Mother Nature Confused Winter or Spring

I love seeing the flowers bloom in our yard this time of year...witch hazel, winter jasmine, rhododendrons....Wait...WHAT!??  Rhodys don't bloom this time of year!  But there they are, just like they know what they're doing.  Every day I see more blossoms on the rhody bush that's blooming, standing proudly by the witch hazel.  We have, obviously, had a very mild winter.  All our spring bulbs are out of the ground and several inches tall.  Amid all this I see on TV the terrible storms on the east coast and the freezing temperatures that so much of the country has endured.  However, winter isn't over yet, so I shouldn't crow too loudly.  Our time might be coming.   

Beach Treasures

I'm fortunate to live in an area where there is an abundance of driftwood.  I no longer live in a residential community that has it's own private beach, but I still run across some interesting pieces here and there along the waterfront.  I've been creating a few sculptures with some I've been collecting over the years.  I love seeing  what nature has created with some of the pieces.  Here are my finished sculptures.  Two are for sale in my Etsy shop and I have more ready to be listed soon.  The fifth one is a solar light.

Birds of a Feather......

Winter is here and the large flocks of Trumpeter Swans and Snow Geese are everywhere when we drive across the bridge from Fidalgo Island to the mainland.  They're so beautiful.  It's been a few years since I've been serious about photographing them.  I've decided I've just got to get over there to get a few good shots before late winter when they began to leave.  I need to go early morning or late afternoon.  Because I'm not a morning person it will have to be late afternoon.  Or maybe I should just throw a coat over my pajamas and head for the fields.  We'll see. Decisions, decisions.   

Several years ago I photographed a few as they were flying in early evening.  I wrote a poem when I was feeling a little melancholy and included it with the photo in a chap book that I had printed for friends and family.  

Like Swans In Flight

Drifting through bleak darkness,

engulfed by silken clouds,

bound in discomposure

by imaginary shrouds.

Striving for a mission

like winter swans in flight,

chasing elusive solace,

I yearn for tranquil light.

Never let me waiver;

guide me in my quest.

Give me wings of power

to remain upon the crest

until I find contentment

in a field of silent rest.

         

©2002 Laura Crumm