Cox Arboretum

Yesterday's visit to Wegerzyn Gardens whetted my appetite for nature photography, so today I hit another of our metro parks - Cox Arboretum.  Our family has lived in this area for more years than I care to admit, but today was the first time I visited Cox.  I can guarantee I will be back.


I'm anxious for the butterfly house to open so I can get pictures there, but I ambled along for about an hour today, and am VERY happy with the variety of flora and fauna I caught, as well as some of the more artistic shots.  It was another 200+ shots that I'm trying to pare down to about 15 to share.

I think it's fun to see the turtles sunning themselves.  It's certainly a good indicator of a warm and sunny day!

There was a little girl who drew my attention to the chipmunk . . . I got quite a few different shots of him, but I like this one of him eating in his little leaf covered cabana.

It was a great day for getting the mirror image reflections off of the water.  The symmetry was amazing.

I thought this piece of wood was an interesting shape; it was certainly hard to ignore!

I don't know what this plant is, but when I first glanced at some of the blooms, I thought they were spiders!  Glad to realize they weren't.  Not a spider fan, unless we're talking about Spiderman.

My first goldfinch sighting of the season!  They were having some fun playing in the water, but were pretty shy.

This shot of the bridge's reflection reminds me of a Monet painting.  I'm seriously considering having it printed onto canvas and hang it upside down (so the bridge is right side up).

I loved the colors, as well as the mirror image here.

A different view of the bridge; from this angle the arch looks much higher than it does from the side.

Just a couple of turtles hanging out on a rock in the middle of the pond.  Too bad they had to climb over each other for lack of space . . .   :-D

I'm not sure what the food was (probably bread), but this guy definitely found it, and was not planning to share it!

An unusual shot, but I liked the reflection of the duck's head and bill with the back of the body and foot . . . a different perspective.  I was trying to get as close as possible to better capture the texture of the feathers.


I was really hoping to catch sight of Zipp.  He's a working border collie they use to keep the Canada Geese under control; since they started working him, the sidewalks are less hazardous, and definitely less slippery!


I've been to two different metro parks in as many days.  There are only 16 more for me to visit!  Then there's also Charleston Falls in Miami County . . . I'm going to be getting a LOT of photography practice in.  I must give the weather its due for helping make getting the shots so much easier today.  A bright sunny day seems to make it a snap (no pun intended) for some of these types of shots.  It also helps that I hadn't been here before, and was probably a little more alert and observant.  Gotta keep these eyeballs peeled for all different kinds of beauty around me!


Since I didn't subject you to all 247 photos, you couldn't know that I seemed to be taking a lot of pictures with the mirror image reflections.  I haven't been able to catch many of those type of pictures so they turn out looking as good as these do, but I think my brain was telling me something, too.  


Our lives reflect who we are, what we believe, and what's important to us.  What image am I reflecting?  I hope tomorrow's reflection is better than today's, as I continue working toward a sharply focused mirror image of my Creator.

Wegerzyn Gardens

I visited one of our metro parks today that I haven't been to in about 2 years.  It was nice to go back, and I'll have to make sure I go back in another month or so; it will have changed again by then.


It was really nice to have a relatively fresh perspective, as well as new material to photograph!  I was in no hurry (well, at least until the reality of drinking Diet Pepsi all afternoon hit) and just strolled along, looking for the birds I was hearing (owlthingsfirst.blogspot.com's Jenny is a good influence on me!) watching for butterflies (after I scared off 3 of them), and looking for the names of the plants I was shooting.  Alas and alack, I don't have a clue as to the name of the plants!  If you do, please comment to edjimicate me.


I'm trying to pick only the best of the photos I took today - but when taking over 200, it's really hard to pare it down quickly.  I managed to pick 80+ for facebook, then got it down to 40+ initially for this post, but you're stuck with 17 (if I counted correctly!). 

I'm not a huge fan of lavender, but I did like the contrast of the colors and how it looked waving in the breeze.

I thought this looked as if the wind was blowing the plant; it wasn't when the pic was taken.  I liked the curves and the imagery of flow and movement.

When I first saw these, I wondered who had dripped paint all over the leaves.  Upon closer inspection, I realized it wasn't paint at all, but the way the plant was naturally.

 This, I do know, is a rose.  Yellow roses are my favorite, especially when they are still in the process of blooming.

This was an experiment, and I like the outcome!  I used the trunk for balance for the camera, shot straight up, resting the camera against it.  This doesn't quite give the full impact of how tall the tree is, but it is better than the other shots I took.

 I have a thing for textures.  I like to do extreme close-ups and I like pictures that make me think I could  feel the texture of the photo subject if I touched the photo.  I liked the different textures here when I took the picture, but now, when I look in the upper left corner, all I see is an alligator or crocodile head . . . go figure! 

I don't have a clue what this is, but I loved how it seemed to be almost magically changing form.  Initially, it looked like a pinecone, but I've never seen a purple pinecone before . . . 

I liked the contrast of the dark purple bud with the light purple of the flower. 

I like small flowers.  These were VERY small, so I must like them a lot.  Plus, they are a very pretty shade of blue.

This tree was blooming like crazy!  It was absolutely beautiful, but this was as close as I could get to the blossoms.  

Loved the color, and the detail of this flower.  Initially, the color caught my eye, but as I zoomed in, I found the structure of the flower more interesting.

 Beautiful butterfly.  I'd moved too suddenly several times before I finally caught this one.  Honestly, this doesn't do it justice.

More small blue flowers.  Like, like, like!

Love the look of the plants growing out of the wall, as well as the contrast between the rigidity of the rock and the fluidity of the plant; the sharp lines and edges of the rock/wall and the curve of the plant.

I saw this and immediately thought it belonged in a Japanese garden; the bamboo helps give that flavor, but the whole scenario just about screams oriental.

The pansies looked so sunny and inviting on my way out that I almost apologized to them for leaving.  The brightness of some of the colors was astounding, and I'm always a sucker for contrast.


Just getting out and walking around is a good mood enhancer, but seeing these beautiful plants and breathtaking blossoms has me thanking God for the beauty he provides in so many ways.  It's all around us when we decide to look for it.  Amazing what happens when I keep my eyes, not just the camera lens, focused on the beauty.

Kitchen Magician

It's been a very busy couple of days, at least as far as making things goes.  Can't say there's been a lot of creativity to what I've done, but I'm pretty darn good at following directions (when I bother to read them).


Typically I do a number of different craft type things, but lately, I've been hooked on what one friend calls Kitchen Magician crafts.  She and I have made a couple of different lotions and a bubble bath, and will be looking at some other things coming up.  Since I discovered Pinterest, I've gotten a LOT of ideas, but even more recipes for Kitchen Magician activities as well as food recipes.

I think my good friend, Duck Brand Duct Tape, started the itch to make things when I saw these 3 new designs.  I was actually looking for a cupcake design, which I still haven't found, when these called my name.  I haven't opened them yet, but there are a couple of ideas percolating.  I'll have to hide the polka dot roll from the favorite pre-15 year old niece though . . . 

Thursday evening I started whipping up a batch of laundry detergent, using a grated bar of Fels Naptha and just a few other ingredients.  It makes 10 gallons!  Here are the 3 I bottled, each of them a different scent:  Lilac, Lavender, and Baby Powder (left to right if you really care that much).  I think I like the scent of the Baby Powder the best of all of them.  I picked up a couple more scents today - Honey Almond, Relaxation, and Vanilla, so I'll have to bottle up the rest of the detergent, or at least another 3 gallons!

I love having hand sanitizer on hand, but I hate the cost of the brand names, and am not always happy with the quality of the cheap stuff.  Found a recipe for hand sanitizer (and it fits the requirement I heard from a doctor that it should be at least 60% alcohol)!  Super easy, and I can choose the scent I like.  This has the baby powder scent; I'm going to make some with the vanilla scent to take to Mom.

This batch of relaxing bath salts was VERY difficult to make.  I had to get a bowl, a wooden spoon, and then mix sea salt, dead sea salt, and Epsom salt together.  I was sweatin' bullets over this one.  Since I used lavender scented Epsom salt, I didn't need to add a scent to it.  You can guess I bought some unscented Epsom salts and will be making a variety of scents in the near future!  Trying to get ahead on some Christmas, birthday, and/or Mother's Day presents . . . 


These are just a few of the projects I've taken on since Pinterest became kind of an obsession.  I've made body wash, hand lotion, liquid soap, ant bait, anti-bacterial spray, all purpose cleaner, grease cutter, and tub and tile cleaner too.  Oh, and fabric softener to go along w/ the detergent.


No, I'm not Martha Stewart and I have no desire to be Martha Stewart.  But, I do like making things, and having some control over the ingredients being used.  I also like things to be simple.  I always read the directions for a project that interests me, and if the directions are difficult to follow, I don't bother with it.  My number one personal rule on Pinterest is:   if it isn't easy, I won't think about pinning it.  Closely following is personal rule number two:  if you pin it, you better make it (at some point).  So far I've managed to try out a good number of things, and most of them have worked wonderfully.


Now, if I can just figure out a way to incorporate that Duck Tape with some of this . . . ohhhhh, just had an idea!  

Caput apri defero. Reddens laudes Domino

It's been a dizzying day.  So much going on, but not much actually happening.  As one of those statistics regarding the unemployed for over two years now, I'm thrilled that I've even been contacted by a potential employer.  I've had a few interviews, but lots of positive comments about the wonderful experience and qualifications that I have.  And yet, no job offer.  Sigh.

So, every once in a while, I try to do something special for myself to keep the emotional and psychological aspects of unemployment from overwhelming me.  I've been good about keeping myself busy with a variety of activities (baking, DIY projects, hanging with the niece and nephew, photography), but sometimes, it has to be just me, for me.

One special thing I did was to take a trip to Ann Arbor, MI in December.  I returned to my alma mater, Concordia College, Ann Arbor (now known as Concordia University - Ann Arbor) for a performance of The Boar's Head Festival.  I was a student at C2A2 (as we called it back in the dark ages) when the first performance was executed, and am very pleased that it continues an unmentioned number of years later.  It's an emotional experience that pretty much defies classification into a single pigeon-hole, one of the reasons I like it so much.  As a student, when tasked with photographing the performance, I would become so involved in the performance I would forget to take pictures!  I usually had to attend at least two performances to get representative pictures of the entire performance.

The first thing anyone needs to know about the campus and the university, is that the chapel is the central point of campus.  Most of my years at C2A2 I lived on the East side of campus and derided those Western dwellers; they returned the favor in equal fervor.  The school motto is:  Christ first in everything.  And, true to that motto, the chapel was the one place where we all met and were one.   

I was taken aback by this structure at first.  It's new since my days there, and while it's interesting architecturally, I kind of miss the old square end of the cafeteria/basement.  But, not for long!  The inside was an even nicer improvement over our concrete floor and mailbox wall.  I also preferred the new location for the bookstore - upstairs!  Had to make sure I stopped to buy a CD of a previous Boar's Head performance before I headed back home.

I liked how they wrapped some trees in the strings of lights; I had seen this on a much larger scale at a well known Ann Arbor business headquarters when I worked there, and loved it then.

Inside the chapel at the west entrance, looking toward the organ and choir/orchestra seating.  Yes, hard wood pews, but amazingly not as uncomfortable as you would think!  

This is another shot of the organ, or really the pipes . . . had to take it with the cell phone, so the quality isn't so great.  It's an amazing organ, and to hear organists who could handle the pedals and stops was nothing short of breath taking.  

Looking toward the altar and pulpit.  The stained glass windows are beautiful.  I think I'm partial to them because there's a lot of blue, but the design and significance of the designs is a feast for the soul as well as the eyes.

Some of the decorations for the medieval portion of the performance.

 

My favorite piece of music from the performance.  I get goose bumps and cry every time I hear it.

 

 

The boar's head, pre-processional.  It's a much nicer more realistic looking boar's head than the original!

Yes, I had to go early because I wanted to spend some time strolling around campus and taking pictures.  The shot above is where I lived for most of my years at C2A2 - Stephen Dorm.  I met some of the most wonderful ladies who are to this day wonderful Christian role models.  There was a lot of laughter, some tears, many a prank, but mostly encouragement and God's love shared within those walls.  

The campus was built on land that formerly belonged to the Earhart family, pretty significant folk to Ann Arbor back in the day.  Rumors were that the house was part of the Underground Railroad, but since construction wasn't begun until the late 1920s (if I remember correctly), that wasn't possible.  There are a lot of "secret" passageways that were used by the staff (servants) to move less noticeably through the house during parties.  The view above is actually the back of the house, but the entrance most of us living on campus used.  The house was ahead of its time with a sound system piped into rooms; the music either came from records or a few radio stations.  The master bath still amazes me - it has a round shower and 12 (I think) shower heads!  Indulgent is the word that comes to mind.

While I loved being back on campus and remembering so many fun times with some great friends (and meeting back up with a few of them), what really renewed me was the Boar's Head performance.  The spiritual journey it takes me on every time I participate (yes, the audience has some participation, but it's more than singing along that I'm referring to) in this amazing celebration is humbling, uplifting, and often beyond words.  I have yet to leave a performance without a handful of used tissues and a heart filled with awe for the love God has shared with us.