Found A New Park

Sometimes spur of the moment adventures mean more to me than ones I’ve carefully planned. I recently read of a park near me that I’d not heard of before, Emerald Park in North Little Rock, AR. I wasn’t sure the hiking trail in the park was doable, since it was listed as moderate to hard. My knees don’t like those words and protest very much when the trail is steep!

I got in touch with my sister, who is always willing to go on adventures with me, and we headed to the park. We knew there were two trails, one up high and one low. We figured if we couldn’t hike to the top, we could just walk along the low, flat path. Thankfully, with the aid of walking sticks and gentle switchbacks it wasn’t too hard. We took our time and made it just fine!! The trail led across the top of an old rock quarry. It’s hard to see depth in pictures, but if you look to the left side of the picture below you can see a very large, blue dump truck. Just so you know, we weren't in any danger of falling off the cliffs, there was a chain-link fence to keep everyone away from the edge.

Along the trail are several signs warning hikers about the high cliffs. Regardless of those signs, there have been people that have gone over the chain-link fence in order to paint graffiti on the rocks. I can’t understand why people believe they have to leave their mark on nature.

We took a break for lunch at a fun little diner. I’d seen this diner many times, but was never there at the right time to eat. Finally, I thought I would have the chance. Knowing the diner was close to the park, I got online to look at their menu and discovered it was closed and was for sale! Disappointed was a mild reaction! As we drove by the diner looking for a place to eat, we noticed an open sign. There was no name on the building, so we weren't sure if it was still a diner or what. It could well have just been some type of office, but it wasn't. The diner had been bought and just that very day reopened for business. We were among the first of their customers for their soft-opening! Yay, for us!! We had good old-fashioned burgers and they were great!

Refreshed, we returned to the park and walked a lower trail right along the Arkansas River. I had to use the zoom on my camera, but the state capitol of Arkansas was barely visible in the distant haze.

 

Along the trail there were some huge rocks from the quarry with pretty wildflowers growing near them.

 We discovered some fun silhouettes of bicyclist, butterflies, birds, dog walkers, joggers, and skate-boarders painted on a long concrete wall. These were not graffiti, they were approved by the city.

I love to return to places I'm familiar with, but sometimes it's nice to explore somewhere new. You never know what you'll find till you get out there!

Frosty Morning

Most people don't like cold weather, but I absolutely love it! I love to wear hiking boots, thick socks, a heavy jacket, gloves, and a knit cap. I love the nip in the fresh air, frozen water, and early morning frost. But, most of all I love the beautiful phenomenons of nature that cold weather brings.

When traveling through the Ozarks recently my instincts screamed at me to pull over at an overlook area. I've stopped here many times and taken pictures of the White River running through the valley below and the bridges that cross it. On this particular morning the scene below me left me a little breathless. The cold morning plus the warm water of the river created a beautiful mist that hovered over the water.

I drove down to the river and walked along the bank where rocks and leaves were covered with frost. The mist hovering above the water and the heavy frost glistened in the sunshine.

The blowing wind sent the mist over grasses and trees on the far bank covering them with ice.

Although the mist and river were beautiful, the highlight of the morning was what I discovered on the far bank in the grasses. I saw these little icy creations. They were frost flowers! I've seen pictures of frost flowers, but these were the first I've spotted. Frost flowers are beautiful and fascinating.

Seeing this phenomenon of nature is rare. Circumstances must be just right for frost flowers to form. The weather conditions must be freezing, but the ground not frozen. The best time to see them is on early winter mornings after a warm spell and then a drop in temperatures. They are hard to discover as their thin layers melt very quickly as the sun and temperatures rise.

As the temperature drops to freezing the stems of plants expand, causing the outer layer to split. As water is drawn up the plant's stem and reaches the split, it slowly oozes out and freezes. The seeping water creates patterns which curl and fold into gorgeous flowers. The scientific name of frost flowers is crystallofolia. They've been called nature's exquisite ice extrusions, frost castles, ice castles, and ice blossoms.

If I hadn't have stopped at the overlook, seen the mist, took time to drive down to the river, and walk to the far banks, I wouldn't have seen these amazing frost flowers. I continually remind myself that finding unusual things means I have to get out, wander, and follow my instincts. When I do, I usually discover beauty and beauty brings me joy!

"The camera,

when held with wonderment,

opens us to the magic of discovery."

~ Patricia Turner

Silence and Stillness

I've been thinking a lot about silence and stillness. I live in a fairly quiet area, but I can still hear the sounds of traffic on the road below us, a neighbor mulching his leaves, an occasional jet passing high above, dogs barking, and children playing. 

When I really want silence and stillness I usually go somewhere and that somewhere always seems to involve water. There is something about the colors and rhythms of water that soothes my soul. Today I'm going to be silent and just show you the quiet, still places I found this past week. Enjoy!

'The world is quiet here."

~Lemony Snicket

The Good, The Random, The Fun - No. 5

Last week I began an abstract photography class with Kim Manley Ort. I've taken most of the classes she offers and have actually taken this class before. Abstracts have begun to fascinate me. This class will help me look for pleasing forms, shapes, colors, and textures instead of looking at the object. It's another step in training my eyes to see beyond the obvious.  

The Good

Light and nature really make some great abstract images.

The Random

The textures, colors, and shadows of a rock can create abstract art.

The Fun

Squint your eyes a little and look closely at the next photo. What do you see? I see the North American Continent. You're not going to believe what this really is . . . it's the inside of a squashed aluminum can!

When I visit an art center, abstracts are not something that usually attract my attention. In fact, I'm one of those that just stands there and says, "I don't get it!" But, I'm learning to "get it" a little more. Abstract art is meant to make you feel something, not see something. The first image made me feel order, warmth, and happiness. The second; gracefulness, gentleness, and quietness. The third; strength and the fourth, well it just made me smile!

Linking with

Setting Intentions

It seems life is sometimes slow and easy and then other times there’s so much to do! Photographically speaking, this week has been a very busy one. I participated in four different photo groups. Two of them are weekly, one is monthly, and the last one was for this week. Whew! It can be overwhelming sometimes, but I enjoy each one of them.

This week I was able to complete the exercises for all four groups in one trip. I had them all written down and the paper in my pocket so I wouldn’t forget what I was looking for. I thought a good bit, mostly in the middle of the night, about where I could go for a photo walk. I decided to go to Garvan Woodland Gardens which is about an hour’s drive from me. This was the first time I’ve been to the garden by myself, which is strange since I’m always going places by myself. Anyway, I usually go to the garden with my two best friends who happen to be my sister and sister-in-law. We have such fun together laughing, talking, eating, and pointing out what catches our eyes. It’s a splendid place for walking and talking, but this time I needed to be focused on my mission, fulfilling the four exercises!

Mission #1

I’m part of a group on Facebook who are taking a yearlong adventure through Kim Manley Ort’s book ADVENTURES IN SEEING. I’ve taken this class on line with Kim several years ago, but she has recently turned the class into a book; a good book which you can find here. The adventure for this week was to go on a photo walk with set intentions. We were to walk looking for something specific. There were a lot of things I could have focused on at the garden: flowers (not much of challenge in a woodland garden!), animals (there are more in the garden than you think!), water (beautiful waterfalls and creeks abound here!) or landscapes (maybe?). What I finally decided on was to find flowers and rocks together, which was a little bit more of a challenge than flowers or water.

I think I’ll let you scroll through the pictures of what I found. No words are necessary! I’ll meet you at the end.

Kim also suggested in her Facebook post that we keep our eyes open for red. Red is a color that will quickly catch your eye. Here are the shades of red I found in the garden.

There is one other picture I want to add. It’s not a rock or a flower, but it is hard-as-a-rock!! While walking I noticed a lady with two small girls staring into the woods. The girls were excited. The mom was taking pictures. As I approached I asked them what they were looking at. It was five armadillos! I’ve never see a real armadillo other than at the zoo. They are not so pretty, very noisy, and fascinating!

I tried to do each of the four exercise separately so I could concentrate only on it. Exercise number one was completed, now it was time to move on to the next one. To keep this post from going on forever I’ll tell you about the other three exercise in future posts.

“All the technique

in the world doesn’t compensate

for the inability to notice.”

~ Elliott Erwitt

Spontaneity!

Spontaneity!  That's what I've been missing! The urge to grab my camera and go; no destination in mind, just go. I didn't realize it has been so long since I spontaneously went on an adventure until I looked back over the last year of my pictures. Only three times did I go on an outing with no planning. I'm really shocked. I used to do that all the time.

So, you guessed it, early Monday morning I went on an adventure. I wasn't sure where I'd end up, but I did know water had to be involved. As I drove north I decided on Maumelle Park. It's a camping/picnicking area on the Arkansas River. 

I arrived early. The park was quiet. As I wandered along the river bank I felt my shoulders relax and my breathing slow.

I stopped to exam wild plants and flowers.

The strangest thing I found at the water's edge were elephants made out of play-doh. I wondered who made them. Were they letting them swim in the river and forgot them?

After the walk it was time to just sit and soak in the beautiful day.

I did a little journaling, a little reading, and whole lot of looking through my binoculars.

I couldn't believe how fast my day passed. Way to soon it was time to pack up and head home.

I was rested. I was happy. I needed this day.