing oneself in a forest atmosphere. It is a way to allow all your senses to experience nature mindfully.” His challenge is to show how we do forest bathing in our corner of the world.
I think I was “”forest bathing” before I knew what it was. I just know that I love the quiet of being in the woods. I feel peaceful and calm when I stand in the woods surrounded by trees.
I think that I shall never see, A poem lovely as a tree. – Joyce Kilmer
The trees in my home state of Georgia vary depending on where you are in the state. In coastal Georgia the common trees are pine trees, oaks, palmettos, and palm trees. The featured image is of a maritime forest on Jekyll Island. The following gallery was taken on a Georgia marsh hammock near my neighborhood. Wood Storks are one of the many wading birds that are seen on the trees here.
The Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia is filled with Cypress trees. Seeing these ancient trees from a boat makes me feel like I have stepped back in time.
Sweet Gum, Winged Sumac, Maple, Sycamore, Pine, and Water Oaks are just a few of the trees that I see when walking in the woods of middle Georgia. The landscape changes with seasons. No matter what the season I feel a sense of serenity in these woods.
Many thanks to last week’s guest host SH for his challenge of Quiet Hours. Your responses to the challenge took me to many beautiful quiet places. I hope you will join us next week as Tina leads us in our next Lens-Artists challenge on Saturday, July 26 at noon Eastern Time.
Many thanks to Egidio for this challenge Lens-Artists #357 – Into the Woods
For information on how to join the Len-Artists challenge please click here.
Every Day is a Gift.
Our guest host SH has challenged us to show Quiet Hours. In his post he asks us “what makes for “Quiet Hours” to you. How do you see it in an image? How do you navigate the idea?”
My favorite quiet hours are early morning. These quiet times help me feel peaceful and calm before I start my day.
The featured image above was taken on a misty morning looking out at a field in rural Georgia. If you look closely you can see some deer at the far end of the field. The next three images were taken early in the morning when no one else was up yet.
Another time I feel the quiet is when traveling on a lonely road with no other vehicles in sight.
Many thanks to Ann-Christine for her challenge of Creativity and to all of you for your wonderful responses. I hope you’ll join us on Saturday, July 19 at noon Eastern Time as Egidio hosts the next challenge.
Many thanks to our guest host SH for this challenge Lens-Artists #356 – Quiet Hours
For information on how to join the Len-Artists challenge please click here.
Every Day is a Gift.
Terri’s latest Sunday Stills challenge focuses on water safety. Her challenge is to show fun things in and around the water.
I love being in, on, or close to water. I’m a former lifeguard and scuba diver. I love boating, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, or just floating in the water. My favorite form of exercise is water aerobics. I strongly believe in educating people about water safety.
My first two images involve swimming. The featured image is swimmers at the start of the swim portion of a triathlon. The next image is a swimmer at a swim meet.
These next two images are lifeguards keeping beach goers safe. On the left are lifeguards on a beach in Georgia. On the right are lifeguards in Kauai, Hawaii. Many thanks go out to all the lifeguards everywhere.
The next two images feature kite surfers. This is a water sport I never attempted. It’s a lot of fun to watch them, though.
The next two images are kayakers in Hawaii on the left and Florida on the right.
I can’t have a post about swimming without featuring a photo of our beloved dog Blondie. Oh how she loved to swim! I still miss her.
Shared with Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge In the Swim but Staying Safe
Also shared with Debbie’s One Word Sunday Red
July 4 in Independence Day in the United States. What better way to celebrate than with a patriotic collection of American Flags.
Wishing everyone a happy and safe Independence Day!
Shared with Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge Sunday Stills Show your Patriotism with Flags
Wandering Dawgs 