When you are solo, portrait work is challenging.  Especially when you forget the cord for your remote trigger!  Well there is more then one way to release the shutter.  My first attempt at this task was a swim in the river.  The river is only knee deep in the deepest spots so no big deal.  The first challenge for me was going into the water in my birthday suite.  At first I was worried the trees would point out my post baby body (my youngest is 7!) and the birds would cackle at my blemishes, then I realized that… No one cares but me!  Giving myself that permission was so freeing.

In the wake of this freedom I burned up the shutter with my creative fire.  I spent the next two days executing image after image that was trapped in my head.  Inspiring new images in the wake of each semi planned image.  The energy I gained from this was so much that sleep was hard to find.  Although, I longed for sleep after exploring the woods and each time I returned to the cabin I had new scratches, bug bites and itches.

I heard a barred owl the other night. Such a lovely lullaby she sang.

Greetings to another day here at Trade River. I have been working hard at taking risks and discovering new things about myself and my expressions.  So hard in fact that both Saturday and Sunday nights I have had little sleep due to racing thoughts about images I would like to make or words I would like to say.  After some work an afternoon nap might be necessary.

It is raining this morning, so I thought I would process some snap shots of the area.  My finished art work will go up on my site in the coming weeks.

Trade River

Parker

The Cabin

Trade River post office sign down the road.

Abandoned house down the road

Fish Lake

Fish Lake

Fish Lake

Fish Lake

The day started out wonderful.  The sun was shining there was little breeze and the birds were singing. As I drank my coffee on the deck over looking the river, a grasshopper landed on the railing.  He did a little dance, as he attempted to focus on whether I was friend or foe, than flew away.  Parker and I went for a walk along the country road to explore the area on foot.  Every driver that passed us gave the friendly steering wheel wave.  You do not get much of that in the city.

In the river, under the bridge were trout and bullhead swimming in the current.  A bald eagle flew low in the sky over the river looking for his next meal.  We see Bald Eagles daily in Saint Paul but there is something special about seeing them in the wild.

Watercolor was next on the list.  Owls have been a symbol for me for years.  The first time an owl came into my life was the night my grandmother passed away.  She had patiently waited for the entire family to arrive, who were traveling from all over.  Throughout that weekend she said her goodbyes in private.

Then I received the call that it was time… she was dying.  I rushed to the house to only miss her by a few minutes.  As I left the house that cold March evening, an owl very near by called out as to tell me something… perhaps goodbye, perhaps insuring safe passage of my grandmother’s soul.

Ever since then owls have been in my life.  For several years’ now owls have lived in the woods behind our home. I love listening to them singing, chatting and calling to one another all while raising owlets, mirroring our family.

For some, owls are the sign of an omen, bad things to come. Owls are misunderstood.  They bridge the gap from the living and spirit worlds. They carry the souls of loved ones safely from one world to the next. An owl’s qualities are not just an old soul with intuitive wisdom, but much more.  The owl’s power is to give courage when under criticism of others; they typically see what others do not; they are able to predict the future behaviors; and lastly, owls have an awareness and sensitivity to others without carrying others problems.  Wow, sounds like the qualities of a good therapist!

Completed two watercolor paintings of owls the first half of the day.  So far so good!  This afternoon more photography!

Now it is time for lunch…

In the days leading up to leaving Friday was an emotional roller coaster.  Feelings of excitement, doubt and even guilt led to thoughts of ‘this will be great’ to ‘I should not go.’  I will admit that I was a little surprised by the strength of my internal conflict.  Having this opportunity to further my creative self in an environment such as this is something I have always dreamed of, if even for a week.

So I hit the road with my trusty sidekick Parker, our twelve-year-old mutt.  While driving the conflict in my head continued, I could hardly believe I was bailing on the family for a week.  Once I arrived my nerves calmed and quieted with the gentle nature of the place.  The cabin was peaceful and the woods and it’s residence appeared to welcome me.

After settling in, I explored the site and chased the falling light, munching some sun warmed wild raspberries along the way.  Once I plotted some of my potential image making opportunities for the evening light I sat by the river… And waited.  I waited for, I am not sure what but then I started to think of home and wondered what the children, husband, and Django the cattle dog, were all doing.  Wishing they can be apart of this wonderful peaceful place.  Just then a Garter Snake came slithering by slowly transforming my thoughts to the present. I smiled. Nature is beautiful and if you are present it helps you find your balance and guidance.

Snapping out of my head, I began to see images, see the light wrap and cradle objects with it’s last evening rays.  I photographic my observations and started the creative warm up process. This feels good.  This feels right.  I feel at peace.

Night fell and I slept hard remembering no dreams.  Maybe tomorrow I will some dreams to help fuel my image making.