1558. generosity of spirit

 

on a blus’try day

hunk’rin down’s the thing to do

tommy knows the drill 🦊❤️

Someone donated a new outdoor hutch for Tommy. It came just in time as the temperatures drop. It is roomier, insulated,  has a rear door for escape in case of attacks from other critters and has plenty of room for his new and  larger heated pet pad.  Many people are drawn to Tommy because of what he offers to them.  He has nothing but he has something for everyone who comes to seek him out. People want to return the favor by giving back to him. 🦊❤️

1557. people watching people

she pulls her chair close

they look…they smile…and they chat

but they mostly look… 🦊❤️

We love to people watch regardless of where we may be. Our annual Thanksgiving visit to Cape May is possibly our favorite place to people watch.  I found the couple in today’s featured photograph especially interesting and endearing. They toggled between looking, talking and smiling. When they chatted, they seemed to be fully engaged. The man had a very nice smile and great head nodding that seemed to acknowledge the woman’s every word. When they turned on their people watching mode, they both demonstrated that they were experienced at the craft, watching with little or no indication that they were watching each and every move of the passersby. I wondered if Yulan and I were being watched as we watched others ? My guess is -  yes… 🦊❤️

1556. young boy on a cold beach

 

a cold morning’s beach

a young boy sits all alone

what is on his mind? 🦊❤️

It was a cold and windy morning on the beach. We were layered in clothing. Yet a boy of maybe 12 or 13 was sitting on the wet sand, pant’s bottoms drenched, one pant leg pulled up.  He was scrawling something in the sand with a shell. My first thought was, “He must be freezing - why am I so cold!”  Then I wondered, “what is he thinking about?”  Is he sad? Is he a genius thinking about some new invention and figuring out the math in the sand? Why isn’t he looking at his cell phone like everyone else on the beach this early morning? It’s funny how sights like this make me think way too much about what might be going on. Truth is… I saw myself in my boyhood years in this young boy’s early morning on a cold beach. I’ll bet he is a very interesting boy. 🦊❤️

1555. sunset with a seagull

 

a searing sunset

such a perfect backdrop for

a solo seagull 🦊❤️

Yulan and I are in Cape May for a couple of days.  It has become our regular Thanksgiving get away. We see it as a time to reflect on and give thanks for our good lives. We are always thankful for the seagulls and the sunrises and sunsets here that provide us with great photo opportunities for our blogs.  🦊❤️

1554. happy being just another carp

 

a once privileged life

swimming in the pristine pond

now… in the muddy creek 🦊❤️

Every now and again I spot a beautiful and radiant golden Koi swimming in the Wissahickon Creek.  Every time I see it I wonder again about where it came from and how it made its way into the creek. Koi are just a fancy type of Carp. They usually are purchased and live their lives in protected ponds and lakes to add spice to gardens and estates.  It does my heart good to watch it swimming with the “common” Carp in the creek.  My guess is that the Koi is much, much happier being free in the  mainstream of life with the “regular” folks!!! 🦊❤️

1553. old eagle eye

 

we just stand and look

eagle eye yulan scores a

heron in a tree 🦊❤️

Yulan is an expert “looker”.  More times than not we will be on one of our galavants scanning for a good subject to photograph. Yesterday we were standing trying to see deer that are experts at being invisible in the brush. I heard her say, “Is that a leaf up in that tree? No!!! It’s the heron!!”  It was our friend the Blue Heron who is usually wading in the nearby creek. I call her “old eagle eye”. 🦊❤️

1552. the value of becoming small

 

another day ends

the sky filling with nighttime

the sun flickers out 🦊❤️

There is nothing like looking up into an angry sky as nighttime blows out the sun’s final flickers. The immensity of it all becomes all too obvious and your smallness can be felt if you take just a moment to be still in its midst. A healthy dose of humility and wonder goes a long way to ease a worried mind. 🦊❤️