In a Ditch

Q: Where can you find some of Michigan's most beautiful wildflowers?
A: In a ditch.
In order to position myself to capture the image I had to place my feet, accompanied by my favorite sandals, in stagnant, slime capped, water. The mosquitoes were in my ears. Just four feet from my camera bag, cars, motorcycles, and trucks kicked up stones. My imagination played a movie of a startled bicyclist losing control and falling on top of me. All in a day's shoot.

I would guess that on a clear summer's day couple hundred vehicles drive along this stretch of road, and being a favorite bike route of the local folks, an equal number of cyclists pass by. How many ever stop to appreciate the incredible beauty that lives here? Purple Iris, Lady's Slippers, Marsh Marigolds, Forget-me-nots, Damsel Flies, Leopard Frogs, and Salamanders, are just a few who inhabit this ditch. We will travel thousands of miles to see canyons and mountains, but won't stop the car and take a couple steps to see an equally grand landscape. Yes, I know, it's not "grand" in size, but if you scale down your perspective, it's equally majestic.

A ditch is seldom referred to in positive terms. A ditch is the unhappy conclusion to a story of traveling on slippery roads, and digging ditches is considered one of the most menial of tasks. No one particularly likes being in a ditch and I hope and pray that you don't find yourself in one of life's ditches. But I have found that when I am "in a ditch," I often see, appreciate, and experience the grace and glory of God in new and exciting ways. Example: I know I can count on the love and support of my brothers and sisters in Christ, especially my church community, when I am in need. Yes, there is beauty in the ditch.

Between Glory and Rust

I'm a well traveled person in the last month. I went to France and visited the King's palace at Versailles and I've been to my back yard and looked at the junk that the former owners of my property left. Funny thing is, whether junk or palace, they each have their own beauty. And both former owners have departed this earth and can no longer appreciate what has been left behind. Yep, you really can't take it with you.

I think it's good to be reminded on occasion about what's really important. Whether we leave behind a glorious palace or a pile of rusty metal what's really important was summed up by a prophet in the middle east a couple centuries ago. He said our lives should be about being just -- treating people fairly and honestly, being merciful -- having compassion and sharing what we have, and walking humbly with our God -- knowing that we are just a small speck in the universe yet extremely important to the Creator of the universe. I'm important to THE creator — how cool is that?!

Yes, I enjoy taking pretty pictures, and I hope I'm honoring my Creator by using the gifts He's given me. And I hope you receive a blessing in seeing them. That's the simple reason for why I post my photos here.
Blessings,
Bob

The First Warm Day

We all wait for it. A 70 degree day in April. Well, if you live north of Latitude 45° you wait for it — anxiously. And the northern hardwoods waste no time waking up. There are many plants that have a small window of opportunity. Before the mighty maples, beech, ash, and oak block the sun with their foliage the plants of the forest floor have to mature, bloom, and pollinate. Just a little pressure!

I love to just lay on the warm matte of old leaves and get the bug's eye view of the baby trout lilies, spring beauties, trilliums, and dutchman's breeches. Of course my wonderful wife always laughs when I walk in the door after one of my lazy afternoons amongst my green friends because along with the more notable plants a very pungent plant called the wild leek thrives and it imparts a wonderful scent on my bluejeans and sweatshirt. Just nature's version of Old Spice, I say. I real turn-on, right?

Enough of the wild woods talk. I'm working out there. And I think I have some good images to show for it. And the next time you're out for your Spring walk-in-the-woods. Don't be afraid to stop and take a rest in the warm matte of leaves.

Sleeping Sleeping Bear

I was hoping to see the sunrise and only feel a breath of wind, but the day was otherwise. It may seem contradictory but the subtlety of a grey day has its own drama. I rounded the corner of Sleeping Bear Point where the bluff guarded a stretch of beach and there was a dramatic calming of the rolling waves. The colors of the bay that were broken by cresting waves just a dozen yards behind me, now lie in large sheets. Water and wind seemed to find a balance, cancelling each others voices on the shoreline. It was indeed a sanctuary. It was if the the bear was dozing.

Looking Behind You

As many of you know or may have gathered from my blog, I spend a lot of time walking the shores of Lake Michigan. I especially like the shoreline around this time of year because the forces of nature are hard at work. Cycles of freezes and thaws push the sand and ice into fractured landscapes. Jagged ice crystals grow and then morph into smooth organic sculptures when the sun shines through them. So I was at the beach the other day, looking at that interesting edge where ice meets sand, when the shadows began to fade. A wispy cloud was to blame. I looked up to observe how fast the clouds were moving, therefore gauge how long before my image defining shadow would return, but the cloud itself caught my attention. I had to do a 180 to follow the line of the cloud and see it disappear behind the dunes. My image was there — behind me. I should have known. When will I learn? I can't tell you how many times I've been intent on capturing an image at my toes when the real image was following me. Creativity is like that — always contradicting your current direction.

Michigan is in transition from Winter to Spring and I guess I'm feeling the tension. The battle rages — one minute it's Spring and the next it's Winter again. Maybe that's why I created this image. Can you feel the tension? There are always new sculptures along the beach as the ice breaks up and refreezes.

Old Barrel

You never know what the wind and the water will reveal. I guess that's one reason I like the lake shore so much. The sand can be sculpted into a whole new form in just hours. And not all that is revealed is pretty – at least at first glance. Of course I really don't like seeing an old barrel (with who knows what in it) appear from under the sand, but it's oxidized colors and the earth and reflected sky make for an interesting subject. And then there is the tension between organic forms and geometric forms. Wow — I'm getting to cerebral here. I just like the image — OK?
Hope you find it "interesting."