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f a matriarch who is grandmother aunt or mother of the others and she decides when and where the herd moves on a daily and seasonal basis these are the warm fuzzy facts about elephants in a book called elephant destiny biography of an endangered species in africa by martin meredith i read the painful and horrid facts about their history as a species their systematic decimation from roman times to the present is a shocking example of human brutality in articles in national geographic and smithsonian you can read about the ongoing war with poachers who trespass on national park land for the opportunity to sell tusks on the black market armed with semi automatic weapons and axes to hack the ivory from the animal s skull they leave behind a devastating scene of carnage that the rest of the herd internalizes exhibiting increasing fear and mournfulness at this stage in my life i feel kinship with elephant matriarchs remarkably elephants continue to grow physically throughout their lifetimes raising a family grieving deaths and seeking scarce resources while avoiding the dangers of human predators resonates with my lived experience as a human mother i aspire to be a wise evolving matriarch the matriarch by priscilla galasso great gray folds surround a wet eye fringed with long dusty lashes not yet moistened by her tears she sways ponderously rhythmically swinging her sensitive seeking trunk her huge head heavy with memories and maps surges forward with each tremendous tiptoe surrounded by sisters and children she journeys through perilous wilderness ever growing ever onward ever mindful of the needs of her kin i have an extensive collection of elephantalia gifts and heirlooms i have acquired over the years one day i would love to be able to photograph an elephant in the wild share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading posted in memoirs nature photography poetry spirituality the arts tagged coming of age elephants nature photography photography poetry spiritual journey unitarian universalism wildlife writing 7 comments lens artists photo challenge shapes and designs reboot january 31 2026 by scillagrace this week tina is hosting a challenge that looks back to a limitless subject of photography shapes and designs my original post on this theme from 2021 can be found here since that post focuses on nature this time i will share some shapes and designs that were manufactured design can be art design can be aesthetics design is so simple that s why it is so complicated paul rand share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading posted in photography the arts tagged art photography design lens artists photography shape and design weekly photo challenge 16 comments lens artists photo challenge minimalism in black white photography january 17 2026 by scillagrace i was touring the madison museum of contemporary art last month with my daughter and her partner when they stopped to rest i loved the artsy fartsy setting with lots of clean negative space so muse e yummy i promised them i d use the shot in a post soon so thank you ritva for giving me a chance there s something about this art form that invites you to slow down and pay attention to detail as you would if you were walking through an exhibit or gallery i find it calming to be focused on a single subject without the distraction of conflicting patterns and many colors like contemplative meditation simplicity is the ultimate sophistication leonardo da vinci share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading posted in photography the arts tagged art photography black white photography black and white art photography lens artists minimalist photography photography weekly photo challenge 27 comments lens artists photo challenge favorites of 2025 january 5 2026 by scillagrace there is something continually hopeful about a new year green life grows up on degraded surfaces and nature asserts her buoyant purpose i always delight in a clear path forward under sunny skies any year that included a trip to a national park i d never visited before is a memorable year i saw crater lake in july of 2025 city culture often centers humanity in symbols of peace the portland japanese garden contains this peace lantern a 1954 gift from japan inscribed casting the light of everlasting peace there are always unusual and surprising things to see if i keep my eyes open and practice awareness at the end of the year i celebrated with my daughter in her new house connecting past and present and future in memory tradition and hope i was inspired by jane goodall s final interview last year her message of continuing to do good work despite the increasingly strong challenges to values we both hold dear was a rallying call this year current events have already served up powerful strikes against peace and harmony with nature i will continue to look for evidence of beauty and goodness around me and make images to record its continued presence thank you fellow lens artists for documenting the art you see it makes a difference share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading posted in nature photography the arts tagged 2025 in review art hope jane goodall lens artists nature nature photography new year photography weekly photo challenge 12 comments lens artist photo challenge holiday fun december 8 2025 by scillagrace in my mind winter holidays in the northern hemisphere are all about helping us keep our spirits bright in the darkest of times we bring light and greenery and festive foods into our homes where we re sheltering from the cold the holiness of these days is the turning inward the transformation of outward energy into spiritual reserves for hard times ahead in my life music has always been fun and spiritual and central to this season next weekend i will be singing a piece called nordic light by eriks eisenvalds a multi media production including choir orchestra and video it s a haunting portrayal of the aurora borealis and the lore it lends to arctic circle cultures the choir will be in the dark while the video is playing the second half of the concert is carols of christmas much more warm and full of light this past weekend in the same venue where i will be performing i was a front row guest at a concert by a 4 time grammy winning hawaiian singer there was a cultural fair in the lobby before the show with dancers and vendor booths it was a very colorful and joyful atmosphere with lots of dancing shouting and clapping and messages of love acceptance and support at this point in my journey i am enjoying the pluralism and diversity of the human experience there are so many ways to make meaning of this gift of life so many ways to celebrate and empathize and explore i look forward to seeing your visual perspectives in this beautiful photo challenge thank you ann christine for your absolutely stunning post introducing this theme see it here share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading posted in christmas photography tagged christmas hawaiian christmas holiday fun lens artists new year s photography weekly photo challenge winter winter holidays winter solstice 24 comments lens artists photo challenge wings november 29 2025 by scillagrace if i had wings no one would ask me should i fly the bird sings no one asks why i can see in myself wings as i feel them if you see something else keep your thoughts to yourself i ll fly free then song by peter paul and mary hold fast to dreams for if dreams die life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly langston hughes wings a symbol of freedom of dreams soaring of hope rising have been assigned to so many types of animals insects birds mammals my last photo is a little bat asleep in a tree in death valley and even some reptiles and fish but each and every one of these wing bearers return to a resting state at some point fold their wings and save their energy i wonder at the moment when they know it s time to soar what propels them emotionally fear purpose exhilaration hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all emily dickinson i had a dream about flying recently i have those dreams periodically but i never have physical wings in those dreams what i have is a secret knowledge that i can lift off the ground and glide around and that others cannot i m never completely certain of it but while it s working it feels miraculous and special and effortless i wake from those dreams with a sense of wonder and joy thanks to beth of wandering dawgs for this week s challenge share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading posted in nature photography uncategorized tagged birds butterflies flying lens artists nature photography photography weekly photo challenge wings 17 comments lens artists photo challenge mysterious november 24 2025 by scillagrace the most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious it is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science albert einstein the world as i see it we need the tonic of wildness at the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable that land and sea be indefinitely wild unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable we can never have enough of nature henry david thoreau walden or life in the woods the lure of mystery is perhaps a fundamental part of being human we yearn to know and understand and fill our large brains with certainty and yet we are enthralled by those things that are beyond our scope we are forever asking questions and posing stories when i think of how mystery is portrayed in images i immediately think of black and white photography there s something iconic and photojournalistic about the feel of monochrome and there s a philosophical point in trying to capture reality in black and white while always including a million shades of gray cinematically there s the trick of using black white film to depict a night time scene that was actually shot during the daytime is that moonlight or sunlight alfred hitchcock built his legendary fame by creating cinematic mystery one technique he used was high angle shots in dramatically contrasting black white perhaps mystery is where curiosity and fear intersect do you really want to know what lies ahead when the scene is painted in shades of gray and the picture seems a bit hazy almost anything is possible what would you like to happen thanks to patti for inviting us to find the mysterious in this challenge share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading posted in nature photography the arts tagged black white photography cinematic photography lens artists mystery nature photography photography photography technique weekly photo challenge 14 comments lens artists photo challenge on the move november 16 2025 by scillagrace there comes a longing never to travel again except on foot wendell berry remembering i was the world in which i walked and what i saw or heard or felt came not but from myself and there i found myself more truly and more strange wallace stevens the collected poems above all do not lose your desire to walk every day i walk myself into a state of well being and walk away from every illness i have walked myself into my best thoughts and i know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it søren kierkegaard traveling on foot is my favorite way to see the world it calms the anxieties that arise when i try to go far and fast i like noticing small details i like stopping to take in the perspective of my surroundings and my inner thoughts i like relying on my own body and appreciating it i am content with the beauty and wonder that i ve been able to encounter in the areas i ve ambled i also enjoy seeing photos of places upon which i will never set foot there is so much to enjoy on this amazing planet thanks to johnbo for hosting this challenge share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading posted in nature photography traveling tagged feet foot travel hiking lens artists nature nature photography photography shoes travel walking weekly photo challenge 17 comments lens artists photo challenge landscapes revisited november 8 2025 by scillagrace do you have favorite viewpoints you go back to for perspective for nostalgia for inspiration iron mountain cascades this week s lens artists challenge invites us to revisit landscapes a theme that was also assigned in 2019 when i did that original challenge i was living in wisconsin you can view the post i created here i wrote that landscapes are my favorite photographic subject and that i wanted my soul to be a landscape a place where i have a broad view of a larger reality where beauty and life surround me and produce the thing i call love since then i have moved to oregon and found new love all around nye beach newport strawberry mountain wilderness william l finley national wildlife refuge alsea falls state recreation area my driveway thanks to egidio for inviting us to share our landscapes and for his superb selection of examples share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading posted in nature photography tagged landscape photography landscapes lens artists nature nature photography oregon landscapes photography weekly photo challenge 17 comments post navigation older posts follow blog via email enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email email address follow join 1 951 other 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