Lamar Park

Rested.

Get water. Load the bike.

Zip up my fleece.

Let's go!

Glide down the path.

Climb the hill, and run back down.

Laugh and giggle.

Sun slants over the gold and red leaves.

Sky pales and purples.

Dusk settles over Lake Patsy.

Sunset behind us as we leave.

It places a hand of benediction over me and my band of loved ones.

Blessed

With Heart

Thank you Karen and Janie for the pictures you let me use.

Las Trampas Hike in a Bag

As I started up Elderberry Trail at Las Trampas Regional Wilderness on Monday afternoon, the battery on my camera died. I was momentarily bummed until I decided I'd collect a Hike in a Bag to send to my grandson, the preschool naturalist.

I'll ask him, 'Can you find these nature artifacts?'

A yellow leaf with stickery edges, a brown leaf that looks like a flying bunny, 2 insect-yummy bay leaves, see through feathers, lichen sticks, a buckeye, green moss from a tree trunk, a heart rock, acorn with its cap on, and a feathery-ferny leaf.

Then because I always take a picture in my mind of the wonders I see, 

I sketch when I get home. 

5 Senses Hike

I see a family of Black-tailed Deer eating grass and resting on the hill.

Mmm. I smell California Bay Laurel leaves.

'Hoo, hoo, hoo.' I hear Great Horned Owl calling from his tree.

Climbing the trail I am thirsty. Water from my bottle tastes good.

Green moss on the Dark Woods tree trunks feels like your hair when I rub it.

Hiking 

With Heart

Fall Haiku

Yesterday

The grass was raked green.

Last night was longer, colder.

Now bare trees, gold yard.

A Wonder of Nature:

When the days get shorter and the nights colder. scissor cells form in the leaf where the stem meets the branch. These cells keep forming and pushing the leaf away from the stem. Finally a gust of wind or too many raindrops causes the leaf to fall. 

Amazed 

With Heart

Sardis Lake

The Wonder of Nature:

Sharing nature with my daughters and grandsons. 

Early this month we visited Sardis Lake on the Little Tallahatchie River in Northern Mississippi.

We couldn't get enough of taking pictures of nature!

The mist from the spillway made a good backdrop for my enjoyment of the scenery. 

The grandsons were very interested in what the fishermen were doing.

After a picnic lunch and playground time at Lower Lake, we went to the upper side of the dam.

A beautiful clear blue sky is unusual in the South 

where it is usually soft and blue with high humidity.

How could two boys resist such big rocks?

Happily 

With Heart

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a good reason to resume cyber-sharing the wonder of nature with you. Instead of blogging I've been presenting nature journaling with students of diverse ages through observation, sketching, and writing. 

Join me on an observational walk and see how it inspired me to sketch and write.

Neighborhood color.

Morning sun lighting my sweet gum tree.

Sketching

November Leaves

a poem of the senses

Flames of leaves light the trees and burn for days.

A bunch of colorful leaves in my hand go straight to my nose for a whiff of fragrance.

If these were lollipops, my mouth would be watering.

Evidence of Fall reaches my ears as I crunch the path.

Meanwhile I hold treasures of the season and rub their leathery smoothness.

Are you inspired to go outside and take a Five Senses Walk?

Thanksgiving 

With Heart

Denali

Look straight ahead at the big clouds-center. Now look on the left slope of the cloud mass. Then look at the peak on the right side. You're getting a peek at the majestic Denali. In Awe~With Heart

Horned Puffin at Alaska Sealife Center

Rescued puffins walk through paint and across paper to a target as part of their care. Their art is sold to increase funds for their study. Delighted~With Heart

Mama Bear Looking for Salmon

Her two cubs were following.
With Heart

Here's Looking at You

Micro view from Tongass National Forest.
Grousing~With Heart

Alaskan Beauty

With Heart

Mary Ann's Magnolias

My sister-in-law sent me this magnolia seed cone time-line from her northeast Louisiana yard today. Can you agree with her that this was the perfect year for her tree. The leaves are centerpiece worthy, and the cones are blushing beautifully. 

Pale Sage-colored.

Pink

Full Blush

Red Seeds!

Thank you Mary Ann

With Heart

Filoli Gardens

Come walk with me around Filoli Gardens in Woodside, CA. Its an estate that only had two owners from 1917 until 1975 when its second owner Mrs. Roth donated the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Its a place of timeless beauty.

Now enjoy a stroll in the gardens with me.

A Good Day 

With Heart

Creek Walk With Heart

This blue morning sky full of white cloud whiskers
Eating sweet blackberries straight from the bushes
The whump, whump, whump of the vulture's wings overhead
Little black headed phoebe catching insects
Hearing the cool wind whispering in the trees

The Learning Rock-More Field Journaling

The organizer for this workshop is California Institute for Biodiversity, and the teacher is naturalist, author, and artist John Muir (Jack) Laws. It is a well-organized quality educational experience.

As you enjoy these views, you may think it looks like too much fun, but this is indeed the Learning Rock. See the teacher there stressing the importance of children learning by observing nature.

On the boulder across the stream participants share how their students benefit from scientific investigation outdoors.

Notice the huge Indian Rhubarb leaves growing beside the boulder.

One leaf illustrates the importance of making the most of a teachable moment.

From my seat on the Learning Rock I took this picture upstream for you to see.

Capturing the moment for you, I missed the moment overhead! 

As I clicked the camera, I realized that a raptor had called and the teacher and other students were all worked up. Then we were instructed to sketch our experience in our field journals.

I'll take this for the blog.~~~Look! Upstream! Raptor!~~~What happened?

Should I leave my camera in my pocket?

A Teachable Moment

With Heart

Sierra Nevada Field Journaling Workshop

Come with me as I show you sights and lessons I learned about observing, sketching and writing about nature at the workshop.

I notice...

I wonder...

This reminds me...

I notice the pathway winding through this grove of tall trees.
I wonder how they found room to grow between the creek and the mountains.
This reminds me of Girl Scout Camp at Piney Woods in north Louisiana.

Art is a tool for learning.

Observation is the goal.

Water drips from the fungus on the underside of fallen tree.

You try it.

I notice...

I wonder...

This reminds me...

Do you remember the joy and skill of skipping rocks?

When was the last time you walked on a fallen tree across a creek?

I hung my hat on the roots of this bridge I balanced well on. 

Observing

With Heart

The Lunch Spot

Let this picture hold you until I can unpack from my Field Journaling Workshop this weekend in the Sierras and send you a post of good memories.
~Listening for a Gurgling Stream
With Heart

Lembert Dome, Eastern Sierra

Tuolumne Meadows in Eastern Yosemite is about an hour and a half from our 

1950's motel on 395.We spent our last day there, a good last memory of our trip.

We hiked up to Lembert Dome, Lembert Half-Dome for me since I didn't make it all the way to the summit you see over my right shoulder. As you can see, the view is magnificent.

Hiking along the John Muir Trail was awesome since I am a big fan of his. He wrote about the 'warm heart of nature.' The trail is part of the Pacific Crest Trail. 

The sign is leaning, not me. 

I was thrilled to find this fritillary butterfly on the ground by the trail. I knew I was supposed to leave it for the insects to recycle, but I just couldn't. By the time we finished lunch, a huge black ants was already eating the dead butterfly. Part of its wing was moving away, carried by another  ant. 

That's nature! 

As you know, I can't pass a body of water without getting my feet wet. 

The Tuolumne River is cold.

You can see the other side of Lembert Dome over the head of that hiker who was kind enough to let me take his picture so you could have some perspective of the height of the dome.

Until the Next Adventure

With Heart