Have you heard the story of the man who gave it all up to gain it all? I haven't either. Well, not until I started my nomadic journey. I was a teacher living in Los Angeles in the heart of Hollywood. I had the perfect relationship with my partner, the best of friends, and was building a name for myself as a podcast host in the city. What more could I ask for? That wasn't the question I needed to ask. The real question was, "What more is calling me? What am I being called to do?" All that I had didn't feel like enough. It felt as though there was some deeper meaning to life that I was seeking. So I let it all go. After 13 years, I decided to leave LA with my partner and become a nomad. Not knowing where this journey would take us, we packed up our necessities, got rid of what we didn't need, and said our goodbyes. We took a 2-month road trip to Vancouver, stopping everywhere in between from Sedona to Seattle. We saw it all. We didn't know this road trip would take us on a journey of self-discovery and a deeper connection with each other. The city that I once dreamed about now became a distant memory. My reality became living the dream. We made our way to Vancouver and back down to LA. Continuing our pursuit of freedom brought us to New York, a city I once feared to live in. I was afraid of the people, afraid of the pace, afraid of being there without my own space. But, I survived. I went to New York and learned even more about myself. I didn't know that I was a star. I put myself in uncomfortable spaces like open mics to share my art and felt in real-time who I was on stage. I moved around without a car, something I have had since I was 17. I didn't know I could adapt so quickly. New York showed me a version of myself that I had never seen. But, it also prepared me for a version that I had to be. I had to take a pause in my nomadic journey to go back to Houston, the place where my foundation as a person was built. I lived so many lives over the past few months that I didn't return as the same person I would routinely show up as to family functions. I was more free. My freedom felt caged in the beginning. But, in reflecting, I saw the many lives I lived to bring me to my current space. Houston has been so much of a mirror, showing me why I am the person I am, both positively and negatively. It has been a mirror and one that may not be the prettiest, but I am doing the work to clean up. I never knew how valuable stillness could be in my life until arriving in Houston. I also realized how valuable it is to stay in the dream to keep going. I haven't lived in Houston in almost 20 years. My return feels like an opportunity to nurture the young man that once lived here and wanted to get away. It has been a time of restoration and also an inspiration to where the journey will guide me next.
"Suspended in Serenity" invites viewers to meditate on the beauty of new beginnings, as the photographer skillfully navigates the interplay between the newborns and the calming aura of Chennai. It's a visual symphony that echoes the peaceful rhythms of naptime, celebrating the quiet bliss that defines early infancy. As viewers immerse themselves in this meditative exploration, they are transported to a space where the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. "Suspended in Serenity" stands as an artistic homage to the newborn baby photoshoot in Chennai, capturing not just images but the essence of a timeless and serene journey through the meditative bliss of newborn naptime. https://thelittlesmaster.com/new-born-photography/
Kirkjufell, also known as “Church Mountain,” is famous for its unique shape. It is a beautifully shaped symmetric, free standing mountain on the northern coastlinef the Snaefell's Peninsula to the west of the Grundarfiord Bay. The creation of these mountains can be traced to the latest cold epoch of the ice age, when the glaciers and their rivers were seriously carving out the landscape. The landscape of the northern part of the peninsula was gradually shaped during the last one million years. It is claimed to be the most photographed mountain in Iceland. It was one of the filming locations for Game of Thrones season 6 and 7, featuring as the "arrowhead mountain" that the Hound and the company north of the Wall see when capturing a wight.. 🇮🇸🏞️
Dyrhólaey ("the hill island with the door hole") is a small promontory or peninsula located on the south coast of Iceland, about 2.5 hour drive from Reykjavik, not far from the beautiful little village Vík. It was formerly an island of volcanic origin. The volcano erupted about 100,000 years ago during the Pleistocene. The peninsula has an elevation of 120 metres (390 ft), and the Dyrhólaey Lighthouse sits at the top of the formation facing the sea. On top in the higher area of Dyrhólaey you will have a breathtaking view to all directions, including Mýrdalsjökull glacier and the endless black coastline. 🇮🇸🏞️
One of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland, with beautiful rainbows from last September! Wonder how it looks in winter now. This massive, two-tiered waterfall, one 36 ft (11 meters) high, and the other 69 ft (21 meters) high, into the 1.6-mile (2.5 m) long crevasse below. It was believed that catastrophic flood waves created this crevasse at the end of the Ice Age. 🇮🇸🏞️
Starting from Reykjavík, this is Thingvellir National Park, along the Golden Circle Route. First impression: Iceland is not all ice, it is actually quite green, especially during this late summer early autumn time. It has a much milder climate than Greenland - glaciers cover 11% of the land, compared to 80% of Greenland. Gulf Stream brings mild Atlantic air to the south and east coasts, where Iceland's first national park is, considering the nation's birthplace. The magical landscapes at Thingvellir are formed in the unique geographical setting of a rift valley in the divide between the North-American and Eurasian continental plates. 🇮🇸🏞️
I. Plan: 1. My life in a pandemic. II. Main part: 1. My life in a pandemic. I don't think anyone remembers the pandemic era with good memories. It's true, when the quarantine started, all students were happy, they thought that now they can rest at home and get a salary without working. But later on, this quarantine leads to the economic stress of not only the citizen, but also the family, even the country, the laziness of the citizens, the people of various professions, and the ignorance of the students due to the fact that they have been transferred to full online education. many did not think. Imagine if a medical student spends more than 1 year studying online in quarantine, how can he be trusted to treat a sick HUMAN BEING after graduation. This is an example of one occupation. I don't remember the quarantine period with good memories either. Until the quarantine, I was temporarily unemployed due to the liquidation of our organization, my husband did not work anywhere, we had no income. In a difficult situation, I found a job in a private organization in the center of our region in the night shift and started learning. I had to support my family and pay off loans. Quarantine was announced on the third day after I started work, I left the night shift and went out in the morning. There is no one on the street, neither people nor cars. I had a lot of trouble until I got home, the fares have increased. When I was going to our district, they closed the border posts on the road and stopped the traffic between the region and the district. People were trying to move from district to region and from region to district in vehicles. I also lost the job I just got. In order to do business, I opened a store selling office equipment for rent in the center of our district. Quarantine measures were further strengthened. It was not possible to go out during the day or at night. Even if we talked with our neighbor near our house, the internal affairs officers would come and insist that we enter the house. We didn't have enough facilities in our house, internet, modern telephone or TV and so on. My 2 young children were very bored. Food was brought to our neighborhood every day in transport, but we saved money to buy it. In such a difficult situation, every day we saw information about daily illnesses and deaths of citizens on TV, and our morale was depressed. During the quarantine period, the Muslim holiday of Eid took place, and one of the good people gave us food from his son for our livelihood. Many thanks to the head of our state and other leaders, neighborhood workers and entrepreneurs, who during the quarantine period distributed necessary food products to the families in need in all 9255 neighborhoods in Uzbekistan. Quarantine has caused difficulties for some, but it has brought great benefits to others. For example, the price of a simple mask has increased up to eight times. Residents rushed to their homes and bought various types of food from the market, which led to an artificial increase in prices. This caused difficulties for poor families. During the quarantine, not a single person or car could be seen on our crowded street, which was a very boring sight. As soon as the quarantine ended, a person close to me offered to work at the university, I agreed and was very happy. I had a hard time until my first month, because we had just come out of the quarantine. Thank God, our situation is good now, we live happily with my family. I wanted to write many more life stories about the quarantine, unfortunately, it was limited. III. Summary Quarantine has taught us and our country a lot, showing the consequences of not having enough knowledge and practice of medicine during the pandemic, full online education of pupils and students, or citizens not leaving home, harming the future of education, and not following cleanliness. put One of the best news I heard during the quarantine was the partial restoration of the ecology and azan layer in various countries due to the decrease in tourism in the world. Everyone knows that the life of all living organisms on earth is closely related to ecology. In conclusion, thanks to our president who thought of our people during the quarantine, worried about them, took care of them and only thought of the people, put his family second and served the people, sleep and I thank the tireless doctors, internal affairs officers and other state employees. I would also like to thank the people who organized the contest of essays about quarantine, because everyone is relieved to share their experiences. I think that such pandemics will not happen again in my lifetime. I believe that by using the ideas in these essays, an article, a book or a documentary film will be published that will benefit people.
This is a story of meeting the girl I know as my sunflower, who grew and filled a hole in my heart I didn't think could be filled. At the time, I was still coming out of a relationship with my previous girlfriend of 3 years. Yeah. Big change and a lot of pain. I was depressed plain and simple. She sat in front of me in the wind ensemble I was a part of. I spent most of my days staring at the back of her head. The few times I saw her without her mask on in the room, I found her to be beautiful. She was so far beyond that to my eyes. Due to the fact I didn't know her, we didn't talk for the longest time. Some higher power must have interfered. That is my only explanation for the sudden failure of my friend's gall bladder that resulted in surgery. Don't worry, she's fine. Her surgery did however give away a crucial duet part that this lovely girl in front of me played with my friend. I had a similar enough instrument and ended up playing the part. Flute Girl, as most people do, actually had a name. Sabrina played the duet at the beginning of Solas Ane by Samuel Hazo. I joined her on a low saxophone transposition, and the music made together was beyond perfection. Our music intertwined, connected, and met in the air. The twisting chords were similar to two angelic beings flying in perfect synchronicity. The music was heartbreak, hope, love, and joy. Everything that made life worthwhile compressed into a form of sound you could reach up and touch in the air. Some people mention love at first sight. I experienced love at first note. Every practice session we had brought our souls closer and closer together. The time came for the concert and we were still uncertain how we felt about each other because we hadn't really spent all that much time together. Dear reader, that night at the concert? I have never, in my nine years of music education, felt more in tune with someone. The first notes of the duet began with us together. Every practice we held hadn't even come close to the sheer power I felt from our unity. We didn't just make music, I fell into her sound and she fell into mine. As we played, our notes held one another and rejoiced in the company of kindred souls. We kissed without ever touching and we held on tight to an auditory love that had never graced the ears of man. I knew at that moment that we had to be together.
You never know what you might see on a beautiful summer day while walking through the woods: squirrel munching on an acorn, a rabbit foraging for on a grass, maybe you might see something completely different, out of the ordinary, something that sparks your imagination. Should you look up at the top of the trees? Or maybe look at the ground? You might see a beautiful bird spreading its wings. Or possibly see a small insect building a nest in the fallen leaves. Then again, looking down, you might catch sight of a large protruding tree root you might have tripped on if you hadn't been looking down. With my camera bag hanging on my shoulder and my camera strap around my neck, I began the long walk through the woods. I smiled at myself as I thought of Hansel and Gretel and wondered if I'd see anything resembling a small cottage. Maybe, I might see a tiny cottage what would remind me of the seven dwarfs, and I strained my ears as I waited to hear them sing, “Hi Ho, hi ho! It's off to work I go!” Laugh as loud as you'd like. Yes, I laughed at myself but remember, I was in the woods, alone and allowed my imagination to run wild. There was a warning sign at the park's entrance that said it was a two- mile hike. It also cautioned that there might be alligators in the area. As I made the way around the pond, I stopped daydreaming and became acutely aware. Somewhat disappointed, I saw no alligators. Disappointed and also relieved. While a photo this that magnificent creature would have been an awesome event, I also didn't want to take the change I might become lunch for the beast. I slowed my pace and walked a bit quieter until I was well clear of the pond. Oh, yeah, I did get a few photos of birds. In a way, they made up for the lack of “boot skin” material. While I trekked on, I saw a few things that sparked my curiosity. I took a photo of a few pinecones that had neatly fallen from a tree and formed a perfect circle. That made me wonder how pine trees grew. As far as I knew, every plant had a seed. So, what was the seed of the pine tree? I was eager to get home and find out. I never knew until that day that the pinecones were the seeds, and they were male and female. What an eye-opener! I saw many palm fronds that looked like fans. In my mind, I thought of the old movies I'd seen of Cleopatra being fanned by such leaves. However, in the movies, the fans weren't dried out and brown as the ones I'd seen on the park floor. Yes, I did see and photograph a squirrel munching on something I couldn't quite visualize. He was so engrossed in his food, he never noticed me taking his picture. Since the park's trail was a two-mile hike, the county placed a few benches throughout the park so a weary hiker could sit and capture an interesting photo or maybe their breath. Some of us in the older generation, loose wind easily while others need to rest their arthritic bones. These benches come in extremely handy. Approaching a bench, I saw a photo that not only stopped me in my tracks, but also had my imagination running in crazy directions. I wanted to change the lens on my camera but decided to capture the picture first. However, before I did, I didn't bother looking upward but I did look around. While there was not a soul around, I chuckled to myself hoping that should someone be approaching in my direction, they wouldn't hear a crazy old lady laughing aloud at something they might not have understood. I saw a bench with a palm frond leaning against the nearby tree. Okay, so that isn't unusual in a park in Florida. My imagination made it unusual. The first mental image I had was an old woman who had been busy sweeping her cottage and decided to take a break and leaving her broom against the tree, took a walk in the woods looking herbs for her cauldron. The second vision was that of a witch who decided it was too nice a day to be flying around above the trees. She wanted to wander through her woods. As I said, I have quite an imagination. Sitting on the bench, I changed the lens on my camera, had a few mouthfuls of the water I'd brought with me, then after resting about half an hour, stood, took one more look around, and headed down the path that would eventually lead me out of the park. As you guessed, I saw no cottage, no old woman, no witch. Yet, it was fun to imagine all three lurking in the woods where I chose to spend a glorious afternoon. On my next trek to that park, I'll invite my friend to go with me so I can show here the awesomeness of nature. Who knows? Maybe next time, we might even see an alligator or two. Whatever we see, the trip is definitely worth the thirty minutes it takes to drive there.
Using our trolling motor, we motor through the shallows of Charlotte Harbor, FL looking for the perfect spot to fish. Saddened by what I see, or rather do not see, I say to my husband, “What shame. That was such a gorgeous view to see; a great place to take a photo of the sunset. I really miss it.” He smiles and asks, “Do you finally after all this time remember it's official name?” I laugh and say, “Yeah but I still don't understand the reasoning behind it.” He explains again and I just shrug my shoulders and say, “I like Pelican Island better than Two Tits. Makes more sense to me.” My husband laughs and shakes his head. The original name was given to the small patch of land many years ago by anglers who fished the water of Charlotte Harbor and decided it resembled exactly what they called it. You'd be surprised at the weird names several of these little islands have. We start fishing. Pelican Island made sense to me since there were approximately over one hundred pelicans who used that island as home or just a place to stop and rest. More often than not, when we were out fishing, we'd be on the east side of island making picture taking phenomenal. The sunset behind the island was truly awesome and extremely photogenic. As I said, it was a cute island, too small for anything but birds to land on but it was there and everyone who fished the harbor knew what you were talking about when you mentioned its original name. At one time, it was a very popular area that drew in several varieties of fish. The only problem was that with so many pelicans using it as their resting place, their defecation made the odor horrendous for any angler to hang around it too long– and yet, we like so many other anglers fished its perimeter! Yes, Pelican Island had many anglers casting their lures hoping to catch a fish that swam nearby, but no one ventured too close because of the stench. We always considered ourselves lucky that casting artificial lures was easy enough at a long distance. Then the unthinkable happened. On Friday, August 13, 2004, hurricane Charley blew through Charlotte Harbor. It was a horrendous category 4 storm with winds gusting approximately 175 mph. Just about everything in the harbor was decimated. I have often wondered where the birds flew to hunker down to avoid the approaching storm, but, of course, I never found out. All I know is that they were gone. Pelican Island was now a barren piece of dirt and sand that sat in the harbor. The magnificent mangroves were now stripped of their leaves. Many branches broken. The lonely little tree that lived there had many branches torn off and tree was split nearly in two. The bark was gone completely. The smell was gone but so were the birds. Each year as we fished the harbor that once held a plentiful abundance of fish seemed now almost as empty as Pelican Island was of birds. Fishing, like the scenic beauty had changed. I thought back to the days of the early 1900s, when fishing for your dinner was mandatory. What would those people do now? The waterway had changed. Many fish were dead. The marine population had been drastically reduced. Southwest Florida had changed. The mangroves that protected us as much as they did, were no longer as grand and thick as they once were. There was a community and Federal effort to restore the mangroves by reseeding. As hard as we tried, it didn't work. The only thing we could do was wait for mother nature to restore itself. We knew it would take years, but we had no idea how many. In several areas through the years, the mangroves started to grow. Yes, there was still much evidence that Charley had visited but at least we started to see a small difference. Unfortunately, we also noticed that the Pelican Island appeared to be smaller than it had been. As the years passed, it became obvious to everyone who fished Charlotte Harbor that it kept shrinking in size. The island was slowly sinking into the harbor. It didn't happen overnight. It was a very slow progression of nature taking what it wanted. In this case, it wanted Pelican Island. Here we are, now, eighteen years later and the harbor has staked its claim and Pelican Island is no more. Normally, when something sinks in water, there is some evidence that something was at one time there. Often a reef is formed leaving some trace behind. In this case, the Island just vanished! Poof! Gone without a trace – except for the photos I'd taken before Charley destroyed its beauty making it possible for Charlotte Harbor to slowly swallow it. Charley left much destruction in its wake but for the most part, we were able to rebuild. Even, many of the birds are now back and their populations are growing – and that's a good thing. Those birds have taken residence in other islands or the surrounding trees and mangroves of Charlotte Harbor. Unfortunately, the one thing we lost that we'll never get back is Pelican Island.
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It's been quite a while since my last post here. I've been pretty active on Instagram @vauns_photography and on Uglyhedgehog.com @Vaun's Photography. Since my last post I've adopted an 8 year old Australian Blue Heeler or cattle dog 🐕. He came with the name T'Challa which is an African word which translates as Black Panther. We decided that name was more appropriate for a feline 🐈 than a dog 🐕, so we renamed him Ranger. He is a bundle of energy! And he loves to ride, usually in my pickup, but sometimes in my car 🚗. He needs some training still, but he is learning somethings already. He has learned to wait, usually patiently, as I take photos on our daily walks, of which there are usually two per day. Some things he needs to learn not to do include chasing cats, chasing squirrels or rabbits and tracking scents onto the road in front of traffic. My wife says he's definitely my dog 🐕, so, unless I'm sick, it's my responsibility to walk him and to clean up behind him. He stay inside a lot of the time, but he is able to go outside in our front yard during the day. Mobile Home Park rules require him to be inside at night. He gets to go hiking with me when I'm well enough to go. We're glad his part of our family now!
The sky is one whole, the water another; and between those two infinities the soul of man is in loneliness. - Henryk Sienkiewicz
I love my husband's family. When my husband and I first started dating, his family treated me as though I were already one of them. My husband became a widower the year before and I'd been single for much longer than that. Second marriages aren't always easy but when you have a family of in-laws that open their arms and accept you immediately, it makes life a lot simpler. While a few of his brothers were on the quiet side and others were more extroverted, they all were friendly and loving. The only exception was his sisters. None of them were introverted in the slightest way. When I say we were one big happy family, it's said with the absolute truth. Through the years, as each sibling's health weakened, communication became more important. The problem was that while they enjoyed speaking to each other, my husband is not a telephone person. In fact, he really hates speaking on the phone and avoids it as much as possible. Time past and now there are four of them left which includes my husband. While in my own mind, he should make more of an effort to call his sisters and brother, in his mind, he will when he has time. My husband is 80 and retired. I insist he can make time. He reminds me that he's too busy doing the gardening and general maintenance on the house. We don't live in a run-down, ramschackled house. It's 20 years old and in very good condition. He can take 20 minutes out and call his siblings. Unfortunately, he doesn't. I do. His remaining brother calls at least three times a week and leaves messages such as: “Hey, wanted to say hello and check in. Call back.” “It's me again. Haven't heard from you. Hope everything's ok. Call back.” “Uh, what's going on? Is something wrong? Call back.” “Come on, really? What's your problem? Call me back today! Damn it.” I give my husband the messages. He ignores them. No, he isn't angry with his brother. Their relationship is fine. It's my husband's problem with phones. The other problem is that his brother is an invalid, living in a nursing home, and has nothing to do. My husband keeps himself busy with yard work, and other things around the house. He never was one to sit still. There lies a good portion of the problem. His brother doesn't understand why Rich won't call him back immediately or why he doesn't answer the phone in the first place. Rich says his brother should find a hobby to occupy his time. Today, I found another messages on my husband's phone. I said, “Don't shoot the messenger but please listed to your brother's message.” He did. Then he grabbed the phone and said, “That's it! I'm going to straighten this out once and for all!” I tried reminding him that his brother lived over a thousand miles away, has no one to visit him, is easily bored. He's just looking to have someone to talk to. My husband remined me that he has things to do. One of his sisters called but is still trying to get used to her new cell phone. She kept disconnecting herself. She'd call and lose the connection. I'd call her back and she'd lose the connection. This went on for fifteen minutes and then I just didn't return her calls. I might try again tomorrow. I saw no point in telling this to my husband since there really wasn't anything to say. After that bit of thunder-rolling atmosphere involving my brother-in-law, I received a text from my other sister-in-law stating she was out of the hospital and staying with her daughter. I walked out the back door and said, “Jane called.” Before I could relay the message, he looked at me with daggers coming out of his eyes. I interrupted him. “Hey, just a quick message,” I began. “She's fine, out of the hospital, and staying with her daughter.” “Oh, ok” he said and calmed down. I know tonight, once dinner is done, he'll call his sister. Maybe I can even get him to call his other sister. At least, they'll be quieter conversations than the one he had earlier. Oh boy! It seems the older we get, the less patience we have. There are times when I could smack Alexander Bell on the head and say, “Why did you ever invent such a troublesome instrument?” There are so many times it comes in so handy but then there are other times!! As I walked away toward the house, my first thought was, “I'm not getting paid enough for this.” Then I realized, “Hey, wait! I'm not getting paid at all!”