Blinking to be seen

Bright lights, blinking, drawing attention...

There was still light in the sky when I headed out for a bit of after-work exercise, but there was a definite chill in the air and the sun was sinking fast. I stopped the thought "it's too cold to walk" in its tracks, knowing that in just a few weeks today's temperatures in the low 50s will feel warm.

It was a day for light layers, a day for donning blinking lights. It's that time of year.

Walking, warmth-generating exercise, blinks of bright colored light enhancing my visibility, walking...

Glimpses of England's Lake District

It was a visit that combined wandering on my own with attending a photography seminar, a chance to walk in places where I'd never been before. I'm certain that I'll go back though; the Lake District has jumped onto my list of "must return to" places.

If you'd like to see some of the sights that flowed by my eyes, please visit my Fells, lakes, wonders photo galleries. And if you prefer words over pictures, you can wander through my words in my journal.

Up... dodd & fell:

A jumble of a day:


Down... lake & dale:


Circling, changing places:

Sleeping warm

Ah, the comfort of flannel sheets...

It seems too early to make the switch back to colder month's flannel sheets, but yesterday I decided that it was the right time. Slipping into a flannel-lined bed on a chilly night is a real comfort. So nice...

Early morning darkness

I wonder how long it will take me to grow accustomed to the dark sky outside of my window when I wake up. It's so tempting to roll over and go back to sleep, and yet, it's time to pop up and start my day.

I suppose as long as I need to convince myself to get up while the sky is still wearing a dark coat that I should try to get up even earlier so I can walk before starting my work day. Hmmm...

Surprised by color

All of the trees were still wearing their summer coats of green when I wandered off to England just over a week ago. I was more than a little surprised to see patches of bright red leaves on my return home. Yes, I know, the autumn equinox was last week.

While I love to watch the changing colors, I'm really not ready for the move into much shorter days and cooler temperatures.

A beautiful structure, a memory of a terrible day...

I had enough time before a flight on September 19th to seek out the recently dedicated 9/11 memorial at Boston's Logan Airport.

A glass cube surrounds glass panels containing the names of the passengers & crew of the two flights that left Logan Airport on that fateful day. The outside of the structure is made up of thin slabs of glass, alternating in placement, each panel offset from the next. Looking up, there are floating pieces of glass. Two simple benches stand within the structure, a place to sit in quiet contemplation.

A place of peace in a busy airport...

Jumping across the ocean

Wandering in new places is a good change of pace. Today is the day for me to head to England's Lake District for a week of walking and camera play.

There probably won't be any new blog entries for the next week (plus), but I still plan to play with words. If you'd like to watch over my shoulder as I wander, follow the words in my journal Fells, lakes, wonder.

Scattered, different

A walk through the Boston Common and the Public Garden this afternoon led a few scattered images to jump into my camera.

From the magesty of a beautiful building, to a duck blurring her head as she satisfied an itch...

Almost here...

I'm finding it a little hard to believe that my January dream of a vacation is almost here. I'm headed for the Lake District in England to wander, and to attend a photography seminar. Two more days until I fly...

I'm excited. A little nervous, but excitement outweighs my slight case of nerves by far. Caroline and I will finally get to meet in person after having online conversations for a long, long, time. She's the person who told me about the seminar, about Light & Land, and about Charlie Waite, the landscape photographer who will be sharing his knowledge with us.

It's almost time; time to cross the ocean, to remember to drive on the left, to walk over hills, to capture images. Time to dream...

Observe, absorb

I opened the latest issue of American Bicyclist this morning, and the reprint of Henri Boulanger's blog entry titled "Just Ride" jumped off the page at me. He talks about enjoying cycling - not getting pulled in by things, but about riding, enjoying the moment, looking around.

Henri's observations apply to more than bikes though. I find myself riding or walking, always looking, absorbing life around me. Yes, many times I have a camera in my hand, but not always. I wonder if my wandering on a bike at a slow pace, or wandering with a camera in my hand... have these activities trained my senses?

I highly recommend that you read Henri's blog entry Just Ride. Yes, read it, even if you're not a cyclist. And as you read it, realize that it was written by a 13-year-old bicyclist, someone who is very in touch with his thoughts and his surroundings. We can all learn from his words.