This photo speaks to me. Such vivid color, and a wonderful composition.
Here are the photographer's notes:
"Pacific Sea Nettles
(Chrysaora fuscescens)
Georgia Aquarium - Tropical Diver Gallery
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
October, 2008
Featured on front page of Free Nature December, 2008
See the rest of my shots from the Georgia Aquarium at this set
Georgia Aquarium is home to more than 150 new Pacific sea nettles! Come see the brand new, beautiful jellies on display now in the Tropical Diver Gallery.
Aquarium biologists ventured into 48° Pacific Ocean water, dodging hefty sea swells and inclement weather, in order to collect the jellies. Through a permit from the State of Oregon, Georgia Aquarium was able to attain the jellies for educational display and husbandry research at the Aquarium.
Pacific sea nettles are overly abundant off the coast of Oregon and have become a nuisance to fisherman in the area. The large fluctuation of jellies is thought to be a global indicator of climate change. Georgia Aquarium biologists plan to study the jellies to learn more about this fascinating animal and improve aquaculture techniques.
The Pacific sea nettle is common along the coast of California and Oregon and occurs, but is less common, in waters north to the Gulf of Alaska, west to the seas around Japan and south to the Baja Peninsula. This sea nettle is generally larger than similar species found in the Atlantic. In the wild, it can grow to a diameter of three feet (91 cm) and its thick oral arms can extend 12 feet (3.6 m) below the animal. The thin tentacles that hang down from around the edge of its body can inflict a painful sting."
Tiny White Flowers
Friday, February 19, 2010
Five Golden Rings
Ypthima baldus newboldi (Common Five Ring)
Here's another view of it. Great photo.
Here's the note:
"This common butterfly can be found in secondary growth and open grassy areas around the fringes of the nature reserves. Often in flight, even on overcast days, the Common 5-Ring is believed to feed on Gramineae (grasses).
The typical yellow-ringed black ocelli is a distinguishing feature of the various species in the Ypthima family. The pair of rings at the tornus of the hindwing is counted as one. The total number of the rings counted thus give this species its common name.
The butterfly has a rather weak flight and generally stays close to the ground.
best viewed LARGE:
www.flickr.com/photos/rundstedt/3291923769/sizes/l/ "
Common five ring
And speaking of the Five Rings, I just found this image.
Photo note:
"On a trail up the Burapahar, in Kaziranga National Park in Assam, this common five ring kept disappearing in front of my eyes. If would flutter around for a while, and then settle down on dry wood and leaves. If you took your eyes off it for a moment you would have a hard time finding it again."
Friday Catch-Up
Well, I found out today I didn't win the May Swenson Poetry Book Award, although I was a finalist. I won't say who won, as it hasn't been officially announced, but I will say I really appreciate that I heard about it now, so that I can move ahead. Already I've sent two mss. out -
one chapbook, and one full-length book.
My creativity has been rearranged these days with the interruption of the Olympics. I love watching, and look forward to settling in in the evenings, but my intentions of writing in my journal each night for the duration of Lent has been challenged. I guess I've missed two days only, and that I can catch up, but. . . Not to mention the fact that I missed the Ash Wednesday service. The first one (10:30) because DS had an endocrinology appt., and the second one (7 pm), just because I was home, and wasn't ready for a 20 minute drive. Besides, the Olympics were coming on, and they only happen (combined) every two years. . . and so on.
So now I'm thinking about setting up a list of poetry prompts - one for each Lenten day - that I can check off. Anything to generate more work. And, I have a writing retreat to look forward to. I'll be at Centrum for a week, the middle of March. I'm planning to work on pieces for my new collection, which is already taking shape. It's kind of nice to have something new to fuss over. Because like I said on Tuesday, I am done with the current one. It's been a finalist 4 or 5 times now; it's just a matter of time. Right? Then again, are we ever truly done with our work? That's a circular discussion.
Back to the 5 rings. Talk soon~
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Head in the Clouds
Great photo.
Here are the photographer's note:
"We arrived near the top of Whistler Mountain in mixed weather. There was no blue sky, but no rain either, at first. In the summer this is a top mountain biking destination with managed trails that wind for kilometers down the bare ski slopes.
This Inukshuk is about 25 feet tall. It is a symbol of Inuit culture. Indigenous Northern Canadians who live above the Arctic Circle. It is also the symbol of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, which are being held partially in Whistler, an hour and a half north by highway.
To get to this point you take a 15 minute ride in a gondola. It is high altitude.
Across the expanse in the background is Blackcomb, another ski resort. The two peaks are now joined by the Peak-to-Peak Gondola, the longest unsupported expanse in the world today."
Vancouver 2010 - Snowboard Cross
I'm so captivated whenever the Olympics are on. . . can you tell?
Photo note and link:
"Maelle Ricker (Canada) - Snowboard Cross
Photos: www.vancouver2010.com
www.ski-i.com"
Mancuso & Vonn Celebrate Downhill Wins
Artistry is anything we create with our passion.
Photo note and link:
"Photo: BBC
www.ski-i.com"
Lindsey Vonn of the United States, Alpine Skiing
Another fantastic photo -
Note and link: Photo: www.vancouver2010.com
Shaun White and Scott Lago of the United States, Snowboard
Priceless photo!
Photo link:
"Photo: www.vancouver2010.com
www.ski-i.com"
Lindsey Vonn Trains in Portillo
Another fabulous finish - Lindsey Vonn's win, much of it done with her weight on one leg, favoring the injured one. What a powerful woman, and what fun to see her accomplish her dream.
Shaun White
Last night was a nail biter for me, but well worth it. All the guys did some amazing tricks during the Men's Halfpipe, and Shaun White's, of course, was no exception. Oh to fly like that~
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Tuesday Musings or, Return to Ordinary Life or, If the Dishwasher is Empty, Might as Well Load It
Valentine weekend was a busy one. Two movies: Percy Jackon and the Olympians (I read the first three books), and Avatar, a third time. Both decent enough, but too much in a weekend. Sometimes it makes me feel disconnected. Sometimes, lack of keeping up with the mundane makes me feel disconnected. Why is that?
I'm back to submitting manuscripts again, after a period of breath-holding, (yes, I'm a finalist in a book contest). After a month of waiting to hear I feel it is time to continue on. I'm also working on a new chapbook ms., and a new full book as well. The chapbook is ready to send out, more or less, but the full-book is still in its infancy, at a sum total of about 37 pages. Still, it's nice to have something new to work on. I really feel done with my current ms. It just needs a good home. Frankly, I'm really ready to kick it out of the house, let it do its own thing for a change. I've pampered it, and it is more than ready to experience life in the outside world, develop a thick skin. Or maybe it just wants to let everyone in, bare its soul to all those who would open its covers.
I tell you, a grey drizzle and the sound of a spinning washer can make the mind go in interesting directions.
So, it's off to the post office, and back to loading the dishwasher.
Enjoy the day, and do good work.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day!!
This is a beautiful photo - Love the colors, the vibrancy.
The photographer tells us:
"I got some carnations from my friends at school and i was sitting there in english and there was a heart on the stem of one of my carnations. so i couldnt resist. happy valentines day. lots of love from me!"
HappY VaLenTineS DaY
This is just wonderful. The cat on the left reminds me of our Tigger. . .
Photo note:
"SEVGİYİ AŞKA Bİ GÜNE SIĞDIRIP ADAMIN CANINI SIKMAYIN ! GİDİN SEVİN DOĞRU DÜRÜST TOKATLARIM ALLAAAMA :)
Seviyorum seni her günün adında yaşattığım gibi
Seviyorum Seni bi güne sığdırmayacak kadar deli...
Ve Seviyorum Seni ilk kez izmiri keşfetmiş gibi
Seviyorum Seni Ölüme Gülerek Gittiğim gibi
Happy valentines Day all my dear friends... I
I Love you So Much........."
* * *
Not a bad sentiment at all. Can you imagine the world if we we all so filled with love?
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Valentine
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.
Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.
I am trying to be truthful.
Not a cute card or a kissogram.
I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.
Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
if you like.
Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.
A Day at the Office, another good video
Enjoy~
Lucille Clifton
Lucille Clifton, originally uploaded by shawnnacona.
Lucille Clifton, one-time poet laureate of Md., dies at 73 - baltimoresun.com
Posted using ShareThis
Remembering a beautiful poet, Lucille Clifton, who passed away today~
Memory
Ask me to tell how it feels
remembering your mother's face
turned to water under the white
words of the man at the shoe store.
Ask me,
though she tells it better than i do,
not because of her charm
but because it never happened
She says,
no bully salesman swaggering,
no rage, no shame, none of it
ever happened.
I only remember buying you
your first grown up shoes
she smiles.
Ask me how it feels.
Written by Lucille Clifton
Friday, February 12, 2010
Friday Finding
So, I was coming back from dropping DD off at school, and talking with a friend, and happened to break free from my usual driving reverie long enough to notice (looking at the Toyota in front of me) that the word "Sequoia" uses every vowel - except for 'sometimes y.'
Heck, I thought it was cool. . .
* * *
Photographer's notes:
"Photographer: Zane Merva | zane [at] autoinsane.com"
* * *
And no, we have no snow in this neck of the woods. . .Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Validation, A Good Video Short
I just found this on the Notes From Graceland blog. Watch it - and feel great~
Link to the blog post where I found this YouTube video:
http://vicarofgrace.com/2009/05/09/and-how-could-something-so-simple-be-so-honestly-true/#comment-203
Wednesday
Gray rainwater lay on the grass in the late afternoon.
The carp lay on the bottom, resting, while dusk took shape
in the form of the first stirrings of his hunger,
and the trees, shorter and heavier, breathed heavily upward.
Into this sodden, nourishing afternoon I emerged,
partway toward a paycheck, halfway toward the weekend,
carrying the last mail and holding above still puddles
the books of noble ideas. Through the fervent branches,
carried by momentary breezes of local origin,
the palpable Sublime flickered as motes on broad leaves,
while the Higher Good and the Greater Good contended
as sap on the bark of the maples, and even I
was enabled to witness the truly Existential where it loitered
famously in the shadows as if waiting for the moon.
All this I saw in the late afternoon in the company of no one.
And of course I went back to work the next morning. Like you,
like anyone, like the rumored angels of high office,
like the demon foremen, the bedeviled janitors, like you,
I returned to my job--but now there was a match-head in
my thoughts.
In its light, the morning increasingly flamed through the window
and, lit by nothing but mind-light, I saw that the horizon
was an idea of the eye, gilded from within, and the sun
the fiery consolation of our nighttimes, coming far.
Within this expectant air, which had waited the night indoors,
carried by--who knows?--the rhythmic jarring of brain tissue
by footsteps, by colors visible to closed eyes, by a music
in my head, knowledge gathered that could not last the day,
love and error were shaken as if by the eye of a storm,
and it would not be until quitting that such a man
might drop his arms, that he had held up all day since the dew.
--Marvin Bell
don't leave me
I just found this photographer on Flickr, and love their work.
Photo note:
"abandoned on cleveland street"
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday Musings
Haiti_photo2
Can it really be Tuesday? I had a draft begun for Friday, and never finished it.
I'm not feeling any the wiser today than last week. I started a new Pilates session today, and had three new people in my beginner class. That's always nice, and it's challenging, especially when everyone is at different levels. I'm very thankful to have that class, so that my beginners don't have to try to catch up to the intermediate folks who've been with me for the past 5 or 6 years, or however long I've been teaching. I love it when people get something out of class, and love seeing the same faces again and again.
And I'm not feeling very successful at navigating the strange new twists and turns my body is going in. I wish it would tell me; I don't seem to be able to translate each tweak and size and roadblock. Do I speak obtusely? Intentionally so.
Never mind a body that's trying on a few more years. I'm also trying to rekindle my writing drive. Born in the sign of fishes, I flit from eddy to eddy, am easily distracted. Procrastination? Sure.
Sunday we had a guest celebrant at Grace Church. She began by giving a brief but rich synopsis of the movie Babette's Feast (one of my all-time favorites), and then moved into the hard reality that is Haiti right now. She paused in her speaking to allow the laity to pass around copied photos from the New York Times cover showing close-up and intimate the faces of those looking for food, and finding out there wasn't any left.
I can't find the photo just yet, but will try to post it as soon as I do.
TBC. . .
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
PRX » Piece » No Tax On Truffles
No Tax On Truffles
On KUOW Presents today, a piece by Stuart Mclean, called "No Tax on Truffles." Wonderfully hilarious!
Tuesday Musings - on Wednesday
Monday I encountered three mid-sized striped cats, like ocelots, in a campground. I had my camera, so thought I'd get a couple of quick shots of them before making my departure. Two were on a picnic table, one on the ground, and all were taking great interest in me. All eyes on me, so to speak. As that one began to advance, I woke up.
Tuesday I slept a full 6 minutes while King FM played something too soft to be effective. If there were any dreams, I wasn't aware.
And today I was busy doing something in the kitchen while upstairs (in the house I grew up in) the family (plus some guy I've seen in produce at CM) was entertaining and discussing matters with a poetry contest judge. The produce guy and I were finalists. He stayed to entertain, I went back downstairs to work. I awoke with the alarm right away, and went downstairs to make pancakes.
My morning stupor seems to wear off quickly enough. This morning DH had the news on (to check the weather, as he and friends are doing a little cross-country skiing and scouting for a Valentine weekend winter scouting trip). I'm usually coming and going, making breakfast and lunches, packing backpacks, and making sure DS takes his blood sugar reading and gets his shot before the carpool arrives, and I watch briefly as his long lanky form moves slowly down the gravel path to disappear in the rainy fog, or folds itself into the waiting car. I don't usually pay attention to the TV, let alone notice any commercials that come on.
Except this morning I did notice one where a skate-boarding teen wired to his iPod punches the traffic light button, while a little grey-haired woman slips her arm in his and asks, "may I walk you across the street?"
That got my attention.
I'm a sucker for moments of spontaneous acts of kindness. And even though I'm starting to be a little reading challenged and didn't have my glasses on, I could see that the note at the end said in big letters GOOD MANNERS, and something about the Foundation For a Better . . . something. So I googled until I got some results.
Now, I don't watch TV much at all. I spent all of last night listening to NPR's Wiretap, and later Selected Shorts, and knitting. I don't have cable. When I do watch, it's PBS, especially Thursday nights when Doc Martin and Poirot are on. So I don't see many commercials.
What I found was a site called Values.com, and the Foundation for a Better Life. The site had my commercial, called "Crosswalk," and several others as well. I played my little commercial a few times through, savoring the heart-tug, stretching my chest muscle a bit, deepening my breaths. Nice. I watched another one, and was reminded of my pet belief in holding doors for others. If you want to enjoy this too, visit here, at Pass it On TV Spots.
So now I'm off to think about writing a little This I Believe article (been thinking about that one for a year or so, but haven't written it yet), revise a new chapbook, and do some editing. It's a quiet morning, and I fully intend to use it to it's fullest. If you see me on FaceBook, please chase me off of it. Okay?
Be well, do good, love much~
Monday, February 1, 2010
Crab Creek Review Sunday Meeting
To learn about the Crab Creek Review:
From the Seattle PI, online:
Seattle's Crab Creek Review has been publishing for more than twenty-five years with a mission of "introducing you to the best writing from the Northwest and beyond."
Readers: check out the web site for the latest issue -- and better yet, buy it locally at Elliott Bay, Open Books, or Bulldog News (see the web site for other venues around the Pacific Northwest).
Writers: the review has a few deadlines coming up: a poetry contest (deadline April 30), a special issue in Ekphrastic Poetry, edited by Susan Rich (deadline May 31), and general submissions (through April 30).
Crab Creek also has a blog, which will keep you up to date on news and submission deadlines, and offers The Writer's Notebook: guest blogs from writers on various aspects of writing. I recently did a blog on writing routines (specifically, on my very random writing routine), and included a few tips for similarly scattered writers.
Enjoy.
de.licio.us
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TwitterCrab Creek Review's 2010 Poetry Contest (Feb. 1st - May 31st)
- Submit up to 5 previously unpublished poems
- Entry fee: $10, check payable to Crab Creek Review
- Deadline for all submissions: May 31, 2010
- The winning poet will receive $200 and publication in CCR 2010 Vol. II
- All entries will be considered for publication
- Guest Judge: Crab Creek Review Advisory Board member and poet, Nancy Pagh, author of the prize winning poetry books, No Sweeter Fat (Autumn House Press, 2007) and After (Floating Bridge Press, 2008).
Please visit our contest page for complete guidelines and for more information on our guest judge, Nancy Pagh.
Special Call For Poetry Submissions: Ekphrastic Poetry (for inclusion in our 2010 Vol. II issue)
Guest Editor: Susan Rich
We begin with the visual. Ekphrastic poetry is a response in words to a painting, photograph, dance, building, sculpture, Ikea catalogue, child’s drawing, or bumper sticker. An ekphrastic poem begins with inspiration from another piece of art and with the intuitive understanding that art begets art. In a sense, the art object becomes the rough draft of the poem.
We are looking for the best ekphrastic poems, 30-lines (or less) to showcase in an upcoming issue of Crab Creek Review.
For this project, we are accepting email submissions to the email address below. To submit to this special portfolio of ekphrastic poetry, write your name and title of the submission in the subject line and then send your previously unpublished poems in the body of an email to Editor, Susan Rich at: duende3417@yahoo.com
Please send 3-5 poems at the most.
Also, include a short bio and contact info as well.
Deadline is May 31, 2010
Please note that we are still accepting regular submissions of poetry sent to our Seattle address for the 2010 Vol. II issue. Please see our submissions page for complete guidelines.
Susan Rich is on the Crab Creek Review Advisory Board and is the award winning author of The Cartographer's Tongue: Poems of the World (White Pine Press, 2000), Cures Include Travel (White Pine Press, 2006) and The Alchemist's Kitchen due out in spring of 2010. To learn more about Susan and her work, please visit her website: http://www.susanrich.net
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