Nature-led Community Photos: Unknown Paths

~ melaniereynolds ~ 22 Comments

My sincerest appreciation to everyone that submitted photos for our very first photo collection! Thank you for helping to make Nature-led.org a shared community endeavor!

Balboa Park, San Diego, CA, USA. By Kelly Filka

Durham County England, UK. View 1 By Leslie, https://moment-by-moment.blog/

Same path different angle, the blurring creates a trick of the eyes that makes it feel more like an illusion.

Durham County England, UK. View 2 By Leslie

Inca Path Machu Picchu, Peru. Oct 2015 By Lisa Troute

North Devon England, UK, Spring 2022 By Ms Scarlet, https://wonky-words.com/blog/

North Norfolk, England, UK, April 2022 By Inexplicable DeVice, https://inexplicabledevice.blogspot.com/

Southern Pines, NC, USA. By Cathy Litchfield, Grounded-wisdom.com https://grounded-wisdom.com/2022/08/08/i-am-the-tree/

Mistress Borghese grants us a playful image with this cheeky offering…

Poconos Mountains, Pennsylvania, USA. Near Leighton (1) By Mistress Borghese, http://mistressmaddie.blogspot.com/

Poconos Mountains, Pennsylvania, USA. Near Leighton (2) By Mistress Borghese

Our Poet-in-Residence, Patricia Lezama, concludes our post of unknown paths with this treasure and some insightful words on the topic.

Snow Path in Washington, USA. Feb 2019 By Patricia Lezama, https://patlezama.com

Sometimes the paths are shown as a blank sheet of paper for you to stamp them with your steps. Fast or serene, you might stop or follow to raise your eyes and admire your surroundings.

We take selfies for us to remember what we were and where, or to publish them on social networks. Perhaps to share a piece of joy of the wonders of our planet with our loved ones. Or for those unknown and farthest away to be delighted with our tastes and places. To belong, or to be recognized in some circles. There are no human faces in this picture to guess the emotions, there are no emojis that contain possible feelings. But there must be a word to name this snow, in a tribe that I don’t know quite yet. 

A word to name this feeling of invisibility, the no presence in that present. I was there on that landscape, breathing with the evergreens, those trees that don’t change color to match the weather. 

My saliva had the flavor of pine reaching my belly. Savoring my own cold infusion. The friction of my pores with winter clothes exhaled a mist that warmed my whole body. I was there and I smiled while posing for this picture, my hands were still warm, capturing the steps non taken in a past full of new snow, over a future to be traveled.

Wayfarer, there is no path. By Antonio Machado. 

Wayfarer, there is no way. Make your way by going farther.*

[ Original: CAMINANTE NO HAY CAMINO | Antonio Machado – Poesía Española (espoesia.com)

English translation poem: [Traveler, your footprints] by Antonio Machado | Poetry Foundation]

*a phrase from the song Cantares, by Joan Manuel Serrat, honoring the poet Machado

Have a lovely, day!

Reminder: There is still time to join us for September’s photo submission. “A Tree” Due: September 30th. Submissions will be posted October 1st. Email to: natureledlife@gmail.com

*If I made any errors or you would like changes to your photo submission information above. Please let me know by email or in the comments. Thank you!

The squirrel

~ Patricia Lezama ~ 7 Comments

Where did I hide my nuts?

The clueless squirrel does not know how to count

She runs and hides nuts, which she then goes out to find

Where did I put them? says loudly and nervous,

While watching a bear with her cub fishing in the river,

Did you look in the gaps? asked the cub

I’m on it, and I can’t find anything,

Why did I have them? whispers the squirrel.

There goes a rabbit who says hello and asks, are you looking for food?

No, I am not hungry, answers the squirrel

but I can’t find my nuts.

It comes back and happens to me every time!

The seagull in the sky begins to squawk

It seems to me that you buried them again,

Tired the squirrel decides to dig,

One hole after another will uncover.

Already weary, she finds a nut. It’s not just one, is it maybe ten?

One and two nuts plus this, are three,

four, five and another one, is six,

seven, eight, plus one, are nine,

the last one is great, it is number ten!

With her spirits up, she learned how to count

And with her ten nuts she went to sit

After a while, the bear and the cub, the rabbit and the seagull arrived

Everyone was happy to see her at ease,

celebrating her nature in their beautiful garden

where the squirrel flourishes wiser and free

The animal kingdom is celebrating the squirrel existence

who thought she was clueless but only to find

a group of wild friends to tell her stories.

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Photo Submission Reminders

“Unknown Paths” – Photo submissions due August 31st.

“A Tree” – Photo submission due September 30th.

(See previous post: Interactive Trees & Paths photo submissions)

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Interactive: Trees & Paths photo submissions

~ melaniereynolds ~ 23 Comments

First Request for submissions

Hello Nature-Led Friends!

It’s been a while since we’ve done any interactive activities, so here are two easy ways for you to participate and get out in nature or at least be inspired by it! It would be really exciting and interesting to get a variety of submissions from different regions and countries.

AUGUST PHOTO CHALLENGE: Unknown Paths               SUBMIT BEFORE: AUGUST 31st

I always want to know what’s “over yonder” whether it be around a bend or over a hill. Paths that disappear out of view invite us to make new discoveries.

North Vancouver Island, British Columbia By Melanie Reynolds, 2018

In Japan, curved stone paths are the bane of drunks and demons alike. It is both an aesthetic design choice and a belief that one can lose the hot pursuit of a demon upon a crooked path.

Submission: Please submit a photo, illustration, or mixed media art project of a pathway that you find interesting.

Original submission or submitted with permission of the artist. Artist retains all rights to their work. It’s recommended that you watermark your art and/or fill in the meta data of the photo if you are concerned about copyright.

You email should include: Your submission as a .JPEG or .PNG file, General location (State/Province & Country), your name/the Artist’s name, and a link to your website if you have one.

Email to: natureledlife@gmail.com Subject: August Submission

The Prize: My love and gratitude for participating.

SEPTEMEBER PHOTO CHALLENGE: A Tree              SUBMIT BEFORE: SEPTEMBER 30TH

Let’s highlight the beauty of different trees in a variety of settings. I’ll admit, I often find it a challenge to get a good picture of a single tree. Let’s how you do.

Alder in the Fog, At Home in Washington State, By Melanie Reynolds, 2022

Many cultures have stories about how different tree species inhabit spirits, special properties or symbolism. For example, the weeping willow is a symbol of death and grieving of a loved one in various cultures.

Submission: Please submit a photo, illustration, or mixed media art project of a tree that you find interesting.

Original submission or submitted with permission of the artist. Artist retains all rights to their work. It’s recommended that you watermark your art and/or fill in the meta data of the photo if you are concerned about copyright.

You email should include: Your submission as a .JPEG or .PNG file, General location (State/Province & Country), your name/the Artist’s name, and a link to your website if you have one.

Email to: natureledlife@gmail.com Subject: September Submission

The Prize: My love and gratitude for participating.

Don’t let me down! Please participate! We would all love to see a diversity of interesting submissions. You have a month for each. It’s okay if you don’t consider yourself and “artist”, just give it a try!

Side Note: I’m currently recovering from surgery and working on my dark fairytales book. Content here might be a bit sporadic over the next two months. These photo submissions will give us all something to look forward too. Thank you!