LAPC #205 – The Eyes Have it

28 juni, 2022 / Leya / 41 kommentarer

Tina invites us this week to share moments of eye contact – but, as I seldom do portraits…I decided to concentrate on the moment of contact – and love. This will include some precious moments with animals as well. And why not plants? We all depend on each other to make planet Earth survive.

An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.
– Martin Buber

First out are my children, whose eyes are not at all visible here…but I believe their smiles speak for them. I hope the other pictures speak for themselves…but I will give you some key names :
Cheers to Aleksandr in Georgia! Young Milo charming us all; Dearest mother with her caring green eyes; Arthur and Michael – inseparable after meeting each other in the Ecuadorian jungle (theirs is a story made into a book and right now into a movie); my granddaughter, Myra, and her father (wonderful contact already); and lastly, my most admired couple nextdoor, Birgit and Nils (91 and 92, still planting, biking, walking, sowing (the embroidered wall decoration and the bench pad made by her hands), puzzling, baking, chatting and – oh to be that active and creative late in life!), still holding hands after a whole life together. ♥
I see so much love in these pictures, in the eyes, in the contact, in new life as well as old life. Let Love into your eyes and you will be rewarded in your heart.

The soul, fortunately, has an interpreter – often an unconscious but still a faithful interpreter – in the eye.

– Charlotte Brontë

I hope you’ve enjoyed my collection of eyes catching others’ eyes, and now I’m looking forward to seeing yours. Please remember to link your responses to Tina’s original, and to use the Lens-Artists tag to make it easier for all of us to find you. Special thanks to Sylvia for guest hosting last week’s Doors/Doorways challenge, and to you for your terrific responses.

Next week we’ll continue the Lens-Artists’ summer tradition of inviting several talented guest hosts to present our July challenges. We’re sharing their themes in advance and hoping you’ll join us in the coming weeks. They are:

July 02 – Aletta Crouse of Now at Home is focusing on Treasures.

July 09 – Jez Braithwaite of Photos by Jez is Seeing Double.

July 16 – Andre of My Blog–Solaner is thinking about Summer Vibes.

July 23 – Tracy, who posts at Reflections of an Untidy Mind, has chosen Surrealism.

July 30 – Sarah Wilkie, who hosts Travel with Me, asks you to share Three Favorite Images.

We invite you to check out their diverse and interesting blogs and hope you’ll join us throughout July. The Lens-Artists team will be back in August when Anne will host her challenge – What’s Your Groove. Until then, as always, please stay safe and be kind.

Looking for more information on joining our challenge? Click here.

Lens-Artists Challenge #139 – Special Moments

16 mars, 202115 mars, 2021 / Leya / 91 kommentarer

This week, we will look beyond the life-changing events and share some other special moments and what they mean to us, Tina says. I think we all have so many of them…It will be hard to choose, but I will try to pick some unforgettable ones …

A moment of solitude and contemplation on this small crater island of the Azores. Walking up the mountain, we did not know what to expect when turning around the bend… but the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful – The feeling of floating free in this silent universe. Blue hydrangeas, blue sky and blue ocean – and us flying on a green, tiny spot in the middle of it all… Otherworldly.

The Pothala palace is representing the Dream-Come-True moments in my life. I have been so lucky as to have a few of those. So, I finally arrived in Tibet, after some 40 years since I read about Shangri-La in Lost Horizon, the 1933 novel by James Hilton, and saw the movie Lost Horizon from 1937. They represented the enigmatic and enchanting world out there…far away from my home and far away from any landscape I had ever been. I was lost for words – and breath – in the thin air.

April 2017, and I met Michael Lindnord and Arthur. The Swedish multi sport team were in Ecuador 2014, trying to win the world championships. Instead the team leader, Mikael Lindnord, found that in the middle of the jungle, his team of four had got a fifth member…Arthur. Mikael had never had a dog of his own and never thought of getting one – he was a tough athlete and a determined leader for his team. But, all it took was one meatball…

King Arthur. He owned the place from the first second he entered the room. I loved every minute of being close to him, touching him and listening to their story. Seeing the very special bond between Mikael and Arthur.

Mikael himself says that Arthur stands for Hope. The Lindnord family have also started a fund for homeless dogs in Ecuador – There is hope for many ill treated and abused dogs with people like Mikael, who was prepared to even let go of his team’s victory to save this dog’s life. Mikael says he recognized himself in Arthur that very first day…they both stand tall, they never give up. So, how could he let Arthur down, when the dog put all his trust in him ?

December 9, 2020, Arthur passed away from an aggressive cancer, 13 years old. 2021 is the startup for shooting the Hollywood movie – ArthurThe King, with Mark Wahlberg starring together with a not yet chosen dog to play Arthur. I am looking forward to seeing it – hopefully cinemas will be open by then…

I can honestly say, that no other journey in my life gave me more special moments than the one to Arthur’s home country, Ecuador. Sailing along the Napo River in the Amazon and in the Galápagos Islands.

I could not stop watching them, all these little seabirds following our sailing boat in Ecuador. They could actually walk, run and stand still on the water! This is the smallest seabird in the world – an Elliot’s Storm-Petrel. Another enigmatic fact is that no nesting site for these birds has ever been found…

The stay at Sacha Lodge on a quiet lake – open to all the sounds of the jungle – still echoes in my mind today, 5 years later. Silent canoing through the tangled forest, watching swarms of monkeys foraging in the trees, jumping and playing. And the tiny Paradise Tanager – shooting veritable neon lightings in the trees – (I only managed to capture a couple of them in a photo) The first glimpse of the flock was very special – they moved faster than Chip ‘n’ Dale juggling around with the colourful Christmas baubles – and Pluto trying to handle the situation…

So, I will end with the late evening climb up in the Kapok tree, staying for the day’s last hours watching the sun set over the Amazon Basin. Imagine the sounds, the light, the soft warmth, the birds and the monkeys calling each other…I have never slept better in my entire life, than I did in the Amazon jungle.

Finally, a big Thank You for the inspirational set of Natural Lights, and hopefully you will join in for some special moments too! Please link to Tinas original post, and add the Lens-Artists tag.

Next week we’re excited to announce Beth of Wandering Dawgs as our Guest Host. Be sure to stop by and check out her always-interesting blog. Until then, stay safe and be kind.

WPC: Favorites – Meeting Arthur!

20 december, 201721 december, 2017 / Leya / 30 kommentarer

Arthur – I met him and talked to him and touched him (posted here) – my most emotional photos this year. My favorites. Not technically good any of them, but I was only focused on Arthur – a champion of heroes!

A stray dog who followed our Swedish multi sport team in the World Championships in Ecuador – through tough jungle and many hardships. He was determined to stay with the team and its leader Michael Lindnord. Michael and Arthur bonded immediately, and later Michael brought Arthur home to Sweden to live with his new family.

The team went from four to five – here they cross the line!

I was all shaky, but surely you can see in the header, that his eyes tell about his kind soul!

Thursday Thoughts – Today I Finally Met Arthur!

6 april, 201721 december, 2017 / Leya / 16 kommentarer

Maybe you have heard of him…Arthur, the dog who crossed the jungle to find a home.

I have followed his adventures ever since I first heard of him a couple of years ago. The Swedish multi sport team in Ecuador, trying to win the world championships. Instead the team leader, Mikael Lindnord, found that in the middle of the jungle, his team of four had got a fifth member…Arthur. Mikael had never had a dog of his own and never thought of getting one – he was a tough athlete and a determined leader for his team.

But this street dog caught his heart…and from one meat ball, given to a starving dog – they became friends forever. Finally, after many hardships and paperwork and stubborn authorities…Arthur arrived in Sweden and was taken care of by Mikael and his family.

Tonight I met him. And I totally understand why he is King Arthur. He owned the place from the first second he entered through the door. I do not have one single, proper picture…but I loved every minute of being close to him and listening to their story. Seeing the very special bond between Mikael and Arthur.

Mikael himself says that Arthur stands for Hope. The Lindnord family have also started a fund for homeless dogs in Ecuador – there are many ill treated and abused dogs in the world… Maybe there is hope for them with people like Mikael, who was prepared to even let go of his team’s victory to save this dog’s life. Mikael says he recognized himself in Arthur that very first day…they both stand tall, and never give up. So, how could he let Arthur down, when the dog put all his trust in him ?

If you love animals, and dogs in particular, and believe there is still love and compassion on Earth – Read the book!