PINK is Pink and I believe…

Lately, time spent has been trekking through corners of my soul, those stuffed tight corners where layers needed peeling back so litigation light could objectively reconstruct a new beginning.  Yes the facts were overwhelming, yet instinctively knew the key was concentrating on the solution; living a debt free life.

Looking at my bedding couldn’t help but smile, a mass of wrinkled pink, a cup of coffee balanced with scripted verse, my purse and yes, the light streamed in. Grace was present. It was during one such session I was led to grab my camera and snap a shot.

I believe in manicures. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and… I believe in miracles. -Audrey Hepburn

Rewarded myself, rather ALLOWED myself to venture out and about in nature after a perfectly timed invite. Gotta love your friends, instinctively they may know of a hunger and they; “pay it forward“.  Delicate balance was seeded and I would be astounded by the return; Roseate Spoonbill in the nest,  a memory to be cherished for a lifetime!

We sat there a good while, bobbing in the boat as I supported my monstrous 500 mm on my leg. Sometimes standing, holding my breath as I waited for that little head to bob up in the nest. Sweat would trickle out and salt would sting my eyes, we mopped away the human particles as our bodies regulated in the hot Florida sun.  Then suddenly we would feel a slight breeze and see the feathers lift in accordance to winds caress. This is how they lived. We were among them today, rented sacred space.

“Understanding shyness is wisdom. To know when someone is shy and when they are pretending to be shy. Oh to master the art of what it takes to be courageous. Just as the spoonbill, we should always be courageous enough to face any situation that comes our way. We should always do everything with courage even when unsure. We should take responsibility of our actions at all times.”

Such sweetness a juvenile Roseate Spoonbill

And here I was, trolling around an Island of SPOONBILLS!! A gift indeed! Baby chicks were everywhere and Joy was soaring through my soul. Both my friend and I were witnessing incredible Mother Nature regulating her climate, the great equalizer doing what she does best.

Nature is regulating our climate for free. Mother Nature, she’s been doing that for free, for a long, long time. Now do you really want to get in there and do geo-engineering and all this kind of stuff? – Thomas Friedman

Cascading light flowed into the trees revealing carefully built nests, cackling young and dotting parents! To see so many in one setting made my heart leap! Tri color Herons, Great Blue Herons, Little Blue, Green, Great White Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets and the SPOONBILLS!

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The oldest wild Roseate Spoonbill was discovered in the Florida Keys in 2006. The bird had been banded in 1990, and was an amazing 16 years old. The previous known longevity record for the species was seven years. There are six species of spoonbill in the world; the Roseate Spoonbill is the only one with pink plumage like the flamingo, they get their pink color from their food, a natural pink dye called canthaxanthin. This they obtain from their diet of brine shrimp and blue-green algae. Hence their feathers, legs, and face are colored by their diet, which is rich in alpha and beta carotenoid pigments. It’s the same effect is seen when shrimp change color during cooking. The juvenile Roseate’s are a very light pink . So for some species you really are what you eat.

Ah the mystery of pink solved, yes, the veil has lifted and now I am seeing pink everywhere!

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Native American – Lakota Prayer

Oh, Great Spirit,
whose voice I hear in the winds
and whose breath gives life to all the world,
hear me.
I am small and weak.
I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes
ever behold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things you have made
and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand
the things you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden
in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be superior to my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy – myself.
Make me always ready to come to you
with clean hands and straight eyes,
so when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my spirit will come to you
without shame.

 The joy was witnessed……..even in the sunset.  Thank you Yeshua may this truth be preserved within us and forever more of Your sacred truth….amen

Energy Exchange

Heard the snap pop on the sand as the tide returned, looked up and there was the cutest plover scampering down the coast line. He stopped for a minute to siphon up sustenance.

He didn’t mind me on his beach, he was busy doing what he always did, every day LIVE. Some of just survive, sadly. In nature it’s all about survival in an innate type of way. Here I was again, camera in hand, learning their ways. Simple existence, the ocean was bringing on my blue mind. What a gift, the portal was open and there we were, dangling within the refreshing.

Never know what you are receiving until later. Intercession is a dramatic cleansing. My son the mystic wrote me the other day, He scripted; “Isaiah 61:1 is a nice verse”

The Ruach of Adonai Elohim is on me,^[a]
because Adonai has anointed me
    to proclaim Good News to the poor.^[b]
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound

INDEED may we all take flight living as He, we are here to share kindness, serve in humility our very best, His best, the reason why so many died before us. Inherent in every moment is a choice to give or take. Rest or take flight.  Key is knowing who is leading you and trusting the moment to be the very best for you.

Had an incredible adventure this month, we trekked my most favorite place in Florida, Circle B Ranch. This one path left me breathless again and the visitations from wildlife were incredible, words just fail me. How can I encapsulate such beauty? With a camera of course!

This also left us hungering for an on water adventure which we indeed did set forth our mind to accomplish. So all three of us cleared our schedules and launched on another adventure which left us saturated.

Incredible how nature showed up, the wind was kind, small breeze which revealed a lake of glass. We all got “chills” a witness of sorts when not even the birds cried out, still silence, pristine glass water and God was present. Again another portal opened and we were left speechless 11:11 and we bowed our hearts in supreme joy honor and thankfulness. A prayer was uttered; “Use me as You will o Creator, cleanse me from all unrighteousness and let me serve Your highest good, every gift you give let me share with Your Heart, Your intention, Your love … Amen” …and the trek continues.

Our Beach

Sometimes we wake and know today the waves are going to be good.  You check out the cam, yup, they’re excellent yet break so close to the shore, maybe it’s time to boogie board instead. Chuckle to myself because really just want to catch the wave with my camera. Yup I’m a bit of a wus and really devoted to catching the moment on film. My dad would say; “Surfs up snots out” 

We are not alone, many visitors on our beach and it warms my heart seeing them, like us, totally enjoying the cleanse, the moment, the exhilaration.

Each inspired to search out this coastline for different reasons, each sharing a smile. We were strangers yet family. The moment was quite magical actually.

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All of us were drawn to these shores for different reasons. To my left one cleanses, to my right affectionate embraces, behind me one harnesses the wind, before me a tenacious lover of the sea, resonates confidence. Every moment glimpsed, such a gift. An unrehearsed dance emerged as energy displaced unspeakable joy. Each living soul was being fueled.

Why art thou cast down, O my soul?  Psalm 42

My friend has been treating me to the sights of his town and time spent together is always the adventure. Each exploration reveals unexpectedly daily confirmations for an affluent future.  In my friends case, it’s to purchase his first sailboat! While walking off our dinner we came across a Cape Dory, all 40 ft of her. The captain invites us to come on board, another gift. Captain Pattie delights us with her passion for the sea, amazing resume and commitment to grace and beauty and the transformation of her vessel.

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It was happening again, destiny was revealing herself.

Actually his dream to live on the sea and visit new shores is exhilarating, he just needs to keep on encouraging me to get my sea legs. Seasickness is like morning sickness.  One you hopefully embrace a newborn, the other courage….as you let go the sight of land, which was once called home. Some of us are beached before our sea legs have grown, naked and scared we grasp onto whatever structure is left in our life.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt

When I close my eyes I see green and smell fresh cut grass, see droplets on the blades and hear the clucking of a hen. I think this is my dream, to live off the land, grow and seed and share with my neighbors.

I’m in another time, another place, sipping tea from a delicate cup. My friend and I have totally different aspirations yet when together we are combustible. He sparks me and I him. We encourage each other and do the same to all we encounter. This friendship is a bit divine. Thank you Father for my precious friends.

“Think joy, talk joy, practice joy, share joy, saturate your mind with joy, and you will have the time of your life today and every day all your life.” Norman Vincent Peale

What helps you to surf the inevitable tides of life?

Sobering Gift from the Sea

Every time I walk the beach the sights are incredible. Waves sometimes lap caressingly though these last few visits note curls of fulminating foam, pebbles and surf.

Wonder if the sea is responding to gravitational waves from space?  These waves are produced by catastrophic events such as colliding black holes, makes me think of pride, greed and “death do us part.”  Ah yes, the vocabulary of events imprinted on each and every wave, each and every soul.

Recently been enchanted by a pair of brothers sailing around the world. Their adventures make me smile. The collaboration of crew members, respect for the changing winds is elemental yet profound. Changing their world they compound mine as reflections shoot me to my youth with similar aspirations.

The number 8 represents Infinity and everything good in the universe which is infinite, such as infinite love, infinite supply, infinite energy, infinite time . . . in other words, 8 represents complete and unending abundance without any lack

Guess there is a reason why their adventures were found. Nothing is by chance is it? Just like the call to deliver an engine, an engine whose destination was a shipyard! There we met another lover of the sea; Todd the Pirate!!  Kindred spirit, precious soul, aspirations so pure, it astounded me the reflections!

An awakening dream, yes, we were being educated as we walked among this enclosed area of land where ships were being re-built and repaired. I was thankful I was cancelled from work that day, thankful was able to accompany my friend, yet as we walked among this port became sad. Like skeletons, full sails hidden, rows and rows of sleeping vessels. Was this their cemetery?

Did lack of finances dock them, maybe a medical necessity or the need for the sea was no more?  Talking with our new friend, so alive with his dream knew it was rebuilding time for him.

“I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.” -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Jesus chose mostly sailors for His Apostles and it made me smile. There is something to be said for the one’s who have “sea legs”, like surfers, they are riding the waves on a platform of purpose. Desire for pristine beaches, clear waters , maybe sustenance or capturing the high while riding that power. Jesus knew how to calm it, he was here to teach us to cast out fear and walk out the potential of the unseen, unknown and knowing,  yes,  we are all equal before a wave.

“I am not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship” –Louisa May Alcott

One day while viewing his favorite beach Cam Gary finds what looks like a beached navigational green buoy, so off we trecked, camera’s in tow to see it in person. It tickled us later to see the Cam actually caught us on our journey. The red arrow points to the sailboat we found, totally unrecognizable on a wildlife cam!  Guess we really are not alone, Big Brother’s eye is among us!!  Smile knowing the truth of a greater eye on us, yes the adventure was ON! Below in the cam pic Gary is carrying my 500 mm 🙂

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It saddened us tho to find her; wrecked monohull. She must have been beautiful at one time, wondering about her history, what her owners must have been feeling, if there was a death involved and why didn’t someone rescue her BEFORE she was beached!

Later we went back to see if we could salvage anything and found even more of her was submerged under the sand. During this visit we found another couple walking the beach and they shared this boat broke from its mooring in Miami and drifted up the coast finally being beached and was being fined daily by the Coast Guard! sigh  

Marine Insurance can deter this, yet what about broken dreams?  Yes the delicate balance navigating changing tides and winds of life as we pursue the right choice and avoid those that will result in harm or failure.  Ahh the wisdom to choose what wave to surf, knowing the best are those who have overcome their personal fears.

And again hear my Father’s voice, a week before his death;  love always wins and I smile. See the spark in my friends eye, who never stops dreaming, the one who discovers fun and perseveres with me every day. So thankful God sent him my way. You think you know yourself, and another layer is peeled back. He reminds me of my very first love from long ago, the one who taught me how to drive manual.

Today it’s the one who gives the biggest hugs, this guy who wants to live on a sailboat, the one who understands heartache, loss and truly knows how to ride the wave of change. “I’ll ride it in with you, I’ll ride the wave with you, with our feet in the sand, and my heart in your hands The ride is always worth the rush We can’t give, we can’t give up now Our love will always be enough” Boyce Avenue

“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came.” -John F. Kennedy

Nakedly Unashamed

Delirious he said; I’m Delirious and waves kept crashing over him. Life certainly has a way of exposing, especially in regards to embracing change. Was I ready for this next step?

All I could do was hold my breath and shoot. Never in a million years did I think I would be doing this, photographing PEOPLE and sometimes even on a naturist beach! Actually it was kinda fun, my models were FUN, curiously searching for meaning in life and they felt safe with me. Exploring ideas we met and they trusted enough to reveal their elemental wild, kaleidoscope’s of beauty.

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And it was all his idea, he was helping, sheltering, reaching out, and like the waves on the shore, thoughts enveloped.

He said;  “You need to re-create yourself”.   Alien musing, however knew his past , knew his sacrifice, knew his reality and his eyes totally betrayed him. He had become vulnerable  as best as he tried to fight it, he was caring again.  This made me smile in every part of my being. Knew a bigger plan was penetratingly revealing itself.

Love does that, exposes every bit of insecurity as you merge thoughts. You find true power lies in surrender;  “As you give so shall you receive”  And suddenly your life is transformed and your past is like a dream. You break free from the cycle of regret and forge into the present.

 

Recently brought my dogs for a long walk. Found an area where I could unleash them, WOW the joy expressed on their faces was undeniable.

Found out there is no state mandated leash law in Florida. The decision to regulate dog restraint or control is left to the county or city government.  Ah regulation, forceful law to control behavior.  Heck you really don’t know the true essence of yourself until you are given choice, shed the law and unleash your spirit, only then is your heart revealed.

Many of us are still in various forms of sequestration that can cage with false realities. There is a need for balance between actively engaging in the world and isolating oneself from it.

Love filming the uncaged ones where their presence teaches. Keen sight, delicate balance, expert flight, vibrant colors and masterful air stream flight.

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Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

If you swapped your eyes for an eagle’s, you could see an ant crawling on the ground from the roof of a 10-story building.  Equipped all for hunting; survival.  Humans eat to survive, some eat to pacify the deepest hunger of all; agape.

Eagles know their weakness, failure could mean their death. The slightest injury could leave him to weak to hunt and cause her to starve.  Viewing them on my treks always leaves me astounded. Thankful this big one didn’t think our min pin Pickles was a worthy subject for his consumption! Spotting her was able to capture a few clips of the amazing wing span and incredible power. Just live to capture these moments. Her head was just turning white along with her tail, she must have been around 3 years old.

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Spying her reminded me of a trek a few years ago where I came across a nest with two eagle chicks!!  Eagles are great parents!

Sitting at the beach where this trek ended and there spied a common seagull. It’s in the upload you realize every living thing is so precious, pristine and the most uncommon creation you’ve ever seen. Tears well up, spending time in nature softens you. My heart was feeling again.

 

“No man is your enemy, no man is your friend, every man is your teacher.”-Florence Scovel Shinn

Sit here remembering my dads last thoughts, days before his passing as he looked into my mom’s eyes, smiled and said; “Love Always Wins”.   Their life wasn’t easy yet looking back never felt abandoned, never felt frightened, never went to bed hungry, yes, we were loved. Recently read this thought and totally agree.

“Great relationships are the result of a consistent investment of time, thoughtfulness, forgiveness, affection, mutual respect and rock-solid commitment”

Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.  ~ Germaine de Stael

Along the bank of the marsh came across this lovely Limpkin. So thankful for my 500 MM lens as it lets me get intimate and my physical presence doesn’t intimidate.

It feeds almost exclusively on apple snails, which it extracts from their shells with its long bill. Its screaming cry is unmistakable and evocative. Oh I have witnessed their humble scavenging. Trekking through the wetlands of Florida you see the hidden if you’re patient. In the film below you can see how they extract the snail!

Unless you spend time in nature these moments are missed, mysteries stay hidden, understanding lost. Every Trek one receives far more then he seeks. Most times the uploads astound me, had no idea the beauty was so breathtakingly energizing.

The above two birds look so similar yet two totally different species. One is the American Purple Gallinule.  Can always tell the difference by their violet head shield versus the invasive Purple Swamp Hen with their striped red feet and red head shield.

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Although they are primarily vegetarians, purple swamp hens have also been recorded preying on mollusks, fish, frogs, lizards, snakes, bird eggs, and small birds. They may also impact the plant life of the wetlands and the native species that depend on it. They both are so beautiful and it isn’t the swamp hens fault for being brought here to America. Just like the Iguana, could never set my heart on destroying either invasive species.

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none”- William Shakespeare

As I prepare this blog this month, reviewing all the species filmed, new souls met and this real present feeling of contentment, I smile. Spending time with whom I love humbles me.

Divine love is the most powerful chemical in the universe. It’s a high which can’t be contained in one word, a presence which dissolves everything which is not of itself. It burns out ego when your heart breaks and walks away. And somehow mysteriously, in the dark night of the soul, healing begins.

“for I AM the great I AM. I will make your paths straight”  Proverbs 3  

Starting to understand that scripture now, the one that says; Be anxious for nothing… as I hike along the wilderness trail can’t help but smile. Thankful there is still “walk” in me, there are finances to get me to where I need to be, my mind is sharp, fear subsides as the voice in my GPS get’s me there, technology is mind blowing, however nothing tops Mother Nature.

It was a suddenly, and suddenly I understood.  To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. –Timothy Keller

I look at up and tears escape again, it’s such a secret place, a sacred place. Today even the cobwebs of my life are beautiful.

Thank you for walking with me.

Intricacies

Sometimes light cascades and the ordinary becomes profound

What appears to be lifeless limbs chirps!

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Smiling, following my heart, see kindness all around me. Yes see the truth, see the miraculous as fear surfaces it actually fuels humor.

Going out on a limb seems to be a way of life for them.  Sometimes a visitation comes in real close, like this Florida Scrub Jay. Will never forget this moment.

Would share stories with my family and see the sparkle in my Grandchildren’s eyes. One day Ethen stated; “Granny can you take me where you go to see the birds?”  To hear such a request was heaven and then what happened next was incredible.  It was the end of July and the air steaming. No one was on our Trek except for this lone Cormorant.

Nature showed up in a profound way and thankfully was documented. It delights me seeing family’s spending time in nature, they are learning a great secret, early in life. Today my grandson is 6’1, freshman in High School and yes loves “girl watching” however confident knowing seeds of Ornithology lay dormant.  Yes we seed every day with the exposure of our talents, our time spent with family and friends.

Today sit here so full. Made some of my famous Martha Vineyards New England Clam Chowder which was consumed with exuberance. Still a joy cooking menus from my past, like Grandmother’s chicken and dumplings, oh and mom’s Kilbasa with cabbage and sauerkraut. Yes, tear up, so many changes this past year, death and unspoken goodbyes, yet despite the pain of life, beauty survives, JOY births again amidst the power of forgiveness, the power of light and love remain.

Grassy Encounters

They make me hold my breath, creatures in the grass. Hold my breath and shoot away, yes, altering life by suspending time. Their eye contact humbles me.

While walking down this rural path consumption was observed. Not even shying from my presence he continued his chomping! Fully enthralled in nature’s realm I also was becoming full.

Never know what you will see in the grass. Most times I am looking up, however this day what was seen beneath exposed even more layers of beauty.

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls. –Mother Teresa

Breaking through green, this new season has me dredging through some uncharted territory. Resentment not allowed, for “You can never receive what you have never given, Give a perfect love and you will receive a perfect love.” 

Waves of healing were washing over me. Looking back over this year is mind boggling, maybe a bit revelational. Though still dusting off, a path has been made visible as remnants of truth remain.

Letting go is so painful and sometimes choice is taken from you. And even if you are facing detachment in the basest of forms know all things do work out for those who Love the Lord. Deep down only you can answer the question; Do you choose to love?   Contemplating the sweetness I watch the moss flow as one with the wind and it looks like the Turkey Vulture did too. It was the first time I had seen a lone vulture, she looked quite content.

Did you know the grassy moss hanging from our Florida trees is not moss at all? Nope,  it is a bromeliad, which means it is in the same taxonomic family as pineapples and succulent house plants!!  Spanish moss was given its name by the French.  Native Americans told the explorers the plant was called Itla-okla, which meant “tree hair.”  The French were reminded of the Spanish conquistadors’ long beards, so they called it Barbe Espagnol, or “Spanish Beard.”

Love spending time in nature, observing, filming and wow to share the experience with a best friend? Yes joy intensifies!! During one trek spied a Roseate Spoonbill. Never know who will be visiting the grasslands! Always a joy sharing these eyescapes.

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During one such trek my dear friend grabbed my camera and filmed me incognito. When I found the film I spewed out my java during the review. OMG, he’s only been studying ornithology for just a few outings and he did quite well with the guessing of certain species on his first trek to Viera Wetlands!! However I definitely can’t trust him alone with my equipment!

It certainly has been an interesting year. Thankful it is coming to an end, rest in knowing all is well despite exploitation. Yes one couldn’t plan any of the events which took place on this lone shoreline. And here I was, camera in hand, capturing every swallow.

Sand fleas were abundant this day. Watched this one juvenile Blue Heron consume, you could see him rolling his catch around in his beak and sense getting through that hard shell was a chore, yet down the hatch it went!! Birds digest these hard exoskeletons with their gizzard. Occasionally you may see them regurgitate this cast which is called a pellet.  They purposely eat sand to help them digest this type of food.

How else could they digest TURTLES!! Yes just never know what you will see being consumed in the grass!!

Always a treat observing birds in the wild. Streaming through the grass they find insects and feast! Find a flock of Ibys and you will see the siphoning, their bright blue eyes with orange red beaks and maybe even see their pouches fill with water for future sustenance.

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Love just sitting and watching, the hidden busily surviving, their aliveness makes me smile, especially when they look my way, a gift indeed.

It has been an incredible year. Despite the chaos, despite the analyzing our hearts beat strong and love directed our actions. Values were honored and our focus grounded us. Rare beauty was captured, splendor in the grass spied and love rediscovered. Isn’t this yellow headed blackbird adorable?

Thank you all my friends and family, precious nature of man and beast, thank you for letting me glimpse heaven on earth. Thank you for letting me love you.

“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”  Message Romans 8:28