Tag: seasons

I Saw Myself

I saw myself today

30 years ago a newlywed

In that cabin across the river

Where I sat for hours watching the currents sweep over the boulders

Time spent with my lover in solitude and adventure with dreams of the future and contented pleasure.

I saw myself today

20 years ago a mom of two hilarious children

Camped out on the floor in that cabin across the river

A family on vacation, swimming hole, and fishing poles

A walk to the gingerbread factory, the hat shop and the toy store ending with a German pretzel and dinner at the Baren Haus.

I saw myself today

In the present

Reflected in a store window

Shopping and thinking and exploring

Years of child-raising replaced by caring for my elderly mom

Picking wildflowers and pine cones and creating new things in my head

A time of respite and renewal, observing the changes that have taken place and those things that never change.

I saw myself today

20 years from now

Walking hand in hand with the same man I always loved

Coming to a light pole in the sidewalk with hands temporarily parting

Quickly rejoined to explore that same town we always have, getting bratwurst, walking to Blackbird Island, and talking about the years gone by

I saw myself today

30 years in the future

My white hair askew as a caregiver pushes me, donned in a royal purple bathrobe in a wheelchair down the Main Street

Past the horse and buggy, past the shops and restaurants

A pile of flowers and ornamental grasses on my lap gleaned from the passing displays and gardens

A smile on my face in memory of days gone by.

©Belindabotzong2018

Lazy Summer Evening

Respite from the blistering heat of another summer day where everything moves slowly, even the sun as it lingers on the horizon before it melts into the edge of the sea.

High tide laps lazily against the boulders and Slate blue waves ripple in the sunset shimmer

The schooner Zodiac plies slowly along in the last moments of daylight

Framed by Lummi Island she is majestically poised for a perfect sunset

The breeze rewards her crew with perfectly filled sails as seagulls loop and dip along the shore [wpvideo TEhIfl5X ]

Speedboats are the only quick moving thing as they race for the harbor as a fishing boat moans and rumbles along the shore

Hazy thin layers of far away forest fire smoke hang over Orcas Island creating a mysterious mood over Mt. Constitution’s towers

And filters the sunset into an artistic filtered hue

Another beautiful, lazy summer evening on Bellingham Bay.

©Belindabotzong2018

My evening

The kayak club cleared the beach with gusto heading out to dinner with friends, home, or even a vacation in Montana was announced with glee. He has a cabin in the sawtooth mountains where he plans to hike and relax for the last weeks of summer break.

The dinner cruise droned by after a tour of the nearby islands and disembarked its satisfied passengers at the nearby ferry terminal, heading home with that feeling one gets after inhaling an enormous amount of fresh sea air. Hair blown askew, stiffened by salty breezes, they make their way hand in hand to their Subaru, satisfied with their choice for such a grand outdoor experience.

A lone woman sits on a boulder at the quiet end of the beach. Her bike handlebars askew as she left it parked on the goose-poop covered lawn. Her forehead draws together in a frown at the intrusion of another woman taking a seat on a nearby bench. Solitude is clearly desired as she works through and ponders her troubles. The bench seated woman feels the discomfort of invading another’s space and moves on to a quiet spot to watch seagulls and sailboats and write about her view, snapping a few photos.

Jets fly overhead for their final approach to the nearby airport with those returning from trips around the country or around the world. They will disembark with that left over stale feeling one gets from flying too far for too long and they will breathe deeply the cool August day air and say “home sweet home”.

A helicopter flies quickly south, meaning another crisis in some family as a loved one is rushed to Seattle for advanced care and the patient will disembark on a journey through healing and recovery. Or not.

A train rumbles past filled with passengers all looking forward to either a return home or an exciting adventure beyond the routine of home. The incessant warning of the engineer announces their passing.

Multiple sailboats glide in the evening breeze like the seagulls that swoop and soar as the sun sets slowly beyond them. Some are racing while others take their time to embrace the freedom of being on the rippled sea, inhaling that same fresh air that will later lead to a deep restorative sleep.

The woman on the bench is now alone and there is a deep peaceful lull in the activity. Waves lap lazily onto the shore bringing her treasures to find. Sticks and stones, shells and glass. The beauty and artistry of nature in the perfection of an evening at the bay surrounded by the San Juan islands, the Salish Sea, the harbor, the beach and the sky.

[wpvideo Z4n1Hwas ]

©Belindabotzong2018

God’s Studio

Famed artist makes a local visit

Splashing vivid tones across the landscape

A dizzying array

A wild frenzy

A fantastic display

Gradients and bold, bright hues

Shades of pink and yellow, orange and blue

Matching and contrasting

Grass, trees and sky

Filling my garden and pleasing my eye

That glorious creator of color

Blossoms and blooms

Frantically bless our senses

Delightful and delicious to behold

His creative hand and eye at work

In His studio called Spring!

©Belindabotzong2018

Perfect Spring Morning

Blossoms and buds

Awaken

Brilliant red rhodie

Perfect pink peony

Bright blue rock seed

Orange and yellow with purple splashes fill out spring’s palette

Trills and tweets

Twitters and sweet whistles

Carrying tunes of joyful birds on wafts of morning breezes

As they gather pieces of nesting treasures

Coolness ahead of summer-like days

Saltwater fragrances fill the sky covered in a thick marine layer

Awaiting the big reveal of sunshine blue skies

©Belindabotzong2018

Music of Spring

Finch plays her piccolo

Flicker on percussion

Robins join in soprano trills

Hummingbird with her metronome

Bees buzz in perfect harmony

Sparrows round out the symphony in melodious notes

Tones and tunes in perfect pitch

Notes and measures played on queue

All in praise of their maestro, conductor, creator

The music of spring returns

Pulling on heartstrings

©Belindabotzong2018

Storybook cream puff clouds

Playfully glide across the blue ribbon bay

Bouncing off one another

Playing hide and seek between the bulges of the islands

Fishing trawler motors slowly into the harbor

Engine grumbling toward the dock

Tangled nets and a multitude of lines

Attracting hungry seagulls with the promise of the remains of a fresh catch

Swooping and soaring they chuckle and chortle their anxious greetings

Another glorious day at the bay

©Belindabotzong2018

Spring’s Beauty Pageant

First up

Early bloomer

A real show stopper

Last snowfall graces her pretty purple petals

Her name is Crocus

Hope of winter’s passing

–

Next up we have

Tall and graceful with ruffled lace adorning her yellow head

She sways in chilly breezes

Often drenched in rain

Bright sunny disposition never diminished

Her name is daffodil

Delight of spring

–

For our next contestant

Highly regarded and coveted around the world

Simplicity at its finest

Dressed in jeweled hues

She really knows how to draw a crowd

Her name is tulip

Promise of glorious days

–

Coming up next we have a regal beauty

Timeless and treasured

Her delicate blossoms gather in heavy bunches

Dressed in various hues of white, pink, and purple accented with jade accessories

She knows how to attract an audience

Her name is rhododendron

Promise of summer days ahead

–

And for our final contestant

A blushing beauty

Most delicate and desirable

Her fragrance and beauty melts the heart of everyone

Her wardrobe is vastly varied and imaginative

Her name is rose

Anticipation of beautiful futures

–

It’s nearly impossible to pick a winner when so much beauty abounds. Peonies and daisies, sunflowers and nasturtiums and so many others will write the poetry of nature this spring.

We are down to our final five contestants. As they parade through the gardens announcing the arrival and departure of the season of hope, let’s take a look once more at the top five. Will it be rose in her royal finery? Will it be the more delicate daffodil? The breathtaking rhodie? The surprising crocus? Or perhaps the timeless tulip. As they make their appearances in succession over the coming months you can choose a favorite or you can love them all. Enjoy!!

There we have it folks. Let’s have these lovely ladies take a final bow as we await the judges decision -which of these will be crowned and win Spring’s Annual Beauty Pageant?

©Belindabotzong2018

Sense of Spring

Spring sees the snow capped mountains distant to the sea

Spring looks like a beautiful gown of yellow buds on bright green leaves in deeply furrowed fields of daffodils

Spring smells like fresh mowed grass and salty air

Spring inhales the freshness of the breeze on her puffy clouds

Spring tastes like honey and nectar filled blooms

Spring licks her lips covered in pollen and smiles

Spring touches the imagination with a twist of longing for long lazy days ahead

Spring feels like a fever waiting to break —warmth mixed with chilly bursts and sweet relief

Spring hears giggling gulls and high pitched squeals of children

Spring listens to winter as he hangs his head in regret, sensing his remorse that it couldn’t go on longer as he marches off into the horizon.

©Belindabotzong2018