Weird Wonderful Wordless Wednesday Whatzit

Wild Rumpus Stickwork at Tower Hill – babsjeheron

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This post is prompted by the ever-inspiring Lens Artists Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya, all of whom encourage the community of photographers and writers.

This week’s Lens Artist challenge comes from Ann-Christine. The topic is Weird and Wonderful. What do you think? Is Patrick Dougherty’s installation not weird and wonderful?
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Please click the links below to see the beautiful offerings from the Lens Artists.
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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 171: Weird and Wonderful .
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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 171: Weird and Wonderful .
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 171: Weird and Wonderful .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 171: Weird and Wonderful .

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Folks, now that some areas are opening back up, please consider supporting your local Arts communities – whether music, theater, crafts, visual arts venues, and others. All have been impacted over the past year and a half and they need your love more than ever.
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Natick Center Cultural District

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The Natick Center Cultural District is situated in a friendly, classic New England town hosting a vibrant, contemporary fusion of art, culture and business. Learn more!

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My brick & mortar presence in Massachusetts dates back to 2009 in several local venues/galleries.

Please watch this space for news of my upcoming Winter 2022 gallery show.

TCAN – The Center for Arts Natick
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Natick Town Hall
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Five Crows Gallery in Natick
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Audubon Sanctuary
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Be a fly on the wall! Please CLICK HERE to see the Great Blue Herons gracing the gallery walls.
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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

May the Muse be with you.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2003-2021 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, TCAN, Five Crows, Stickwork, Patrick Dougherty

Beautiful Great Blue Heron Wishing Peace on Earth (Not Art Nbr 26)

Great Blue Heron 2020 Greetings – babsjeheron

There is not only peacefulness, there is joy. And the joy, less deniable in its evidence than the peacefulness, is the confirmation of it. I sat one summer evening and watched a great blue heron make his descent from the top of the hill into the valley. He came down at a measured deliberate pace, stately as always, like a dignitary going down a stair. And then, at a point I judged to be midway over the river, without at all varying his wingbeat he did a backward turn in the air, a loop-the-loop. It could only have been a gesture of pure exuberance, of joy — a speaking of his sense of the evening, the day’s fulfillment, his descent homeward.

Wendell Berry
The Art of the Commonplace: Agrarian Essays by Wendell Berry

Tis the season for wishes of peace on earth, goodwill to all.

But wait. On second thought, why should those sentiments be extended only during the holiday season? I encourage peace on earth and goodwill to all for every season of the year.

May 2021 bring you peace, health, happiness, and joy to all.

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This week, the always-inspiring Lens Artists – Patti, Tina, Amy, and Leya – focus on the holiday season.

From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 128: Here Comes the Holiday Season .
From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 128: Here Comes the Holiday Season.
From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 127: Precious Moments .
From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 128: Here Comes the Holiday Season .

And thanks to Cee for her Hunt for joy.

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From December 4 through January 28, 2020, my Great Blue Heron photographs were once again on display on the walls of the lobby and theater in a free one-woman show at the Summer Street Gallery, of The Center for Arts in Natick.

Many of the photos in the exhibit were shown for the first time, and do not appear on the blog. As always, many of the photos were taken on the waterways of the Charles River watershed.
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Thanks to Erica V and WordPress for the recent WPC: Place in the World. My favorite place is where the Herons are, of course it is. And the Herons? Their place is near the water, but also on the gallery walls and my blog. How else can I share them with you?

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their WPC Challenge: Liquid. The Herons are drawn to water, as am I.
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During September and October, 2018, the Great Blue Herons were featured on the walls of the Natick Town Hall, located at 13 East Central Street in Natick, MA.
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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2020 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick

Beautiful Great Blue Herons – The Eyes Have It (Quirky Artist Stories Nbr 17)

Suddenly one recent Thursday morning, I lost vision in my left eye.

Great Blue Heron on a Pedestal – babsjeheron

Retina surgery went well. Before the operation I could not see two fingers if wiggled in front of my left eye and now after last Thursday’s surgery I can.

Remarkable job by my surgeon. Still a ways to go but I’m pleased as you can imagine.

Before the surgery I could not even see the eye chart on the wall much less read it. Now I can see the eye chart, still can’t read it but that may come with time.

Take care of your eyes, people.

And reach out if you (or a loved one) need an excellent retina surgeon in eastern Massachusetts.

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.Thanks again to Paula for her recent Thursday’s Special: Rift photo prompt. There is a rift between my left eye and right eye.

Thanks to Cee for her Hunt for joy.

This post is dedicated to the Lens Artist ladies (Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya) and to Cee Neuner and Paula, all of whom encourage and inspire. Welcome back, Paula.

This week, the Lens Artists focus on negative space. There was definitely negative space where the vision in my left eye should have been.

From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 114: Negative Space .
From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 114: Negative Space .
From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 114: Negative Space .
From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 114: Negative Space .

Thanks to Cee for her Hunt for joy.
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From December 4 through January 28, 2020, my Great Blue Heron photographs were once again on display on the walls of the lobby and theater in a free one-woman show at the Summer Street Gallery, of The Center for Arts in Natick.

Many of the photos in the exhibit were shown for the first time, and do not appear on the blog. As always, many of the photos were taken on the waterways of the Charles River watershed.
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Thanks to Erica V and WordPress for the recent WPC: Place in the World. My favorite place is where the Herons are, of course it is. And the Herons? Their place is near the water, but also on the gallery walls and my blog. How else can I share them with you?

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their WPC Challenge: Liquid. The Herons are drawn to water, as am I.
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During September and October, 2018, the Great Blue Herons were featured on the walls of the Natick Town Hall, located at 13 East Central Street in Natick, MA.
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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2020 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick

Beautiful Great Blue Heron’s Alluring Lure (Not Art Nbr 25)

Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather – babsjeheron

A recent news piece about dolphins using tools to catch fish brought to mind first-hand experience witnessing Great Blue Herons fishing with tools of their own.

At first, the Heron brandishing a feather in the top photo in this post looked playful, but then I realized the seagull feather was not a mere toy to this Great Blue Heron – it was a tool, a fishing lure she repeatedly dipped into the water to entice fishes up to the surface, making it easier for her to spear them with her stiletto beak.

Transfixed, I watched her repeat this for more than ten minutes. It looked almost ritualistic – totemic or shamanic even – to see a feathered creature brandishing a feather from a different bird in such repetitive behavior.

And then it dawned on me.

Before she first picked up the feather, she had been fishing, staring intently into the water as though tracking a fish, from the half-submerged pine trunk.

And once she picked up the feather, she continued her fishing – using the feather as bait to attract her prey, the fish.

How smart a bird and how alluring a lure she chose.

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This post is dedicated to the Lens Artist ladies (Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya) and to Cee Neuner, all of whom encourage and inspire.

This week, the Lens Artists focus on Surprise. What a surprise it was to realize the Heron was using that feather as a fishing lure.

From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 103: Surprise .
From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 103: Surprise .
From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 103: Surprise .
From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 103: Surprise .

Thanks to Cee for her Hunt for joy.
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From December 4 through January 28, 2020, my Great Blue Heron photographs were once again on display on the walls of the lobby and theater in a free one-woman show at the Summer Street Gallery, of The Center for Arts in Natick.

Many of the photos in the exhibit were shown for the first time, and do not appear on the blog. As always, many of the photos were taken on the waterways of the Charles River watershed.
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Thanks to Erica V and WordPress for the recent WPC: Place in the World. My favorite place is where the Herons are, of course it is. And the Herons? Their place is near the water, but also on the gallery walls and my blog. How else can I share them with you?

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their WPC Challenge: Liquid. The Herons are drawn to water, as am I.
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During September and October, 2018, the Great Blue Herons were featured on the walls of the Natick Town Hall, located at 13 East Central Street in Natick, MA.
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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2020 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick

Beautiful Great Blue Herons Simply Unretouched

What a moment of joy when a photograph downloads from the camera exactly as hoped.

Babsje

Great blue heron diving beneath the surface.

What photographer hasn’t experienced that moment of joy and surprise when a photo comes out exactly as hoped for, no digital magic needed or wanted. The photo is complete as-is, in and of itself. It was an exciting surprise to see the golden-hour sun backlighting water bubbles splashing high above the Great Blue Heron as she dove beneath the surface. Experiences like that are perfect fodder for Cee’s Hunt for Joy challenges.

Readers of this blog know I’m both fine art photographer and nature photographer, but I’m also a photojournalist, a stringer for a national newspaper syndicate. The rules are vastly different for fine art and photojournalism. In journalism, no editing is permitted, not even a single pixel can be adjusted, and often times even cropping is not allowed. For fine art, sometimes it seems the opposite is expected – what makes it ‘Art’ is the artist-photographer’s manipulation of the image.

Great blue heron preening Columbus Day weekend.

The three photos shown here today have not been edited, each came out of the camera as shown. Chronologically, the middle photo of the Great Blue Heron preening was captured first; followed by the top photo of the same Heron ducking beneath the surface in hopes of landing a fish, followed by the third shot of the exultant Heron making off with a huge Pike. If that sequence isn’t the embodiment of Cee’s Hunt for Joy concept, I don’t know what is.

Great blue heron lands a large fish.

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Thanks to Ben H and WordPress for their new April Discover Prompts series. Like many others, I have been missing the WordPress challenges. Today, the topic is Discover Prompts: Light . The backlit bubbles were not retouched. The photo came right out of the camera like that..

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This post is dedicated to the Lens Artist ladies (Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya) and to Cee Neuner, all of whom encourage and inspire.

This week, the Lens Artists focus on Simplicity. The three Heron photos embody simplicity – no editing, straight from the camera. The simplest of work-flows. WYSIWYG

From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 91: Simplicity .
From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 91: Simplicity .
From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 91: Simplicity .
From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 91: Simplicity .

Thanks to Cee for her Hunt for joy.
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From December 4 through January 28, 2020, my Great Blue Heron photographs were once again on display on the walls of the lobby and theater in a free one-woman show at the Summer Street Gallery, of The Center for Arts in Natick.

Many of the photos in the exhibit were shown for the first time, and do not appear on the blog. As always, many of the photos were taken on the waterways of the Charles River watershed.
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Thanks to Erica V and WordPress for the recent WPC: Place in the World. My favorite place is where the Herons are, of course it is. And the Herons? Their place is near the water, but also on the gallery walls and my blog. How else can I share them with you?

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their WPC Challenge: Liquid. The Herons are drawn to water, as am I.
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During September and October, 2018, the Great Blue Herons were featured on the walls of the Natick Town Hall, located at 13 East Central Street in Natick, MA.
.

Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2020 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick

Beautiful Great Blue Heron En Plein Air Painting at the Charles River

She wasn’t out for blood; she was out for solitude. Any morning when a heron wins its skirmish and achieves solitude is a good morning for a heron. And solitude is what I crave in the mornings, too.

Breakfast at the Lake,
Babsje

En Plein Air Painting at the Dam Nbr 1 – babsjeheron

Wildlife is shy and fast and elusive and unpredictable – Great Blue Herons especially so. They usually erupt into flight at the first sensing of an approaching human.

I am shy by nature and photography is a solitary endeavor for me. I don’t join outings by birders, I don’t do camera club trips, and I don’t go on Audubon excursions, as wonderful as they all may be. I don’t even take friends canoeing or kayaking any more. (I did that twice and both times they talked too much and too loudly and scared off the Herons.) I steer clear of other boats on the water to keep a good distance away because, after all, even the fishermen need and deserve their space.

So, imagine my dismay upon arriving at the Charles River dam that morning to see a big splash of color looming over the ancient grinding wheel across from the fish ladder. There would be no Great Blue Herons that day.

Taking in the entire scene, though, dismay quickly turned to joy.

What came into view was first one, then two, then three, then four artists set up in 19th century vignettes with easels under brightly-colored umbrellas. They were spaced a good distance from each other, all with a differing vantage point of the river and dam and old stone bridge where the Herons fish.

One of the painters in particular called to mind a scene from the mid-1800s as she gazed out over the lush water lilies floating above the dam, paints at the ready, paintbrush in hand.

The bridge in this photo below was constructed in the mid-19th century, around the same time that the cyanotype process came into vogue. There is a palpable timelessness to this location and the artists and easels enhanced that feeling. I can easily imagine a 19th century painter or photographer capturing an ancestor of one of the Great Blue Herons that frequent the area today.

Great Blue Heron – Charles River Blues Nbr 2 – In the Cyanotype Style – babsjeheron

I chose this 19th century style cyanoprint series “Charles River Blues” for one of my exhibits at TCAN because the Summer Street Gallery, itself, is from that same 19th century period.

Charles River Blues Great Blue Herons at TCAN May thru July 10 2018 – babsjeheron

En Plein Air Painting at the Dam Nbr 2 – babsjeheron

The fish ladder with artist, above. I would have loved to see what her painting looked like.

Great Blue Heron and Fish Ladder- babsjeheron

There are many schools of painting. Some artists paint on location, en plein air, some in a studio. Some paint stunningly realistic scenes and some fantastic figments of their own imagining. Some artists take a snapshot out in the world and then paint from the photo instead of from life.

Is it cheating to paint a landscape from a photograph of a scene?

What do you think?
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Rosemary Morelli teaches painting including en plain air style at her studio in eastern Massachusetts. The artists painting at the dam that day were a few of her students.

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This post is dedicated to the Lens Artist ladies (Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya) and to Cee Neuner, all of whom encourage and inspire.

This week, the Lens Artists focus on Distance.

From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 90: Distance .
From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 90: Distance .
From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 90: Distance .
From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 90: Distance .

Last week, the Lens Artists focused on A River Runs Through It. I hope they forgive me for a second submission.

From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 89: A River Runs Through the City.
From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 89: River .
From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 89: A River Runs Through It .
From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 89: A River Runs Through It .

Thanks to Cee for her Hunt for joy.
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From December 4 through January 28, 2020, my Great Blue Heron photographs were once again on display on the walls of the lobby and theater in a free one-woman show at the Summer Street Gallery, of The Center for Arts in Natick.

Many of the photos in the exhibit were shown for the first time, and do not appear on the blog. As always, many of the photos were taken on the waterways of the Charles River watershed.
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Thanks to Erica V and WordPress for the recent WPC: Place in the World. My favorite place is where the Herons are, of course it is. And the Herons? Their place is near the water, but also on the gallery walls and my blog. How else can I share them with you?

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their WPC Challenge: Liquid. The Herons are drawn to water, as am I.
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During September and October, 2018, the Great Blue Herons were featured on the walls of the Natick Town Hall, located at 13 East Central Street in Natick, MA.
.

Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2020 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick

Beautiful Great Blue Herons – And There I Was Without a Camera (Quirky Artist Stories Nbr 15)

Every photographer has at least one story of the one that got away.

Babsje

Great blue heron yearling fishing in the reeds.

Like every fisherman worth his salt, every photographer has a tale of the photo that got away. Maybe the perfect subject got photobombed by an interloper. Maybe the wildlife dashed out of frame, leaving only the proverbial butt-shot. Maybe the batteries ran out of juice. Maybe the camera ran out of film (anyone remember film?). And maybe the camera had been left behind at home.

The last time I saw a Great Blue Heron was from the window of a moving taxicab. It was a stereotypical late October New England day, warm sunshine glinting on gorgeous autumn foliage. The Heron stood stock-still in the marshy reeds on the riverbank, staring intently into the slow-moving water mere yards from the busy road. Golden-hour sun bathed the shore lined with reeds and cast warming tones on his grey-blue feathers. The Heron would have made a lovely portrait, but there I was without a camera in a moving car.

The scene lasted for only a few moments as the cab whizzed by at 45mph, but it remains indelibly etched in my mind. And now, every time I pass that river, I make a point of scanning for the Heron.

Sometimes when the camera has been left behind entirely, what remains is a glorious photo-memory in our mind’s eye. There are worse things.

I’d love to read your own stories of the one that got away.
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This post is dedicated to the Lens Artist ladies (Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya) and to Cee Neuner, all of whom encourage and inspire.

This week, the Lens Artists focus on gorgeous photos with reflections. I took the word reflections in a different direction, reflecting on the one that got away.

From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 87: Reflections.
From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 87: Reflections .
From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 87: Reflections .
From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 87: Reflections.

Thanks to Cee for her Hunt for Joy Challenge.

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From December 4 through January 28, 2020, my Great Blue Heron photographs were once again on display on the walls of the lobby and theater in a free one-woman show at the Summer Street Gallery, of The Center for Arts in Natick.

Many of the photos in the exhibit were shown for the first time, and do not appear on the blog. As always, many of the photos were taken on the waterways of the Charles River watershed.
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Thanks to Erica V and WordPress for the recent WPC: Place in the World. My favorite place is where the Herons are, of course it is. And the Herons? Their place is near the water, but also on the gallery walls and my blog. How else can I share them with you?

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their WPC Challenge: Liquid. The Herons are drawn to water, as am I.
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During September and October, 2018, the Great Blue Herons were featured on the walls of the Natick Town Hall, located at 13 East Central Street in Natick, MA.
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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2020 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick, Wayland

Beautiful Great Blue Heron Balancing on the Fish Ladder

Great Blue Heron Balanced on Fish Ladder- babsjeheron

Life spreads itself across
the ceiling to make you think
you are penned in, but that
is just another gift. Life takes
what you thought you couldn’t live
without and gives you a heron instead.

On the Meaning of (excerpt)
Linda Back McKay

The Next Best Thing: Poems

My blog and I have been very quiet for many months due to serious illness that has prevented outings in nature.

This morning, though, I ventured to the nearby dam for the first time since last September, camera in hand. Less than five seconds after arriving, a beautiful heron swooped down to fish at the base of the waterfall. It was the same heron you see at the top of this post.

I was, and still am, thrilled to see her again.

Life has given me a heron, as the poem says. .
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Thanks to the Lens Artists Patti, Tina, Amy, and Leya for their unstinting devotion to elevating and celebrating photography.
From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 53: Your Choice.
From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 53: Your Choice.
From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 53: Your Choice.
From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 53: Your Choice.

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Thanks to Debbie for her Travel with Intent Challenge – One Word Sunday: Relax. Although I was relaxed while waiting for this Heron to pounce on her lunch from the pooling water below the fish ladder, she was anything but, poised there on one foot, straining her neck and head downward for a better view of any fish that had cascaded over the waterfall.

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Thanks to Erica V and WordPress for the recent WPC: Place in the World. My favorite place is where the Herons are, of course it is. And the Herons? Their place is near the water, but also on the gallery walls and my blog. How else can I share them with you?

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their WPC Challenge: Liquid. The Herons are drawn to water, as am I.
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During September and October, 2018, the Great Blue Herons were featured on the walls of the Natick Town Hall, located at 13 East Central Street in Natick, MA.
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From May 1 through July 11, 2018, my Great Blue Heron photographs once again graced the walls of the lobby and theater in a free one-woman show at the Summer Street Gallery, of The Center for Arts in Natick. If you’re in the Boston or Metro West area, please stop by to see the current gallery show at TCAN. The gallery is open whenever the box office is open, so please check hours here.
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Through July 13, 2017 I was a Featured Artist at the Five Crows Gallery in Natick, MA. Drop in and see the work of the many wonderfully creative artists who show there when you’re in the area. Five Crows is on FaceBook. To give the gallery a visit, please click here.

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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2019 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick

Beautiful Great Blue Heron’s Peace on Earth 2018 (Not Art Nbr 22)

Great Blue Heron Peace on Earth 2018 – babsjeheron

“…I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things…”

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry, excerpt
from The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry

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Thanks to Tina for her Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 24: Seasonal. What is more seasonal than a holiday greeting card?.
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Thanks to Debbie for her Travel with Intent Challenge – One Word Sunday: Christmas Time. Even the Heron gets in the holiday spirit.
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Thanks to Erica V and WordPress for the recent WPC: Place in the World. My favorite place is where the Herons are, of course it is. And the Herons? Their place is near the water, but also on the gallery walls and my blog. How else can I share them with you?

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their WPC Challenge: Liquid. The Herons are drawn to water, as am I.
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During September and October, 2018, the Great Blue Herons were featured on the walls of the Natick Town Hall, located at 13 East Central Street in Natick, MA.
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From May 1 through July 11, 2018, my Great Blue Heron photographs once again graced the walls of the lobby and theater in a free one-woman show at the Summer Street Gallery, of The Center for Arts in Natick. If you’re in the Boston or Metro West area, please stop by to see the current gallery show at TCAN. The gallery is open whenever the box office is open, so please check hours here.
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Through July 13, 2017 I was a Featured Artist at the Five Crows Gallery in Natick, MA. Drop in and see the work of the many wonderfully creative artists who show there when you’re in the area. Five Crows is on FaceBook. To give the gallery a visit, please click here.

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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2018 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick

Beautiful Great Blue Heron and Magical Light

Great blue heron diving beneath the surface – babsjeheron.

Have you ever seen
anything
in your life
more wonderful

than the way the sun,
every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon…

The Sun, Mary Oliver, excerpt
New and Selected Poems

It was the golden hour, that last hour of daylight when the sun’s rays bathed the cove in gold.

The backlit gold-orange spray of water droplets danced before my eyes as the Great Blue Heron plunged her head beneath the surface in pursuit of a prize catch.

It was so close to twilight that the Heron’s body was nearly camouflaged against the slate-grey rocks.

A few moments later, the Heron and I were both rewarded. She with this huge fish and me with these photos.

Solar Twinkles and Kayak – babsjeheron

This is the kayak used for my photography.
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Thanks to Amy for her Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 19: Magical Light. I find golden hour light to be sheer magic.
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Thanks to Cee for her CFFC: Things People Drive Ride Pilot or Captain. The kayak shown here has been my vehicle-of-choice for many years.
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Thanks to Debbie for this week’s Travel with Intent Challenge – One Word Sunday: Purple. Yes, the kayak is a shade of purple.
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Thanks to Erica V and WordPress for the recent WPC: Place in the World. My favorite place is where the Herons are, of course it is. And the Herons? Their place is near the water, but also on the gallery walls and my blog. How else can I share them with you?

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their WPC Challenge: Liquid. The Herons are drawn to water, as am I.
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During September and October, 2018, the Great Blue Herons were featured on the walls of the Natick Town Hall, located at 13 East Central Street in Natick, MA.
.

From May 1 through July 11, 2018, my Great Blue Heron photographs once again graced the walls of the lobby and theater in a free one-woman show at the Summer Street Gallery, of The Center for Arts in Natick. If you’re in the Boston or Metro West area, please stop by to see the current gallery show at TCAN. The gallery is open whenever the box office is open, so please check hours here.
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Through July 13, 2017 I was a Featured Artist at the Five Crows Gallery in Natick, MA. Drop in and see the work of the many wonderfully creative artists who show there when you’re in the area. Five Crows is on FaceBook. To give the gallery a visit, please click here.

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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2018 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick