Speckles & Patterns

Evelyn: My friend Ed gifted me a lovely little magic panel box. It was part of a series of boxes leading to a message that sent my dancing shoes on a trip to Boston. Tonight was filled with discoveries as I figured out how to open the box... later discovering a geo-cache near Gulfport under the guise of grasses and horses. 

Reptilian Beauty

Evelyn: I only have a few days left, and we go for a hike in the late afternoon to the top of a rocky, grassy hillside. The flowers are astounding, and sometimes the smallest ones the most amazing under the lens.

Caught

Evelyn: It was one of those late working days... one of those late nights to catch up on all the rest of my life that isn't work related. This was the only light on downstairs, illuminating the stacks.

Monica: Walking to work this morning, I passed what appeared to be an odd-shaped stick in the parking area. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was a salamander, encrusted with frost and apparently frozen in place on the gravel. I was able to get right up next to him for a little photo shoot. The poor thing got caught outside on a cold night and hadn't quite thawed out yet.

Lean on Me

Monica: Married two months and a day. Life is good and they have each other. This photo makes me smile for the happiness I see in their eyes. These two are pure sunshine. 

Evelyn: This weekend has been pure sunshine and the type of temperature that lets you know fall is crawling under the blankets with you. Suddenly I am filled with the desire to DO STUFF - be outside, take a trip, make music, drink cocoa, clean the sheets!  I took out my Telephoto-Macro lens, it has been a long time since I have used this baby, and I forgot how heavy it was. My Arizona Javalina has found a nice spot in my courtyard, and I noticed that the lizards like to sun themselves there, crawling in and out of his ears and nose - nice place to lean and warm up in the sunshine.

Distractions

Monica: Our coworker invited us to dinner at the Ledford House in Albion, a French restaurant that sits alone on the bluffs overlooking the ocean, surrounded by pristine golden hills. The ambiance was lovely, with simple but colorful decor, live jazz, incredible views (and a perfect sunset), and delicious food. I couldn't keep my camera in my bag, everything was so beautiful to look at and the light was perfect.

Evelyn: Uneventful packing and organizing day... and frankly I am sick of looking at boxes. When Nicole brought out her gecko, Ms. Bigglesworth, I was pleasantly distracted by her grumpiness. Nicole had the laborious task of getting the last of her "gloves" peeled off, as the little girl had shed but failed to peel off the extras and eat them. She is a funny looking one, whose tail looks much like her head—a great tactic for camouflage. I wonder what I need to wear to disappear amidst the boxes.

Small Wonders

Monica: While Michael was watering the garden, I took the opportunity to practice "freezing" motion with my camera. I was aiming for the spray, but instead I captured a drip of water from the nozzle. I love the way water morphs into different shapes within an instant.

Evelyn: I had been wandering around the jungle behind the Spiral Circle, looking for photography fodder when I spotted a small statue of St. Francis of Assisi (the patron saint of the environment and animals) holding a bird. As I got in close something moved from his cheek to his neck, and on further inspection I realized my camera was playing hide-and-seek with a freshly hatched lizard, so small that if it hadn't been for the swish of his tail catching my eye I would never have seen him. He jumped from one side of the statue's head, neck and shoulder to the other as I tried to catch him with my lens.

Golden Hues

Evelyn: Lizards are peculiar creatures, small dinosaurs, lavishly decorated with colorful spikes and armor, careful stances of observation or warning. His eyes curious as I walk by his cage. He warms himself in a dark room, under a heat lamp - a soft oasis behind glass, where I wonder how it would be to lay there quietly, under a heat lamp, with eyes and glares behind a sky of glass, moving randomly to observe. Would I also take a stance, make a warning, or hide behind rocks and plants?

Monica: I went for a walk along the Staircase trail in search of the orange sticky monkey flower that one of our Board members told me was growing on the other side of Jug Handle Creek. I found the cluster of flowers but they were all in shade. Instead I turned my camera to the light hitting a dandelion patch just so, highlighting the fine strands of spider webbing hanging between them like little suspension bridges.

Truth

Monica: The truth is an orange-footed salamander you've never seen before, taking its sweet time plodding across the wild tangle of forest that is your life.

Evelyn: The truth is, I am getting older, and the lines are marking their journey on my face like little streaks of rain on a glass panel. Shockingly, I discovered a wrinkle under my ass, this wasn't a dimple, or a patch of cellulite, it was a wrinkle, as I guess it just isn't my face that is aging. God Bless Me!

Soaring & Watching