"The Neglected Labyrinth"

These images are from an unlikely place. It's an old abandoned golf course. I call it "the neglected Labyrinth". [or the golf course labyrinth] My wife told me about it. From the road, or even from the parking lot, it doesn't look like much at all. But it is a really nice place to walk. I finally got to take some pictures from here [a few last Sat. -before my batteries died- & a few tonight]
They are a bit out of order... but I can't stay on too long tonight, my eyes hurt.

some new sky photos

A Saturday Hike...

...ok, this is kind of a quick post. I have resumed these "labyrinth like" walks again. A chance to connect with my maker. Parks [as I've mentioned previously] seem to "amplify" His voice. Or perhaps they work a wonderful saying into action in my life. [This being the saying]

Take time for quiet moments, for God whispers,

And the world is loud. –Anonymous
To explain a bit about LW's Labyrinth, A Sacred Space. It is an action you take to pull yourself out of the ordinary routine of life. To slow down & listen. To allow God to move you, speak to you, comfort you. It is intimate time with Yahweh. That's the best I can do to describe it. For me it began with God as counselor. Keeping me alive, even though I was begging Him to let me die. It was a "year of subtraction". Lost friends, close friends. Dreams that evaporated right before my very eyes. My poem writing began...in a park, hiding from the world, trying to understand why God would allow this. Trying to understand [as P. Steve spoke of this just yesterday] how God can say He works all things for good... when what I see seems so unredeemably bad & dark. But writing... [& now unfolding into photography] I am able to better let go, stop resisting, & let God redeem things that I cannot see good coming out of. It is sad that art is often born out of brokeness. A self-harm video I once saw, had a male voice screaming as it slowly went from utter darkness into light "art is war". For me, this is mostly truer of my poems.
Well... this has been "more wordy" than planned.... I should go for now. [I'll check with my friend deAnn & see about posting pictures from our latest Labyrinth...]

well... it's my birthday too, yeah

...today is my birthday....
will you do something for me today? -consider it a gift to me that you do this.
Even though you may feel silly, or awkward doing it, please do it for me.
Ready? ...here it is:

today I want you to go look at yourself in the mirror
[preferably a full length one.... really look at yourself -for like 3 minutes]
oh... & this part is for the girls mostly,
don't just look at what's "too big or too small"
don't listen to the voices
that say your nothing at all
& realize.....
you are priceless.
you are a gift. you are a work of art, masterfully carved by The Artist.

love,
B

Return to Lake Williams

Well... I've been basking in some compliments of my photographs & writing lately. [I feel extremely guilty for saying that, but it gives encouragement to be told that people like what you enjoy doing] I like the frost here. All the frost shots I have are these "straight line ice" formations or "thorny ice" like in a previous post.

These photos are from the weeks ago trip still. Here, as in other shots, I love the shadows.

Now that the Labyrinth Sacred Space is over I'll be putting up photos I got to "sneak in & take", from early yesterday morning. First time using a tripod. So not all of them are as good as I'd like. I was very nervous doing this, too. But I'll post more on that on my other blog.
I'm thinking of seeing if our photo group could go through the Labyrinth next year [perhaps on a Sun. morning -when it's closed] & take photos of it. Assuming, of course, that it will be similar to the layout this year.


I just liked the oddness of the reflections here...

...and these are the geese, I previously mentioned.
Well, I'm going to end here for now. Tomorrow I get to find out if I'm going to have another round of surgery. [other side of my nose this time]

more from Lake Williams

I just like how the light dances on this picture [especially at the top, right]

As I looked at this bench, I just got to thinking of the cross for some reason. There are many things that I reflect on as we draw closer to Holy Week...
I just really like the dew that I found on a revisit to Lake Williams this past Sat. before catching up with a friend to celebrate his b-day. Good friends are like dew, very refreshing...

Macros from Lake Williams

So, on my other blog I mentioned going to Lake Williams last Sat. None of my pictures can really give you the feel of the morning. But I had such fun taking them. I've had this over the past year several times. [much more so than normal] I baked a Red Velvet cake last year. The last snow storm we had I felt it, yesterday when I went to the church parking lot & sat [smiling] watching the sun set through a robe of clouds, & this photo "outing". Just a sense of laughing at myself for lack of any other way to express the joy.
Here is a few more pictures from then. I put three that are macros here that "try" to capture the prism feeling that the bristling frost seemed to have. causing little "beads" of different colors playing across the grass. The middles one seemed to loose all focus [thus it's an "accidental beauty"]



Hope you enjoy these. I took some of the towering trees, the paths, the lake, even geese. I hope to post some of each, over time...