Sand Beach Serenity at Scenic Acadia

Curve Flow - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

Serenity at Sand Beach - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

Red Jackets - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

The Tide Among Boulders - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

Tranquil Horizons - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

Here are a few photos of one of our favorite places in Acadia.  Sand Beach is easily accessible from the Park Loop Road and is one of the most serene and scenic of the spots we visited.  Looking at the tranquil surface of the azure water, one could hardly believe that the flow in this cove was attached to the ocean!  I'm sure it kicks up at times, but on a calm day the tranquility of the place is spellbinding.  I've been there only in September but I'm sure that in the summer months it's a great place to swim, kayak, or just take the kids for a day on the beach.

Add to the sensuous curve of the beach the soft white sand, the influx of turquoise sea, and the majesty of the surrounding cliffs crowned by mixed boreal and hardwood forest, you've got the ingredients for magic.  I can envision spending many days there, watching the infinite movement of the water and its slightly more chaotic, hissing and foaming entry into the clusters of huge boulders at the edge of the beach, while the enchantment grows.

I apologize for the short post, but better short than not at all.  I hope you enjoyed the photos and that you get to visit Acadia one day, if you haven't already.



NOTE: You can click on each photo to see a larger version. All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my sites at http://LyndaLehmann.imagekind.com/ or http://www.absolutearts.com/lyndalehmann/ if you would like to see my acrylic paintings and more of my photography and digital art. You can find a list of my other sites and links in my blog's sidebar. Or google my name for more links. I hope you enjoyed your visit!

A Pale Beauty, Mindfulness, and Being

Pale Beauty - Image c Lynda Lehmann

 I love looking at this gorgeous, pale and delicate rose.  It's dainty and gossamer presence reminds us of the preciousness and transience of life.  It also reminds us that it is during tumultuous times such as we're living in now, times of great upheaval and change, that we need to turn inward to the peaceful core we each carry deep inside; it's only by permitting ourselves to situate at our most centered point on our psychic "fulcrum," if you will, that we will manage to weather the storms of destructive emotions and events.  
While I believe that organized religions often divide us, I believe that we each can find God at the deepest part of us; indeed, I believe God lives in the deepest part of us.  So rejoice in your Spirit, your Being-ness, your infinite Creativity.  Be whole and mindful, and create in the image of what YOU want the world to be.  And BE yourself. 

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary site at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/gallery if you would like to see my acrylic paintings and more of my photography and digital art. I hope you enjoyed your visit to my blog!

Silver Linings Trim the Sea

Silver Linings Trim the Sea - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Some views of nature invoke powerful feelings and there's not a word or set of words that will do them justice.  We know when we are witnessing scenes that speak to mysterious powers beyond our comprehension.  
I took a series of photos the other day on a beach on the south shore of Long Island, facing into the sun.  Photographically speaking, this is a no-no, especially without a good polarizing filter.  Since I had only my Nikon 7000 with me, I had to settle for its built in neutral density filter.  I simply could not pass up taking shots of the clouds and beach lit up in bangles of silver.  
Even the seagulls couldn't get over the drama in the western sky.
When clouds obscure your horizon, I wish you bright silver linings!

Witness to Clouds and Sea - Lynda Lehmann c 2011

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary site at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/gallery if you would like to see my acrylic paintings and more of my photography and digital art. I hope you enjoyed your visit to my blog!

At One and in Harmony: Perceptions from the Middle of the Lake

FLOW


I swam along the narrow, fertile strip of land between two islands today.  
The water was tepid, and the whole world shone in shades of blue and green, reamed with streaming ribbons of silver, turning in the warmth of sunlight. 

The wind whispered through the pines, carrying their perfume.  Golden grasses bowed to the breeze and I floated on my back, 
breathing Earth, Water, Sky into my soul. 

Buoyant with beauty, I'm still floating, hours later....


-- Lynda Lehmann

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site www.lyndalehmann.com if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art.

Earth's Ever-Present Voice

Broken Conch - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Peculiar Mix - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Stranded - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Shell Heap - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Basking on the Boulders - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Surf - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Flap and Flutter - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Alone in the Surf - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Earth's Ever-Present Voice

Nature speaks
and I must listen.

In inklings and intimations
She speaks to me,
diffuse and subtle
yet powerful and sure.

Her Voice comes in the
crunch of gravel and seashells underfoot,
in the hissing of sand
blowing sideways across the beach
in a gale
that stings my ankles
and whirls away.

Her Voice is in the
rakish angle of an emerging fin:
a diver following his own Muse,
deep underwater in
ironic search for treasure.

Her Voice is in the arc and call
of seagulls circling shoals
for late-day food
and even in the roaring engine of a lobster boat
making headway towards the shore.

Her Voice is in the sparkle of
quartz-laden pebbles
strewn on the beach,
each etched with its own
pattern of experience,

smoothed but striated,
glistening with minerals
while soaking in Eons,
the wear of centuries

and in the tumult
of children playing on the beach,
their laughter ringing
on the teasing wind.

Her Voice rises on the foaming tide
as it sweeps the shore,
engulfing seaweed, shards of glass and
millions of grains of sand.

Her Voice rises on the
scream of the gull
diving at the jetty,
extending its claws to claim a place
on the crusted rocks,

and in the flickering of sunlight
on all the detritus and
natural objects of the shore.

Her Voice is in
the singing of my heart
as I absorb
infinite dimensions of splendor

and in the stirring of my soul,
reveling in the
wildness and the freedom.

It is the Voice of Earth
calling to me
in intimations and inklings,
subtle and tentative
but always sure.

I must stop and listen.

Questions for My Blogging Friends: Is this poem too long? Should I cut a verse or two? Do you find the repetition of the phrase "Her Voice" to be boring or cumbersome? Your advice would be deeply appreciated! I look forward to any constructive comments, both positive and negative. Thanks for your visit!

All images and poem c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Birch Over Water

Birch Over Water - c Lynda Lehmann

Serenity is where we look for it.

A white birch with fresh spring leaves, reflected in a Maine river, offers a moment's tranquility.

Image and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Rush of Water, Hiss of Foam - Cut and Edited

Sorry to repeat myself, but I think I've made a great improvement here, over my last post. This is a cut and edited version of my latest amateur beach movie. I've put back the original soundtrack with wind and water sounds. I hope you enjoy it. When the music pauses, listen to the waves!

I loved making it, and hope to learn more about the video editing software. It's on my long list of goals....

Thanks for your visit and for sharing this with me!

Video c Lynda Lehmann but available on YouTube for embedding.

The Nature of Pine Bark: Beauty in Every Line and Pore

The Beauty of Pine Bark - Lynda Lehmann c 2009

Looking for and finding natural beauty, is my life. It carries me through my days, cushioning me from life's disappointments and the tragedies of the human condition. I remember the day I walked around the shore of Echo Lake State Park in New Hampshire, snapping photos of tree bark. I approached this tall pine, among others, on a crowded beach, and stood just a couple of inches from the scabrous and meandering bark. The people sunning on the lake shore literally stared--no doubt they thought I had escaped from the "loony bin." What IS that woman doing, standing with her nose stuck against the trunk of that scraggly, old pine? (Smirk...)

I've always had to explain to people how and why I LOOK at things with great interest. I've been asked in recent years,"Why are you always looking up?" The answer, of course, is that I find great inspiration in the trees, sky, and clouds. And why shouldn't I? Chances are, those particular acquaintances might be more concerned with contemplating their navels.

I remember WAY back in my college days, when I carried an apple home from the dining hall at Penn State and a roommate made a quip about "pseudo-intellectualism." But I was in earnest when I commented on the form and exquisite color of the apple. Of course in those days of upheaval and rebellion, we questioned everything. Especially the "Establishment," the "military-industrial complex" and the other stale institutions of the status-quo. Now, in my ripe old age, I realize that more than anything, we have to question ourselves, as the basis for any positive change. Transformation begins with our own perception and intellect. We have to take responsibility for who we are, for our own attitudes, actions and reactions, before we can change the world.

I'm lucky that simple beauties change the world for me! If this means I'm a "simple" person, I'll take it. I think I'm blessed to find the beauty and mystery in small details some other folks might be "too busy" to discover.

NOTE: I did tweak the above photo a bit, to bring out the hues that were already there, in the pine bark.

All photos and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Sounds of Water

This short video presents sounds heard at the beach. First you will have to forbear the roar of a boat engine. But after that you will hear footsteps fading away on the spongy sand, the cries of seagulls and the sensuous, soothing sounds of flowing water. You can hear the peaceful sounds of children playing on nearby swings, their voices drifting in the background.

And of course, you can enjoy the patterns the water makes as it flows in from the open bay onto the beach, or over rocks and seashells. At one point, you can see the water flowing in an almost regular, diamond pattern, a configuration created by its deflection off the natural objects in its path. This makes me think of all the transferable and transforming energies in the universe, and patterns of physics, and those found in fractals....

You may notice at times, that the water seems to be bubbling out of the ground, perhaps from underground springs as much as from local drainage patterns.

I love to watch the ribbons of sunlight reflected on the water's undulating surface, and changes in the texture and rhythm of the waves.

I hope you enjoy my little nature video. One day I'll make another version with better editing! At present, I haven't the slightest command of my video editing software, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from sharing a bit of nature's beauty.

Reflections on Summer's Passing

A Still and Solitary Time

Water Tapestry

Beneath the Surface

Sunset With Wake

Peace

autumn lays a cold hand on the lake
as its shores slip into evening shadows.
twilight's reminiscences bring joy and sorrow to bear.

under a painted sky i envision the freezing of the lake and the winter gale.

loneliness is in the air, in that settling autumn hush,
as seeking shelter becomes the point of it all.

another season of my life has passed
but in the sureness of beauty, I am comforted.

in the peace over the chilling land, i am replete.

- Lynda Lehmann c 2009



All photos and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

All in the Same Place

Touch of Autumn - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Reach - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Idyllic - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Here are three views of trees leaning over a lake in southern Maine, taken a week before the onset of autumn. They protrude from the fertile bank within mere feet of each other, practically at the same point. Each tree is different, in species, form, and the texture and color of its bark and foliage. Yet each is the same: leaning for sun and sustenance over the shallows in the fading afternoon light.

Lush with life, resplendent in diversity, our planet sings the songs of its seasons.

What are some of your favorite sights, in autumn?

All images and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Seashells and a Meditation Video: Sun, Sand, Water and Stone

Surfacing - Image c Lynda Lehmann

In spite of human excess, nature endures. Even in the most unlikely places, Earth's beauty and majesty shine through. Here is the outflow from a tidal pool. The water rushing out with the tide makes its own music as it dances over stones and pebbles, glistening in the afternoon light. It's still winter, but with just one afternoon of warmer temperatures and some nurturing sun, life quickens.

I hope you enjoy my little meditation video. I couldn't do much with my point-and-shoot, but my "real" digital camera doesn't shoot movies. Don't forget to turn up your sound, so you can hear the rushing water.

You might notice the algae on the rocks. We all need to remember how fertilizer run-off grows algae in our waterways, often depriving marine populations from life-sustaining oxygen. Let's also remember that where there is life, there is hope.

All images and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Flourishing in Golden Light

A single tree seems to stand proudly over this open and breathtaking landscape south of Sedona, Arizona, aglow in the golden light. Even places we think of as arrid, teem with life in many forms. I love the shadows over the rolling hills and the huge expanse of blue sky. I'll be posting more Arizona and Sedona photos this week, as time permits!

Image c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Gateway to Mystery

Gateway to Mystery - c Lynda Lehmann


With its musk and mystery the forest beckons, and holds me in its warm embrace. I'm taken by the glow, the lush, rich and intricate tapestry of living things. As the canopy closes around me, I'm forced to silence; the arbor seems more real than real, amazing and transforming me. And I know from the exhilaration I feel, that I exist.

Text and image c Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind .