North Carolina

Japanese Garden

April 19, 2018Nature Photographygardens, Japanese Garden, Japanese Maple, Japanese Tea House, Master Gardener Plant Sale, Master Gardeners, New Hanover County Arboretum, North Carolina, Plantsdebibradford View all 4 comments

The next few days I’ll be working side-by-side with my fellow Master Gardeners at the Annual Master Gardeners Plant Sale. Every year we offer plants of every type – trees, shrubs, herbs, vegetables, annuals, perennials, native plants, SEEDS, everything! The sale lasts 5 days at the New Hanover County (North Carolina) Arboretum. Admittance is FREE; parking is a beast. BUT you’ll find the best plants EVER there. I cannot contain my enthusiasm for I buy enough to keep the place in business.

When I’m not at the plant sale I’m walking the various gardens there. There’s a Native Plant Garden, a Rose Garden, various woodland gardens, a labyrinth, a Children’s Garden and, my favorite and the oldest part of the garden, the Japanese Garden.

Make it a great day and go plant something!

Zeke’s Basin

April 17, 2018Nature Photographyfort fisher, grasses, juniper, Live Oak, maritime forest, North Carolina, path, red bay, sand, wax myrtle, Zeke's Basindebibradford Leave a comment

Path winding through a maritime forest leading to Zeke’s Basin, Fort Fisher, NC.

Grandfather

November 13, 2016Nature Photographybrokenness, cochina rocks, compassion, earth, fort fisher, Grandfather, heal, honor, love, North Carolina, Ojibway Prayer, Sacred Waydebibradford View all 4 comments

Cochina Rocks at Fort Fisher, late afternoon

Look at our brokenness.

We know that in all creation only the human family has strayed from the Sacred Way.

We know that we are the ones who are divided and we are the ones who must come back together to walk in the Sacred Way.

Grandfather,

Sacred One,

Teach us love, compassion, and honor.

That we may heal the earth

And heal each other.

Ojibway Prayer

Healing

February 3, 2016Nature Photographybeach, clouds, M.J. Slim Hooey, Mother Earth, North Carolina, ocean, sea, sunrisedebibradford View all 2 comments

“I have come to terms with the future.

From this day onward

I will walk easy on the earth.

Plant trees. Kill no living things.

Live in harmony with all creatures.

I will restore the earth where I am.

Use no more of its resources than I need.

And listen,

listen to what it is telling me.”

M. J. Slim Hooey

Humble

November 13, 2015Nature Photographybeach, clouds, Kure Beach, North Carolina, ocean, sand, sunrise, wavesdebibradford One comment

How very small we are…

My Panacea

November 11, 2015Nature Photographybeach, clouds, Kure Beach, North Carolina, ocean, sand, sea oats, sunrise, wavesdebibradford Leave a comment

“For my panacea…..let me have a draught of undiluted morning air. Morning air! If men will not drink of this at the fountainhead of the day, why, then, we must even bottle up some and sell it in the shops, for the benefit of those who have lost their subscription ticket to morning time in this world.” (Henry David Thoreau)

Morning air!!! My favorite time of the day, bar none, is that moment between darkness and dawn. The sky begins a subtle brightening. The air is clear and clean and coats my lungs with purity. Suddenly, as in a Disney cartoon, the birds begin to sing as if on cue.

That really happens.

Once, during my predawn walk I spied a dead stone crab high on the beach. As big as a dinner plate, the crab was beautiful and thick with black tipped claws and sandy colored body. I admired him, then walked on to take photos. It was rather dark still, so I decided to sit on the sand for a different angle. About 10 feet in front of the crab I sat and shot for a bit. After shooting I rose and walked to the water, dipping my toes in the foam. Walking back for home I noticed the crab missing. Missing! Was he not dead? A shiver went up my spine. If not dead….where?! I found where he’d been and discovered the footprints of multiple gulls. While I was shooting, the sound of waves and wind in my ears, the gulls were feasting 10 feet behind me….and I never heard it.

Begin Again

November 11, 2015Nature Photographybeach, clouds, Kure Beach, North Carolina, ocean, sand, sea oats, Sting, sunrise, wavesdebibradford View all 2 comments

It is time to begin again. Time to get off my ass and jump back into the world of the living. I’ve MISSED blogging! I realized I never finished telling you about Scotland! I’m not sure just what happened but I think exhaustion was the culprit. Lots of eldercare responsibilities and living out of a suitcase. Oh, yeah. That’s what it was.

I mean, look at this beautiful world! The ocean is my front yard! (well, kinda) I also mentioned doing a photo essay on something called beach nourishment. (look it up) That’s about to start in earnest here at my beach and I’m not looking forward to it.

I’ve been stupidly saying things to myself like “who needs another freakin’ sunrise photo?” Well, truth be told…I do. I need them. My soul needs them. As Sting says “That’s my soul up there….” So, I’M BACK!!!