Walnut Creek Falls

 

Snow Squall over Lake Erie

 

Iceless Lake Erie

In 30 years of living on the Chautauqua Ridge overlooking Lake Erie, we have never seen the lake without ice this far into the winter.  Climate change is real!

 

A Walk in the Autumn Woods

 

Spring Serenity

 

Northern Harrier

An adult male Northern Harrier hunting over open grasslands on this beautiful first day of Spring!

 

Summer Solstice Sunset

"The festival of the Summer Solstice speaks of love and light, of freedom and generosity of Spirit.  It is a beautiful time of year where vibrant flowers whisper to us with scented breath, forests and woodlands hang heavy in the summer's heat and our souls become enchanted with midsummer magic." ~ Carole Carlton (Pagan Whispers)

Spring Crocus

Celebrate the Vernal Equinox!

"To find the Universal elements is enough

To find the air and the water exhilarating

To be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter

To be thrilled by the stars at night

To be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in Spring

These are some of the rewards of the simple life!"

~ John Burroughs

Imbolc 2018

The midpoint of Winter and the promise of Spring!

Imbolc begins at sunset today!

Merry Mabon!

"Long light has lingered here, Earth still is warm,

Deepening shadows lost by the dawn.

Long darkness rising here, though heat lingers on,

Twist of the Equinox – Mabon has come!

Dead leaves fall silently, drift on the air,

Trees standing, slumbering – dry, cracked and bare.

Time passes quietly, echoing past:

Earth calls the winter in. Mabon at last!"

~ from a poem by Leanne Daharja

“O now is the time of the Harvest,
As we draw near to the years end.
Now is the time of Mabon
Autumn is the time to descend.

Old Woman waits patiently for us
At the threshold of the labyrinth within
She offers her hand that we may understand
The treasures that await at journey’s end.

O Great Mother has given of Her body,
We give thanks for Her fruit and Her grain
We then clear the fields so that next harvest’s yields
Will be full and abundant again.

Old Woman leads us through the darkness
Our most ancient and trusted of friends
She carries the light of spiritual insight
And leads us to our wisdom once again.

And as we journey through the darkness
And as we continue to descend
We learn to let go of what obscures our soul
And re-discover our true being in the end.”

~ Lisa Thiel

Last Day of Summer

The last day of Spring...

...begins with a rainbow!

Followed by a waterspout over Lake Erie!

Lake Erie Ice Volcano

A cryovolcano, better known as an ice volcano along the Lake Erie shoreline.  During the winter and early spring, high winds create these cone-shaped ice formations that allow water, slush and sand to blow up through a hole in the center of the cone.

In the Dark of December

"I heard a bird sing in the dark of December,

a magical thing and sweet to remember.

We are nearer to Spring than we were in September...

...I heard a bird sing in the dark of December."  ~ Oliver Herford

Winter Solstice

"On the longest night we search for the light,

 and we find it deep within...

(photo of a Short-Eared Owl hunting after sunset)

Open your eyes to embrace what is wise,

and see the light of your own soul shining."  ~ Lisa Thiel

Autumn's Last Breath

Northern Harrier at Sunset

Colors of Autumn

Killdeer in Spring Snow

The Killdeer's camouflage works quite well in the patchy snow.