― John Keats, Endymion: A Poetic Romance
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
The reason that I am passionate about photography is the pure joy of seeing the beauty, humor, and even the sadness sometimes, in life…it is a delicious savoring of moments in time…holding with love what is before me…and never letting it go with the remembering…
“Taking pictures is savouring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.”
— Marc Riboud
The goals that I have posted previously are not to be better than anyone….but to become a better photographer than I am. …finding the colorful and interesting in the ordinary … to be able to master an image that can convey the magic of life and the beauty of the earth…to communicate the emotions of existence in a way that moves people to action…to ask questions…soulful examinations…
On the 3 1/2-hour drive…raining most of the way…but gently…we drove through the town of Fort Beauford… not considered ‘beautiful’ to my eye.. yet stories of existence…objects of contemplation…thought provoking for me…a story that should give us pause to ask ourselves questions …
Hogsback...And then there is this…the contraposition in South Africa
Cold and Rainy the day that we arrived…not detracting from it’s charm…a mystical little village tucked away high up in the Amatola Mountains…
“Legend have it….
The Amatola Forest in the Hogsback area is often claimed as Bloemfontein born, JRR Tolkien’s inspiration for The Lord of the Rings and many Tolkienesque names can be found” https://visithogsback.co.za/site/about-hogsback-magic-adventure-romance
Our Cabin…The Firefly
We were greeted with glares for interrupting play in the trees…a warm and welcoming fire in the cozy cabin erased all memory of the less than friendly greeting😂
No internet …no TV…just the quiet, blissful silence of nature …crackling fire …flickering red and yellow as if in tandem with the colors of fall …the rain and wind erasing the noise of the busy world from the mind …calming my spirit and easing gently into the quietness of the soul…the blanketing warmth of nature …the very reason I crave being in nature…it is my place of mystical healing and communion with God…it’s where I feel Him closest…
The Humming Bird Fuchsia…I thought about restoring or removing all the leaves riddled with holes chomped by annoying insects …yet, what a wonderful illustration of life… we can look at the imperfections of our lives or gaze on the beauty that the rain blossoms.
“But life isn’t something that should be edited. Life shouldn’t be cut. The only way you’ll ever discover what it truly means to be alive and human is by sharing the full experience of what it means to be human and each blemish and freckle that comes with it.”
― Iain Thomas
The next morning was still rain covered…but so much beauty that we would have lost if we had stayed hidden away …there is always beauty to be found…
I absolutely and unequivocally adore fall…my favorite season …dancing leaves on the chilly wind …golden colors lighting the way for winter …reminding us that every season in life has a beauty all its own
The funny…
I finally was able to get photographs of the pesky baboons that have alluded me for 3 years
“Your life is a beautiful blank canvas. You have the choice of splashing it with the most gorgeous and spectacular colors, by doing what you love.” ― Hiral Nagda
