Wednesday, February 2, 2011

yard textures...mostly...



as i was walking around the yard...
trying to spot the owls...
i began to notice all the patterns, shapes...and designs...scattered around.
things i see every day...but for some reason...
that day i wanted to touch everything.  feel.
oOo

BUT, as i was pondering this...shadows were being cast on the ground...
all around me.
i looked up. vultures. circling...again!
they must be waiting to see if any of the bones i brought home,
had meat left on them. 
nope.  not usually.
here's my outside bone table...
where the bones remain while nature works on 'em.
oOo

OK...so the vultures flew off...in their circular pattern...
searching someplace else...
and i started thinking again about all the yard textures!

It is a great art to saunter.   
~Henry David Thoreau 

so i went to get my camera...
 hard. rock.

 colorful, veiny oak leaf hydrangea
(ok, so veiny isn't a word. full of veins.)

 dry. broom.

 prickly. cactus.

 soft. fluffy. feathers.

 hard. rusted. metal.

 sutures. bone. deer skull.

 bumpy. sea urchin.

 grainy. ant hill.

holy. leaf. well, i wasn't praying to this leaf...so, actually it's a holey leaf.
(although i guess you could say all things in nature are sacred...)

porous. limestone.

 strong. tough. cement.

 swirly. wood.

 crunchy. leaf.

soft. hairy. squirrel tail.
(wondering how i took such a close-up of this little critter's tail?
i stumbled across a dead one in the front yard. 
now how many times have you actually seen a dead squirrel 
that was anywhere except in the road? 
the only thing we can figure is that it got hit by a car...
ran into our yard...and that's where it took its last breath.
it's a wonder that it hadn't been carried off by the hawks or owls!
we buried it.)

 hard. headed. (just kidding sam!)
downlike. sam's balding crown.

ok...so this is where sam's head hair went...to his face!
cushy. wiry-ish. (i love making up my own words!)

shadowy. fleeting. me.

Be kind to your shadow.  
~Rebecca Lawless 
oOo

and one more for the road.
we DID spot the owls. 
they have about 5 different trees they've taken a liking to.
so if they're in the yard...
we can usually see them perching on one of their favorite branches.

that's it for now. stay cool. be safe. wander.

The place where you lose the trail is not necessarily the place where it ends.  
~Tom Brown, Jr. 

laura  :]



29 comments:

  1. I love all the textures and patterns! nice post! The deer skull is surprisingly beautiful - and I love the holey leaf!!

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  2. What an incredible array of textures, colours, shapes! What a great idea you had to find and record them all to share here! Your owl is so beautiful sitting in those wonderfully aged trees. Absolutely superb!

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  3. Beautiful! The swirly wood looks like Van Gogh's Starry Night...There is beauty even in rust, who knew?? There is beauty and grace everywhere, if only we look.
    Thanks for showing it! ~stacey

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  4. That fantastic! realy! these website is way better then everything I ever saw.

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  5. Love the textures! They are, of course, all around us - we need only to take the time to notice them. My thought on the squirrel is that I hope you know where you buried it because after a few months, you will have a complete set of squirrel bones... I've done this with dead animals, but the ones I'd most like to have I usually think of long after the fact & then can never find where we buried them! Have a great day down there in the great SE!

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  6. I like that you can make up your own words-I guess this means YOU know they're spelled right! Really like your pictures and the beard. Makes me think of ZZ Top, eh? We're freezing here in the Lone Star State-go Steelers! Another good Thoreau quote. Take Care Laura!

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  7. You deal with more bones than medics do :P hehe, awesome post!... Gosh, all those colours give you such a warmth! :) Great!

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  8. A textured pictorial poem - really amazing shots. I could virtually hear the crisp crackle of the leaf, and touch the swirly wood!

    Lovely post!

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  9. ErikaJean, Thanks!
    Rusty...sam says Thanks!
    KC Tickets, Thanks!

    Ladybug, no problem! i learned my lesson. now i bury dead animals i have found under a wire grating...with bricks on top!

    Susan, yeah, sam's a zz-topper for sure, especially when he's got his dark shades on! GO steelers!!

    Amused Medic, Thanks! i think we here in florida, are one of the few places in USA where it's not snowing or freezing at the moment! and yeah, i deal with a lot of bones! ha!

    Alexia, Thanks a lot!!

    Thanks to all of you...for wandering by and stopping long enough to leave a note!! i appreciate it!!

    laura :]

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  10. oops!! skipped over a couple...how'd i do that??!!

    Desiree, Thanks...yes!! we love the owls! there's a pair here and they hang out much of the time. i love to hear them...even if i can't see them!

    Truck Tumbleweed...same thoughts here...that wood reminded me of VanGogh! maybe that's where he got his inspiration?? from weathered wood?!!

    Thanks...for swinging by here...and leaving a note!! i sure appreciate it! laura :]

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  11. Cool texture shots. I have days like that, too, where the textures of ordinary things will just grab my attention for whatever reason.

    I'm hoping my husband's beard never gets as long as Sam's. My husband's beard is wiry, too, so I'm happy with it being about 6 inches long or so.

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  12. I love what you did with the words. It is one of my current goals to inflate my vocabulary slightly, to this end I have made lists of alternate words for nice, hard, happy and I now need to make a list of emotions, and then your blog came along and it had the most wonderful texture words in it. Words that describe how things feel, how about words that describe how things look, smell or sound.

    it is so interesting to play these games and a wonderful workout for the brain.

    Added to this, I suddenly have an urge to do as you did and look for textures around our house. Maybe I will photograph them, maybe I will simply take my daughter to explore them (she is extremely texture sensitive and was only able to walk on grass at about 18 months). it could be such fun!

    Thanks for such an inspiring post!

    PS - word verification: sucalog. Now, does that not sound like a word that could be a sound that something makes?

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  13. Wonderful Laura !! You've really opened my eyes to things textual. Beautiful. I'm inspired now to go out and explore my surroundings in the same way. They're all just sitting there waiting ... it's how we choose to view them isn't it. Thank you :)
    Have a great weekend.

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  14. Thanks VM Sehy/Vickie, Keda and Susan! i took so many more pictures...but when it came time to post...i didn't want to overload...so i weeded some out! i guess i've al;ways been a 'touchy-feely' person...if i see a sign that says 'don't touch'...i'm like a little kid! now i REALLY want to touch! i guess i notice the little things...the senses...like smells, sounds...feels...more than i notice people.

    VM/Vickie Sehy Photo, it's taken Sam YEARS to grow that beard. usually noone ever sees it...it stays braided and tucked in his shirt!

    Keda, yes! i always have a good time trying to come up with 'words'! and like you saw...if i can't find the right word...well, then, i might just come up with my own! ha! 'sucalog'...sounds like...when something gets stuck...maybe in the mud...and you're trying to pull it out...and finally you hear that...sound...that sucking sound...like breaking the seal...the vacuum...and it finally breaks free...!!

    Susan, thanks! everything has a texture in one way or another...all we have to do is LOOK! happy exploring!!

    Thanks guys...tomorrow morning i'll get caught up on...and visit you guys too! i appreciate you stopping by!!
    have a great day...weekend...
    laura :]

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  15. Perhaps someday, I'll be able to spot an owl perched in our surrounding woods. I know they're here, because occasionally I see one fly across the open....patience...:)JP

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  16. JP/Home, once you spot one...and they are pretty good at camouflaging themselves...you'll be able to spot them again. ours, at least seem to favor certain trees...and they'll sit there for quite some time! seeing them fly is exciting too! such dramatic wingspans! HEY! thanks for dropping by! :]

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  17. Laura - thanks for visiting ny curvy barcelona pics, and thanks too for your comments

    peace x

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  18. Thanksssssssss for the words, Laura! You're awesome!!! :)

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  19. Great post and very cool photos! Of course my favs were the Owl and the wood. Oh man how FAB is that!!
    I am going to email you a photo (or 2) I took last year that I am too chicken to post on my own blog! LOL!
    Thanks for sharing all the cool stuff!

    Now where did I bury that skull.....

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  20. Stark contrast between your crisp image patterns and the view one sees through cataract eyes. Sharp images can train the eye to focus then eyes need to relax and unfocus. So too moods meander from youthful sharpness then age into the haloes around lampposts.

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  21. Alexia, thanks for stopping in here too...hope you enjoyed your wander... :]

    Amused Medic...and same back at ya! :]

    Calling Ravens...skull? did i hear skull? >i've buried dead animals before...marked the grave...hoping to dig up bones later on...found out i didn't mark the grave too good! i learned my lesson! now i bury stuff under a grating i lay on the ground! i don't even ,like to think of all the bones i've LOST that way! ha!

    crayzys...wow! i had to read your comment...over and over...now i need to get another cup of coffee...and read it again...(then of course i'll have to go pee...3 times for each cup. it's hell getting older...)

    thanks ALL for stopping by & taking the time to leave a note!
    it's friday!! this weekend i'll get ALL caught up...and visit you in YOUR part of the world!
    :]laura

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  22. oooh, this owl grabbed my attention
    what big eyes!
    all the better with which to be wise

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  23. thanks Kel!! we...here...are so fortunate to have a pair of these beautiful barred owls that perch in our trees often!!
    they always grab my attention too!

    thanks for stopping in... :] laura

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  24. Laura, Really beautiful and interesting textures!

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  25. Thanks Irma/ihenryr!! glad you stopped by....and let me know you were here!! :] laura

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  26. This owl is staring at me! hihihi
    Beautiful pictures as always!

    I am fascinated with the delicacy and ornament transmitted by objects it creates with the remains of these smaller brother!

    I love these necklaces ... the only chance for ribbons ... hihi cord is also not buy anything on animal hide!
    Kisses a lot of light in your soul.

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  27. awesome! love your attention to detail.

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  28. Thanks Selena and June!! for taking time out to drop by and leave a note! >>the owl is nothing but a big ham!! he loves to get his picture taken...well, SOME of the time! and as far as the textures...i LOVE taking pictures like that!! REALLY makes me THINK!! have a great day! :laura

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thanks for stopping by! it's always nice to hear from fellow wanderers!