Maypole Day

 May 1st. May Day. Maypole Day. Rebirth. New beginnings. Spring.

I have a vivid memory of (when I was very young) celebrating Maypole Day at a local high school where one of my aunts served on the May Day Queen Court. Given the timeframe, I would have been under the age of five. That's a pretty powerful memory. 

As little girls do sometimes, I thought my aunt looked like a fairy princess. As required then, she wore a long, formal ball gown with evening gloves. My memory wants me to recall that the dress was pale yellow for some reason, but the history and customs of the Maypole Court and Dance indicate it was likely white. Either way, I thought her to be so beautiful. Even though she was not crowned May Day Queen (or May Queen) that day, watching the festivities surrounding the custom and the coordinated dancing around the Maypole held a strong enough fascination for me. I recall it decades later every May 1st. And for a few years in elementary school, I took part in Maypole Dancing, too, until the practice was nothing more than a memory. 

It is likely that my aunt is somewhere in one of the two photographs here. Same timeframe, same location. And somewhere in the crowd, I sat with my grandmother watching the pageantry of it all with wonder. 

 

Also, regarding my last post on Cedar Waxwings, I found a photograph of one of the crabapple trees in my front yard in full bloom. There were three of these trees in my yard at the time; the smallest one was in the back that I referenced in that blog post. As always, thanks for reading what I post here. 

It was 1978 or so...

When you were a teenager and you had your driver's license....the volume was up on the radio in that car. It meant freedom. This song was playing at some point. The windows were probably rolled down, too (we didn't push buttons to do this back then).  Heatwave's 'The Groove Line'.

Then Homecoming Dances in the fall (maybe prom, as well, but I was still too young to attend those)...the second song was a slow dance feature. Decades later and nostalgia rules as it always does. 'Always and Forever' by Heatwave.

Cedar Waxwings

 Sometime in March or April about a dozen or so years ago, I watched a gift fly into view from my kitchen window in Chicagoland. A flock of the most beautiful birds suddenly swooped into my sightline, attacking a crabapple tree in the backyard. Attacking might not be the correct word, but it’s how it initially looked. They were actually feasting. Perhaps the words frenzy, frenetic, frenetically could be applied, but hopefully there’s the visual. Out of control.

First, I had never seen such a bird so I had no idea what was going on or why, not to mention a flock of feathered beauty acting a little crazy; secondly, as a photographer, I automatically grabbed my camera wondering how I could get outside without scaring them away. And third, the Original Best Girl was suddenly at my side ready to join me. You see, she was my canine supermodel and my camera meant she and I were going outside for adventures. So I couldn’t resist her soft brown eyes and go without her. Believe it or not, my girl and I went outside and stood about four feet from all of the activity and it didn’t phase the party at all. 

Getting a clear and good photo of them proved difficult, however, regardless of how close I was to them. They were moving around the tree so quickly, tossing back the berries and passing them around. I had no way of knowing where they were going next. Fluttering times a thousand. Even Lily, Original Best Girl, sat there mesmerized. Our presence did not bother these gorgeous birds. And just as quickly as they arrived, they departed as a flock. Done. Gone. Never to be seen again. 

My dog looked at me as if to say, “What just happened?” Even she had forgotten about the camera. The really only clear photograph I got that day is shared here. The image can be found on my Fine Art America/Pixels site. 

It took a bit of searching to find what type of bird had briefly entered my world that day, but they are called Cedar Waxwings. Described as social songbirds with pale yellow bellies and black masks, they travel in flocks following fruit sources (the berries left on my crabapple tree). They are also known to get intoxicated on the fermented berries they eat. Check. So I concluded that’s what I saw that day…it explains the way these birds were acting, and how oblivious they were to me and to my dog. They imbibed a little too much, and now I affectionately refer to these stunning birds as Little Drunk Bandits (note the black masks). Just for fun though.

That day was the first and only time I have ever been in the presence of a Cedar Waxwing. Right place, right time, gift sort of thing. At the time, there were two other crabapple trees in the yard so I wondered if they had hit those trees, as well. If not, I got lucky that day because the tree they chose was the only one visible from my kitchen window. Bird’s Eye View. Sorry, couldn’t resist. And call it a lucky gift if these beautiful birds ever decide to visit, however briefly it might be. 

Valentine's Day

 For those of us who kept them, wrote in them

When we were young

And decades later.

Written words formed from shyness, sadness, awkwardness 

Introverted, quiet, expressive, artistic.

Conveying thoughts, revelations, anger

Love, sadness, ideas, creativity, happiness.

Misunderstood, unrequited, forlorn

Release, emotions, low and high.

Diary or Journal

Hidden away

Hoping no one ever found them.

Happy Valentine's Day (for those who recognize the day, and those who simply write about it). 🩷

Clink to Fourteen

 Our Christmas decorations are put away for the year, we've eaten our share of New Year's Day black-eyed-peas for luck, and we're now in search of our "healthy new us" era. While it does seem like just another resolution or two that one will eventually break (as usual), I have sincere intentions of following through with all of my goals. They are for myself and no one else. The fact that I am a list maker and always have been should at least help, although as I've aged it seems I have strayed from the "writing it down and checking it off" bit. I need to reestablish that part...another goal. 

As for this blog...it has seen fourteen new years and fifteen months of January. It will be a mystery as to how much longer I continue with it, and someday it will simply end as most things do. No fanfare or build up. 

Thank you to all who continue reading what I have to write. It is so very appreciated. I hope 2026 is a healthy, happy, safe and prosperous year for all. 

Cheers, or as the Grand would say as she raises her cup (of milk!), "Clink" as we all hold up our glasses (of our drinks of choice) and make a toast. 🎉

Happiest of Holidays

 Peace, love, kindness and light to all.  Merry Christmas. 🎄🎅

Perspective

 In the last few years, I've found it difficult to travel with my cameras. The weight of them along with the lenses and gear have gotten cumbersome for me to handle, and airline restrictions for carryon luggage don't help. Carrying and lifting are a struggle these days with the fear of pain and injury sending me back into physical therapy. 

My Canon telephoto lens weighs about three and a half to four pounds; when attached to a camera that weighs as much or more, that weight is unbearable for me to carry supported with a strap around my neck and in my hands. So I've had to balance which cameras to use and when. Car travel is easy by tossing the gear into the car, but I still need to gauge distance and be limited by how far I can walk to get the shot I want. 

The last two international trips I took, my Leica Q2 accompanied me. It's a much lighter camera, easier to carry and less of a hassle. It does a great job and I'm happy with it, however, it can't compare to my Canon DSLR cameras, and it certainly doesn't have the zoom capability of my telephoto lenses. But we settle.

This summer, car travel allowed for the Canons. Below is an example of reality and what I see through my camera using a telephoto lens. It was during a visit to Algoma, Wisconsin on the Crescent Beach boardwalk along Lake Michigan (Door County Peninsula). The subject is the Algoma Pierhead Lighthouse. The first photograph shows me sitting on a bench using my camera to take a photo of the lighthouse in the distance. The other two are a couple of shots that I got using a telephoto lens. And after a long walk along the boardwalk and beach, I was grateful for the bench which allowed me to stabilize the camera a bit. I thought it interesting to share this.

The other photos are autumn shots of the beautiful time of year, with one image framed and hanging on a wall. All are screenshots of images on my Fine Art America and Pixels account.  As always, thanks for reading my blog.