Aging Beautifully

Wisdom in wrinkles shown and shared.

How beautiful.

Bathed in beautiful late afternoon light, I shot this image with a shutter speed of 1/200. My focal length was 60 and my aperture was f/4.5. I didn't use a tripod but did go as close to my window as possible to make use of all the natural light there was. Actually I was lying down on the floor, holding the rose up to the best pocket of light and with my other hand I took the picture.

We need to go where the light is, whatever it takes.

Climb

A Time Before

Remaining Walls

I've had the incredible opportunity to see many old abandoned homesteads this winter as we've travelled to and from a camp where our daughter is staying. I'm trying to figure out what draws me to these places. Maybe it is that they mark a time in history. Maybe it is the stories that are held inside the remaining walls. Maybe it is the textures found in the decaying wood or shingles.

Whatever it is, I am happy to share some of the images I've captured with you and invite you to imagine along with me, what these walls might hold for you.

Look. Look Again.

Look. Look again.

So often we pass by the worn without a sideways glance. When we look and look again we see what it is and also what it might have been at one time. We make room for stories and people who have gone before us...or are beside us. In our pause, we remember and in our regard we acknowledge importance and value.

Maybe it is an old building that we've driven by countless times. Or maybe it is a person, worn and weathered, but with a present and a past. If we stop and look and look again, I wonder how the future might be shaped.

Seen Better Days

Stuartburn, Manitoba

Story's Inspiration

Sometimes it just takes one scene, real life or photo of real life, to trigger my imagination to conjure up some of the most interesting stories and circumstances. Take this scene for instance. I saw this and couldn't look away...11 pillows hanging in a row on the line to be dried...spotted...with tears perhaps...and an empty lawnchair...who sat there and why? My mind can wander many different directions on this. What about you?

Energy is Tiring

Sometimes energy is tiring. Watching people expend great amounts of energy, jumping and joking, tossing and tipping, daring and diving can be very tiring. I wonder if it is too tiring sometimes...or if it is just right under a shaded hat with a cold lemonade nearby. Maybe it is exactly right, being close but not bumped, nearby but not always engaged. Maybe at some point it becomes just about perfect, being able to watch your loved ones frolic and enjoy each other, seeing that they are okay to do so without you being the one to take them to the park or to light the barbecue and maybe especially without you being the one whose shoulders are used as a launching pad into the pool.

Yes, I think this is so.

Spotlight - Aging

Wrinkled and worn, she wondered if she should retreat. Her time of reaching into hearts might be over. On the contrary, as people passed by, they stopped...and stayed. They couldn't turn away from her depth and tenderness.

Spotlight - Time's Polish