Lens-Artists Challenge #192 – Earth Story

31 mars, 20223 april, 2022 / Leya / 64 kommentarer

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.
― Mahatma Gandhi

Earth Story. This week, we hope you will join us in sharing earth stories through your lens. As we share the natural world, we hope to share our understanding of planet Earth and the glory of her magic. Amy made me decide to celebrate Arbor Day, April 29, and in fact I think I celebrate it every day.

Let us start with an image of sky, mountains, water and trees – Earth seen from above.

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
― John Muir

And as we fly downwards, under the canopy, to the forest floor – we will find the tiniest creatures that need you to lie down on the ground to meet them. Their little world is filled with a special kind of magic.

Trees have beautiful souls and science has proved they can communicate and help each other when in trouble. They can even ”walk” some centimeters.

When trees age, they stay beautiful. This oak tree in Blekinge, Sweden, is about 300 years old.

It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.
― Rainer Maria Rilke

Trees bring us spring in soft showers…

…where some are as short lived as the shimmering magnolia beauties.

*Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky*.
― Khalil Gibran

Some trees are famous because of the way they grow, and because they have appeared in popular movies.

This old beech tree is one of my best friends. I talk to him every week and rest quietly in his shadow.

Winter trees bring a lasting serenity that I never tire of.

I often contemplate the bare trees and their reflections in the water. Calm and quiet moments. Not many animals are to be seen during this season. But trees are home to many creatures…

*We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children*.
― David Brower

… and some live in them their whole lives. They eat, play, mate and raise their young.

*What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on*?
― Henry David Thoreau

Finally, without trees the world would not exist. We are all dependent on them. Everywhere in art we find trees as well, and many of us have special ties to certain trees, or remember special trees from our childhood. So, treasure them and protect them, plant seedlings and make the forest and your garden grow!

The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.
― Pope John Paul II

Thank you for last week’s many curves from you! I must admit there were curves I had never even thought about – creative! Next week, John (Journeys with Johnbo) will host LAPC #193, and we should be thinking about what is special to us regarding birthdays or anniversaries… Be sure to visit John’s site for more!

Wordless Wednesday

30 mars, 2022 / Leya / 19 kommentarer

Macro Monday – My Favourite Netsuke

28 mars, 202227 mars, 2022 / Leya / 26 kommentarer

My favourite from Gothenburg and The Röhsska Museum, a 20mm Netsuke.

Silent Sunday

27 mars, 202226 mars, 2022 / Leya / 22 kommentarer

Thursday Thoughts – Anemone hepatica

24 mars, 202224 mars, 2022 / Leya / 36 kommentarer

Little blue eyes among the winter leaves – not many yet, but still –

“Come with me into the woods where spring is
advancing, as it does, no matter what,
not being singular or particular, but one
of the forever gifts, and certainly visible.”
― Mary Oliver

For Cee’s FOTD

Wordless Wednesday

23 mars, 2022 / Leya / 16 kommentarer

Macro Monday

21 mars, 2022 / Leya / 21 kommentarer

Silent Sunday

20 mars, 2022 / Leya / 18 kommentarer

Lens-Artists Challenge #191 – Curves

19 mars, 202219 mars, 2022 / Leya / 233 kommentarer

Magic lives in curves, not angles. – Mason Cooley

On a visit to Gothenburg last week, I was mesmerized by some intriguing curves, in nature and at a museum…so, this week, I thought we would find more examples of curves: funny, beautiful, unusual – roads, paths, art, architecture, animals, plants – anything that interests you. Because, curves are everywhere around us. In nature almost everything is – curves.

You will find them in small stones under your feet…

In water…

In trees…

Under and below the trees…

But mostly friendly…

Curves exist in every little creature on Earth…

In roads and manmade things too, like in this agricultural landscape.

Last weekend I found great curves in something called a *Treillage* – at Gunnebo there is a really big one – 7 meters high. There are three reconstructed ones in modern times (they were common in 1500-1800), and those are to be found at Hampton Court in England, Het Loo in Holland and Versailles in France. The trellis forms a kind of link between nature and architecture, and over time, the growing trees at its sides will form a bower.

Finally, in the opener is my favourite curve, a koru. And, I will close the circle of this ”curvy”post with an orb of a spider’s web in my garden.

In life, as in art, the beautiful moves in curves. – Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

Many thanks to Patti for the great Close and Closer challenge that gave us such a variety of interesting entries – thank you all for the treats!

We are now looking forward to seeing YOUR curves… pun intended! Be sure to link your responses to my original post, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Next week, Amy will be our host – until then, please stay safe and be kind.

If you would like to participate in our weekly Lens-Artists Challenge, we have easy to follow instructions. Just click this link and join us: https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com/about-lens-artists/

Thursday Thoughts – I Need Light and Flowers!

17 mars, 2022 / Leya / 17 kommentarer

And I guess you need that too! Enjoy some harmonies from Gothenburg Palm House (built in the 19th C), modelled from the Crystal Palace Exhibition in Hyde Park, London,1851.