heron at Metrobeach
September 3, 2012
photo by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt

Stalking the Wild Heron

by Mary Stebbins Taitt · 372 words

I spent my Labor-Day holiday stalking herons. I took a lot of pictures, downloaded them, and showed them to friends and family.

"Nice," they said.

I was a little disappointed.

Then I realized that, as I already knew, the photos aren't that great.

For me, however, something was wonderful, astounding, joyous, fulfilling.

I cogitated.

I realized, finally, that it was the experience of stalking the herons.

It was sort of like climbing a mountain. When I was younger, I climbed mountains. I would walk, hike, scramble and struggle upward over rock, climb cliffs. I needed a lot of attention on where I put my feet and hands. I had to concentrate. Then, finally but suddenly, I was at the top. The sky opened and the scenery was spread before me. It was a rush. Joy. Satisfaction. Accomplishment.

The day before yesterday, I sat in the thistles on the bank of the pond and inched my way closer and closer to this heron. The long, sharp thorns pricked my skin. It was hot hot hot; the sun beat down on my face, sweat ran down in rivulets, and I sat and watched and waited and inched forward. I was concentrating. I was aware of the smell of the pond and the mud, the view of swans and turtles, the sun and the sweat, the heron, panting in the heat, standing totally still, or walking a step, and then standing still.

I inched forward, over and over, until I was closer than I have ever been before to a wild heron. I sat and watched. I took a lot of pictures. I don't have the best camera or the best lens. The background was cluttered. The pictures are imperfect. But I was alive, awake, aware.

I was having a peak experience. I can't share that with my friends and family, the living experience.

For them, it was just another heron photo. They've seen hundreds, and many better than mine.

For me, it was a lot better than "nice."

Would I have been as happy if I didn't succeed at capturing any photographs? Perhaps not, afterwards. But during the stalking, I was so in the moment that I was beyond happy.

What the Heart Feels

Botanical Gardens
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
photo by me
click image to view larger

Haiku: What the Heart Feels

by Mary Stebbins Taitt · 32 words

What the heart feels when
anger and hatred are set
aside: love, peace, joy.

Yes, I know this is not a traditional haiku.

And NO I do NOT know what the flowers are, please enlighten me.

Tattered Swallowtail

From Laurel Hill State Park in Pennsylvania, Lake Trail. by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt. Click image to view larger.

Mini-blog: Imagik--Images by Mary Stebbins Taitt 2

No Polar Coordinates is supposedly my "Master" blog. But I never have time to post links from this one to the others. While most of you either don't care or don't have time, for those few who might occasionally be curious, you can scroll down the sidebar and view what I am doing in my art and photo blog, Imagik. I may add others as well. Not all of them but a few. One is all and quite enough (or too much) for now!

Pier Park Companions

Wordless Wednesday

(From the work of Tim Burke. Photo by Mary Stebbins Taitt)

On the Drawbridge at Grad Bled

Keith and I had a fairyland-like Honeymoon in Slovenia, but I've been too busy to post about it. I cropped and Ortonized* this picture. (Click image to view larger.)

*[I applied the "Orton Effect." I did this using the blur, sharpen and collage functions on Picasa, which is a free download. (Sharpen one, save a copy, blur one, save a copy, then sandwich them using the multi-exposure in collage in Picasa--it gives it a "misty, dreamy look). This is easy to do in Picasa, and free.]

A Parting Quiz and off to Slovenia

This will probably be my last post until I return from Slovenia. The first picture is the Julian Alps, in Slovenia. I apologize, since some of you have seen it before, but just a little hint of where we're headed.

The rest of the post is a QUIZ. Hpy had a quiz when she left, so I am having one too. I will turn OFF the comments so you can't see what each other wrote until I return and turn them on again. There may be an award for the winner. You still WRITE your comments and guesses, but they won't show up until I turn them back on.

These are enlarged crops from various photos of mine--your job is to guess what they are. The numbering starts with the first one AFTER the Slovenia picture.

I will be back in early July. I am leaving tomorrow, but frantically busy today. I shouldn't be doing this. LOL! But I am.

You can enlarge the pictures, all of them, by clicking on them.

Forget-me-not

In a Dream of Remembering, forget-me-nots. These remind me of my Mom, especially after I made that forget-me-not painting of her forget-me-nots after she died. These were from Cranbrook Oriental Garden, and the misty "effect" may have been caused by overheated "dew or perspiration" (otherwise known as sweat) devaporizing on the lens.

I did a new "quick painting" tonight of myself reflected in Biker Buddy's eye. I may do some additional work on it sometime.

I will be out of the country June 14-28, so I will not be blogging for quite a while, probably (at least once I leave and maybe while getting ready).

Rain?

What do you do when it's raining? Take a walk in the rain? Stay in and paint a picture, write a poem, or write a story? Clean the house?

Tell me about it. Leave a rainy-day comment. Or a sunny-day comment would be nice, too.

I do all of the above, and more. Or less. Read.

Write a new poem. Write a new story. Unpack a box. Hold my sweetie. Take a photograph.

Wordless Wednesday

Forget Me Not!

These forget-me-nots were growing in my mother's garden as I was preparing to leave her house for the last time after she died. I felt it was a little request--"Don't forget me!" Don't worry, I won't, Mom! (wahn!). I really miss my mother, and it hasn't subsided at all yet. Grief is a strange being that sits heavy on the heart and is not eager to depart.

They are in a small vase of hers on the front of Biker Buddy's car, which is reflecting the sky.

I posted 4 other flower photos to Photique 3, including trilliums au natural a wild geranium and the mighty lion. If interested in the others, click home while there and scroll to May 14. (I back-posted them for the flower challenge.)

Wordless Wednesday

Trout Lilies and leaving

The trout lilies here are different than the ones where I used to live--white instead of yellow. But I know a place where both coexist at the same time in the same location. It's a waterfall in Canada. If I remember the name, I will post it. They are found at different elevations, which must say something about their habitat requirements.

I am leaving again and will be off-line and incommunicado all or most of the time. I do not know yet when I will return. Until then, enjoy life.