(Source Photos: Andy Blumenthal)
Category Archives: Forest
Nature Boy
When I was a kid and I went to the supermarket with my mom, I remember always seeing the “Andy Boy Broccoli” in the produce aisle.
Of course, I was always curious why Broccoli was called Andy Boy–what boy or any kid for that matter likes to eat broccoli???
And like most things in life, there really wasn’t a good answer except that this company, “Andy Boy” grows and distributes it.
Anyway, I was always a nature boy feeling most at home and at peace in the countryside.
I love being in nature, surrounded by G-d’s amazing beauty, and at one with the universe and with G-d.
In building all our great cities, buildings, and structures, aside from the crowding, pollution, crime and traffic that we have consequently, we have also lost something elementary to our lives with the absence of real nature.
A park is not a forest. A pond is not a river. A plant is a not a lush valley. A garden is not a farm. A hill is not a mountain range. A pet is not a teeming ecosystem of diverse life.
The city is man made and fake, but nature is from G-d and real. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Attempting A Serenade
This was a really crazy Memorial Day weekend:
1. When I was kayaking, a guy in another boat races after us. He yells out about his wife leaving her keys in the boat. He gets so excited he falls in the lake…this really happened.
2. A couple getting married in the park are taking pictures by the lake. The photographer eggs the lady on to go down to the bank of the water with her new adoring husband. She hesitates, but finally gives in and then falls on her butt in the mud in her beautiful gown… oops.
3. This must’ve been the weekend for outdoor weddings, because we saw another couple getting married on the hiking trail’s overlook. It was a beautiful place for a ceremony and quite economical too. We wondered what they had planned if the weather hadn’t cooperated and it had rained–perhaps, “Ah, why don’t we get married next week instead!”
4. A couple comes up to me asking if I’ve seen their lost dog. They are screaming into the woods to see if they can locate the Airedale Terrier, Rosie. I asked what happened to their dog, and they explain that the dog saw some deer and chased after them into the woods and didn’t come back. They are there with their extended family with walkie-talkies and all searching and putting up signs. The next day, I am surprised to see the lady sitting on a stoop in the woods with the dog wagging its tail. I ask if this is the lost dog and what happened. And she tells me how the dog found its way out of this enormous park and walked along the side of the road home, until the neighbors sighted her and called them with the news.
5. And finally in this video, I just sort of spontaneously burst out into serenading this lovely lady. All’s well that ends well. 😉
Baby Frog, See You Now
So I took this picture of this baby frog while hiking.
This was the first one we saw–on the foliage it completely blended in, but on the rocks we could see it clearly.
It was so little and cute–I had to zoom in to get this shot.
After this, it actually jumped under a log and I got an action photo of its hind legs in mid-jump–going what seemed like super-frog speed.
Once, I was attuned to the frogs color and motion, I was able to detect many of them in the forest today–all pretty much like this little baby.
It was interesting to me learning from this, how before we are aware of something–it’s as if it doesn’t even exist (even with subtle ribbits in the air); and after you are sort of clued in to the surroundings, you almost can’t help but see them.
To me, it’s like life in general, when you don’t see your own issues or life challenges, you can’t even begin to work on them because your virtually oblivious to them, but once you see yourself for what you are–warts and all–you can begin to work through your problems, as if you have almost transcendental awareness.
A little camouflaged frog, like subtle personal issues may be almost imperceptible in the forest of life, but against a contrasting background, you can get amazing clarity–to self-help and self-heal.
Cute little frog, I can see you now and your not jumping away from me anymore. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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