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SPRING FIRE
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Still dwelling on Texas' many rounds of springtime blooms... it was difficult to keep count as the palette seemed to constantly change.
As if the preceding Bluebonnet bloom wasn't enough of a show, the final discharge of Firewheels set the Texas landscape aflame, sure to leave spectators in awe!
Photo captures a crowded field of Firewheel flowers (Gaillardia pulchella) dancing in the warm sunlight of a May afternoon.
All the same, but all unique. Some taller, some shorter. Some in bloom, some expired, and some have yet to begin.
Individual differences, collective beauty.
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Posted on July 10, 2019BoneFish TalesBF Tales2019StoryBlogWritingJournalOutdoorsNatureFloraFlowersFirewheelBeauty
From 2019
HIDDEN
- ✧ - There’s a Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) in this photo... Can your eyes find it?! This particular rattler definitely had a clear opportunity to sink it’s venomous fangs into the flesh of a human leg as he/she was almost accidentally stepped on (because, spectacular camouflage!) ...but instead, the snake chose to protect itself by slithering away into the thorny underbrush, where it could intensely stare-down it’s perpetrator in shadowed safety... Rattlers are often perceived as vicious, aggressive creatures with malicious intent. Growing up in Jersey & studying the ocean, I was definitely guilty of holding this misunderstanding. But after a few years living in the Southwest and now Texas, I dare to differ. Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t practice utmost mindfulness & caution around these creatures (I mean, they ARE a pit viper!), but more often than not, rattlesnakes have zero desire nor intention to harm a human. They actually want nothing to do with humans, and striking is a big expense of their energy...so if the option to escape is available, they will eagerly exercise that option (as was demonstrated in this specific encounter). I snapped a few photos and observed this unique reptile for a couple of minutes from a safe distance (thank goodness for a zoom lens). If I looked away then back, it took serious effort to see the snake again. He/she didn’t rattle or hiss, just lots of curious sniffs with the tongue. Mutual respect. I said goodbye to my new friend and moved along. A quick check back to this hide-out about 15 minutes later revealed the snake had moved along also... - ✧ - Posted on August 14, 2019
BoneFish TalesBF Tales2019StoryBlogWritingJournalRattlesnakeReptileWildlifeOutdoorsNatureCamouflageDiamondback Rattlesnake
From 2019
I SPY...
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I spy with my little eye...
...a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) perched in a tree!
This was my first time seeing one of these enormous beauties in the wild, and dang, was I amazed! This guy or gal was obviously aware of my presence — like a jungle cat lurking in the trees above, watching my every move.
The sun had set twenty minutes prior, and a thick gray blanket of clouds hovered overhead, leaving very little natural light to work with for a photo. Stuck in the familiar “crap-quality-photo versus no-photo” mental debate, I found myself cranking the ISO button way up, in hopes of getting a shutter speed fast enough to capture my feathered subject.
The owl visited for about ten minutes, frequently swiveling it’s head around — scanning, watching, observing. The sky was getting darker — night was approaching quickly.
One final glance around, and both wings spread as the owl swooped down from the tree, flying out of sight into the night.
For a few moments, I stood in awe, staring at the now empty space on that branch... "Wow!"
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Posted on March 14, 2019BoneFish TalesBF Tales2019StoryBlogWritingJournalWildlifeOutdoorsNatureCamouflageBirdOwlGreat Horned OwlTree
From 2019
MOON GRIN
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“Well! I’ve often seen a cat without a grin,” thought Alice; “but a grin without a cat!? It’s the most curious thing I ever saw in my life!”
It was a crisp November morning, and I stood literally just footsteps from my front door in Tennessee. The sun was moments away from breaking the horizon, casting her vibrant colors across the sky, as if celebrating another glorious rising. Birds dipped across the frost-bitten fields, broadcasting the renewal of daylight.
Just ten minutes ago I was snuggled in bed, warm & asleep. My body shivered now, I could see my breath. I rubbed my eyes, in hopes to accelerate the “waking up” process.
Directly overhead, seemingly watching this scene awaken, a thin sliver of moon glowed like a Cheshire Cat grin through the painted streaks of clouds.
I blinked a few more times to clear my vision, then lifted my camera to eye level, and proceeded to get lost in the beauty of the morning...
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Posted on December 8, 2018BoneFish TalesBF Tales2019StoryBlogWritingJournalOutdoorsNatureMoonSky
From 2019
LIFE IS BUT A DREAM...
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The thunder rolled through the hills of Mid-Tennessee all afternoon, with the threat of small hail lingering. The Earth was drenched with chilly rain, as the lightning danced above our heads.
And like magic, just minutes before the sun hit the horizon, the edge of the storm allowed the sun to peek under it's blanket, casting her warm light across the soggy landscape.
"Where is the rainbow?! ...Are we IN the rainbow?!" I could sense it as my eyes ruthlessly scanned the angry gray sky. "There HAS to be a rainbow!"
No sooner, from behind me, I heard my love exclaim, "THERE...IT...IS!"
I turned around to find him pointing East, as the full spectrum of colors slowly began to paint across the sky...
And for just a handful of minutes, all was right in the world. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else existed except for me, my love, and the chorus of songbirds, all reveling in a vibrant display of diamond dust.
These are the moments in this dream that fuel this little soul of mine.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Posted on May 8, 2018BoneFish TalesBF Tales2018StoryBlogWritingJournalOutdoorsNatureRainbowFieldSkyDream
From 2018
HOME
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A freshly-awakened perspective (while left to my own devices 32,000-feet in the sky): 'Home' is a subjective term...
Home is a physical place -- a specific town, a particular house, familiar faces, recognizable sights & sounds... Home is every place your roots ever were, currently are, & ever will be.
Home is also a mental state, a feeling within. Home is something you have at your beck & call at all times, like the good luck charm you carry in your back pocket...because YOU are your home.
So, when you get lost & think you can't find your way -- take a deep, deep breath... & come back home, to you.
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Posted on August 24, 2017BoneFish TalesBF Tales2017StoryBlogWritingJournalTravelHomeLife On The RoadFlightAirplaneAerialCloudsInspiration
From 2017
DIRT ROAD GOLD
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Dirt Road Diary Entry: Sunday, July 16, 2017; 6:21pm; Las Vegas, NV.
“Mojave Desert Monsoon Chasing — Drove into & out of a storm that clipped the SW corner of the Vegas valley; silty water flowed like chocolate milk down the washes; a few loud crackles of thunder shook the Earth as colossal rain drops filled the paved streets of the concrete jungle...
And, just a handful of miles to the West of the storm, down a desolate dirt road through the desert, the evening sunlight danced with the bands of rain, casting a vibrant display of diamond dust in the distance.
Dirt road gold.
Different perspectives to every storm — Beauty exists always, never stop seeking.
Much big gratitude. Today was a good day.”
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Posted on July 16, 2018BoneFish TalesBF Tales2017StoryBlogWritingJournalOutdoorsNatureRainbowSkyRoadTravelAdventureCloudsWeatherGratitude
From 2018
MAMA
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Mom. Mum. Mama. Madre. Maman. La Mére. Mother. Life Source.
A mother is a necessary component to all forms of life, all over the world — past, present, future. A mother can be good, bad, rich, poor, accidental, chosen, black, white, furry, feathered...just to describe a FEW.
But, to mother — as a verb — is an action that does not discriminate; does not care of the title it bears; and knows no bounds. To mother is a thoughtful and empathetic giving of one’s self for the sake of the welfare of another living being — this translates in a myriad of ways, and may look different for everyone, but the action is the same: unconditional love.
This is for the Mothers, whatever title you may identify with; this is for the beings who demonstrate the acts of mothering, however that translates for you...
May we celebrate you for the magic that you work into this world on a daily (and oftentimes, unnoticed) basis. The world would be a heck of a lot less brighter if it weren’t for you. After all, how would life, of any form, sustain without Mothers and motherly love?!
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Posted on May 12, 2018BoneFish TalesBF Tales2017StoryBlogWritingJournalWildlifeOutdoorsNatureHummingbirdBirdMomBaby
From 2018
Different, or Beautiful?!
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The Desert Wildflower:
She doesn't question if she "belongs" or "fits in."
She doesn't look around to see who is watching.
She doesn't shrink herself to fit into the mold of the masses.
She just grows.
She shows up anyways.
She does what she knows how to do.
Unapologetically.
And, it is enough.
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Posted on April 29, 2017BoneFish TalesBF Tales2019StoryBlogWritingJournalPoemOutdoorsNatureInspirationBeautyDesert WildflowerFlora
From 2017
LOOK, MA!
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When I was a toddler, my parents were just two kids themselves, trying to figure out how to do life. There was hardship, struggle, uncertainty, and lack of material things (oh, the horror!!) But, I wasn't aware of any of that back then -- partially because I was mostly just trying to conquer bladder control & shoe-tying, but, I like to think that my Mom also had a lot to do with it...
I remember our routine nature walks through the woods behind that little one-bedroom apartment. I remember the stinky glue sticks, and the cheap construction paper in every color of the rainbow. I remember having full creative control over the "pictures" that I made with my collected leaves, rocks, and natural treasures.
And, I remember being damn happy about it.
Mom made it that way, by (purposely or not) teaching infinitely valuable life lessons: Keep close to nature; Use what you've got; Creativity has no limits (aside from eating the glue).
Decades later, I'm still out here weaving my Nature finds into pictures (with much less glue involved these days). Mom planted a seed in my soul a long time ago, and I wouldn't want it any other way!
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Posted on May 14, 2017BoneFish TalesBF Tales2017StoryBlogWritingJournalOutdoorsNatureMomHeartRocksDetailsCreative
From 2017