On a Water Collaboration

Water – it flows, trickles, falls, splashes, floods, cascades, freezes, condenses, and evaporates

Water – it has tides, waves, ripples, and currents

Water – it refreshes, renews, quenches, purifies, quenches, heals, renews, cleanses

Water – it serves as a symbol and a metaphor

Water – it forms springs, creeks, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, bays, sounds, gulfs, seas, oceans, clouds, rain, snow, hail, sleet, steam, fog, vapors, glaciers, aquifers, and polar ice caps

There are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret, Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together. (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet)

Water – it acts as a border and an obstacle

Water – it dissolves, reflects, refracts, and transports

Water – it is the identifier of the universal solvent and The Blue Planet

Water – a coolant in industrial processes and an energy source

The sound of water escaping from mill dams, etc., willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts, and brickwork, I love such things. (John Constable, artist)

Water – for drinking, washing, shaving, bathing, cleaning, cooking, irrigating, and growing our food as well as many, many other things

Water – for fire fighting, street cleaning, fountains, toilets, parks, industry, hospitals, laundries, golf courses, hotels, car washes, beauty shops, barber shops, health clubs, and more

Water – for processing food, industrial processes, cooling, diluting, and processing food, beverages, drugs, shampoos, cosmetics, cleaning aids, and more

Water – for recreation as fishing boating, sailing, swimming, skiing, kayaking, diving, and snorkeling

Water – for dairies, livestock, crops, grasses, trees, shrubs, and flowers

Water – to transport ships, boats, and ferries with people, supplies, and goods

In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so with present time. (Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance Man)

97 percent of Earth’s water  is salt water and only three percent is freshwater; slightly over two thirds of freshwater is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. The remaining unfrozen freshwater is found mainly as groundwater, with only a small fraction of freshwater’s presence being above ground or in the air.

Fresh water is a renewable resource, yet the world’s supply of groundwater is steadily decreasing, with depletion occurring most prominently in Asia and North America, although it is still unclear how much natural renewal balances this usage, and whether ecosystems are threatened.

The human brain now holds the key to our future. We have to recall the image of the planet from outer space: a single entity in which air, water, and continents are interconnected. That is our home. (David Suzuki, Canadian scientist)

 

Special thanks to Robin (MaidinSun Photography) for providing the photographs. I encourage readers to visit her at Breezes at Dawn. All photos are copyrighted by MaidinSun Photography.

On Shadows

 

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. The Shadow knows. (From the introduction to the radio series, The Shadow)

 

Friendship is the shadow of the evening, which increases with the setting sun of life. (Jean de La Fontaine, poet)

Shadow – partial darkness cast by an object affecting light passing through

Shadow – a reflected image

Shadow – a shelter from danger

Shadow – a faint representation

Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind. (Nathaniel Hawthorne, novelist)

 

The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection. (Michelangelo, artist)

Shadow – a dark sense

Shadow – a shaded part of an image

Shadow – to follow someone

Shadow – a sense of gloom/unhappiness

Everything we see is a shadow cast to that which we did not see. (Martin Luther King, Jr; activist)

 

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it. The tree is the real thing. (Abraham Lincoln, statesman)

Shadow – obscurity

Shadow – to conceal

Shadow – to secretly trail

Shadow – a two-dimensional silhouette of an object

Shadow – a personality’s unconscious side

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow. (Helen Keller, author)

 

Special thanks to Robin (MaidinSun Photography) for providing the photographs. I encourage readers to visit her at Breezes at Dawn. All photos are copyrighted by MaidinSun Photography.

 

On Dark

 

Coyote Gulch (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument)

 

Dark – from the Old English deorc, Middle English derk, MIddle High German terken, and Germanic tarnen

Dark – a noun and adjective with forms as an adjective or a verb

Dark – darkish, darken, darkly, darkness, darker, darkest

Dark – a shade or color that is closer to black than white

“The Navajo Wave” (Page, UT)

 

Dark – the absence of light in a place – as in darkness, blackness, gloom, murkiness, shadow, shade

Dark – possessing a depth and richness, a descriptor for the color of skin, hair, or eyes – as in brunette, dark brown, chestnut, sable, jet-black, ebony

Dark – hidden from knowledge; mysterious, secret, hidden, concealed, veiled, covert, clandestine; archaic, ignorant; unenlightened

Waterholes Canyon (Page, UT)

 

Dark – as a closed theater; one not in use, closed to the public

Dark – not reflecting much light; approaching black in shade – as in black, pitch-black, jet-black, inky

Dark – a period of time or situation characterized by tragedy, unhappiness, or unpleasantness – as in tragic, disastrous, calamitous, catastrophic, cataclysmic

Dark – as a pessimistic view – as in gloomy, dismal, pessimistic, negative, downbeat, bleak, grim, fatalistic, black, somber

Somewhere in Oklahoma

 

Dark – as an expression – as in angry; threatening. moody, brooding, sullen, dour, scowling, glowering, angry, forbidding, threatening, ominous, sinister, evil, wicked, sinful, immoral, bad, iniquitous, ungodly, unholy – the dark side

Dark – a time of day – as in night, nightfall, nighttime, darkness

Dark – a condition, as in having very little or no light – having less light in color than other substances

Dark – a devoid or partially devoid of light – not receiving, reflecting, transmitting, or radiating light

Bryce Canyon, UT

 

Dark, a lack of knowledge, culture, or understanding – as in unenlightened

Dark – a situation – as in grim, depressing – the darkest hour, dark days

Dark – the unknown or unexplored because of remoteness

Somewhere else in Oklahoma

 

Dark – as used in idioms as dark horse, in the dark, leap in the dark, shot in the dark, the darkest hour, the dark side, a deep dark secret, and whistle in the dark

Dark – a complex word about a place, a time, a feeling, and much related to light and color – and a powerful metaphor

“Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand” (Michael Jackson, Thriller)

The Milky Way at Zion National Park

 

In an earlier post featuring light, several comments address the need to counter the post about light with one about dark … so here it is. Steve is not only a long-time friend and photography enthusiast, we’ve collaborated on several occasions right here. I write the text and he selected the images to embed at various points.

I encourage everyone to visit his site to see his photos, which are available for purchase. He may also respond to comments here when he can, so feel free to ask him questions.
Photos are copyrighted by Steve Ancik @ LightWave Images

On Green

Green – from the Latin viridis, related to virere “to grow” and very “spring” … and from the Greek chloros

Green – from the Old English grēne (adjective), grēnian (verb)

Green – of Germanic origin; related to Dutch groen, German grün, also to grass and grow;

Variations – green, greens, greener, greening, greenest, greened

Green – one of the three primary colors of light

Green – the color between blue and yellow in the spectrum with a wavelength range of 495-570 nanometers

Green – commonly associated with the presence of chlorophyll

Green – consisting of fresh green vegetables

Green – covered with vegetation …. as in verdant, grassy, leafy, verdurous

Green – vegetables, leafy vegetables, salad, salad greens, kale, spinach, lettuce, chard

Green – one of three colors of quark

Green – a signal to proceed

Green – the lowest level of difficulty

Green – a political principle about the environment … as in environmental, ecocentric, ecological,  conservation, non-polluting

Green – unripe, immature, unseasoned, and raw

Green – a person who is inexperienced, naive, immature, gullible, or young

Green – as in emerald, forest, kelly, jade, mint, lime, yellow-green, blue-green, and chartreuse

Green – formed by combining yellow and cyan in the RGB color model used in computer and television screens

Green – a person’s complexion as pale, sickly-looking, pallid, ashen, pasty

Green – a common place associated with the center of town, a public, a park, common, a lawn

Green – the very short grass immediately surrounding a hole on a golf course

Green – the color detected by the M cone cells on the eye’s retina

Green – the traditional complement to red – the RGB complement to magenta

Green – a color for natural camouflage

 

Green – the eye color most common in Northern and Central Europe

Green – the symbol of regeneration and rebirth in Ancient Egypt

Green – in the flags of Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan,  South Africa, Portugal and Nigeria, Jamaica, Iran, Libya, Portugal and Nigeria

Green – the traditional color of Islam and the median color between light and obscurity

Green – the color of Roman Catholic and Protestant vestments during ordinary time – but the color of Pentecost to Orthodox Christians

Green – Green – the symbol of fertility (China) eternal life (Japan), death (South America), Wednesday (Thailand), hope (India), corruption, (North Africa), money (USA), luck (to many), but traditionally a forbidden color in Indonesia

Green – the color of St. Patrick’s Day – but combines with red at Christmas

Green – the color of Venus: the Roman goddess of gardens, vegetables, and vineyards

Green – the color of springtime, freshness, hope, nature, vivacity, and life

Green with blue for calm, tolerance, neutrality, harmony, balance, and agreeable

Green – the color of jealousy and envy

Special thanks to Marina (Marina Kanavaki @ Art Towards a Happy Day) for the images of her artwork. I encourage readers to visit her at website and her Society 6 store where you can browse her work on various media. All images are copyrighted by Marina Kanavaki.

This is my second collaboration with Marina, here’s the first: On Blue.

On Humanity

“Burger” on trumpet with his band, TBC, at a second line on St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans

The majority of the world is good – I’ve written those words on past posts here because I believe it. Even when the news constantly reminds us about all the evil, I continue to believe the majority of the world is good.

Humanity is a term that refers to all of us. All … not all with a but or except … simply all. Regardless of skin color, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, location or any other qualifier or disqualifier, humanity includes the characteristics human beings have in common.

Acceptance
The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance. (Brian Tracy, author)

Men in support of the Lady Buckjumpers second line in Central City, New Orleans

Compassion
Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love. (Stevie Wonder, musician)

Sammy Eubanks comforts his wife Corrie after he was notified that his band did not win the blues competition in Memphis, TN

Cooperation
The requirements for our evolution have changed. Survival is no longer sufficient. Our evolution now requires us to develop spiritually – to become emotionally aware and make responsible choices. It requires us to align ourselves with the values of the soul – harmony, cooperation, sharing, and reverence for life. (Gary Zukav, author)

Members of The Stooges brass band rehearse prior to a second line in Central City, New Orleans

Goodness
Goodness is about character – integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people. (Dennis Prager, journalist)

Three generations of Mardi Gras Indian queens on the most important of all nights — St. Joesph’s Night — in Central City, New Orleans

Humility
Humility, that low, sweet root, from which all heavenly virtues shoot. (Thomas Moore, poet)

Mr. Otis gives me a little advice about life on the street in Central City, New Orleans

Integrity
Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not. (Oprah Winfrey, entertainer)

Coming out in Treme – the neighborhood, not the HBO series

Kindness
A warm smile is the universal language of kindness. (William Arthur Ward, writer)

Sometimes we celebrate. The world’s biggest smile at Uncle Lionel’s Jazz Funeral in Treme, New Orleans

Love
Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses. (Ann Landers, journalist)

Two second line walkers greet each other in Central, New Orleans

Patience
Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting. (Joyce Meyer, author)

Taking pictures requires a little patience at Mardi Gras, Uptown, New Orleans

Respect
I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being. (Jackie Robinson, athlete)

Respect is what we owe; love, what we give. (Philip James Bailey, poet)

Mardi Gras Indians greet the elders during Downtown Super Sunday, 7th Ward, New Orleans

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Ray Laskowitz is a photographer in New Orleans. I can’t recall how we found each other, but I find his photos capture many aspects of humanity. Fittingly, he describes his blog as “about pictures and their backstories.” My experience told me he is the perfect artist for this collaborative endeavor. I gathered the text, then he supplied the images.

I encourage everyone to visit Ray’s blog for his stories and his website to see his photos, where images are available for purchase. I’ve invite Ray to respond to comments when he can, so feel free to ask him questions.

All photos are copyrighted by Ray Laskowitz @ Laskowitz Pictures