gazes

autumn at core creek…geese, deer, and a chance of humans...lake luxembourg

in

The thousands of geese are filling three of Nature’s elements this time of year: the Air, the Waters of Lake Luxembourg, and the Earth of the surrounding fields. The deer, thankfully, stick to the fields only. The weekend crowds of humans have faded; now I just sightsee the odd one here and there.

It’s the best stretch of the year: colorful, calm, pleasant, and quiet. Great light, great air, and nobody bothering anybody.

The views are so good it’s almost unfair. Choosing which photos to share was the real challenge. Your screens won’t show every tiny detail in the images, so I added a few close-up crops to give you a sense of what you’re missing.

Close-up crop of a tiny middle section of the panorama above

Close-up crop of a middle section of the image above

joyful day revisited...Simchat Torah 2009

in

The year is 2009. Lucy and I joined our daughter’s family for Simchat Torah at Congregation Beth Israel of West Hartford, CT. It was a beautiful celebration, full of genuine warmth. Rabbi Stephen Fuchs led the ceremony, and I walked around with my camera capturing as much of it as I could. I took a lot of photographs that day. One picture I kept coming back to became my favorite, and I printed several copies, among them one for Rabbi Fuchs and another for the Temple. Then life moved on, and for some reason I never published the images or even looked at them again.

Not long ago, I received a very kind message from Rabbi Fuchs telling me how much he and his wife still treasure that photograph. Hearing that encouraged me to revisit those old files. So I dusted off the archive and decided it was time to finally share the joy of that day.

Here are a few images from the 2009 celebration.

Here it is, the photo that became my favorite:

core creek park and lake...50 shades of green

in

After multiple rains, Core Creek Park is showing off. The leaves look freshly rinsed - more spring than summer. Shades of green are everywhere. Every path is lined with color - soft, deep, vibrant, layered, and alive.

The regulars are back: dog walkers, geese, deers - everyone enjoying the calm.

lake luxembourg...shinrin-yoku

in

Lake Luxembourg is my go-to spot for practicing shinrin-yoku - or forest bathing. This Japanese relaxation practice is all about slowing down, being calm among the trees, and soaking in the beauty of nature. It’s as simple as using your senses to observe the little details around you.

When I’m there, I sit or walk quietly with a camera, staying mindful of my surroundings. The trick is to leave daily worries behind and focus on the moment—like watching forest creatures go about their day.

Nature’s colors and sounds are incredibly soothing. While some people find green and blue the most relaxing, my favorite palette leans toward muted yellows, earthy browns and reds. On my last visit, the scene was perfect: withered grass glades, bare trees, and a frozen lake under the soft light of a cloudy winter sky.

There wasn’t any snow, and the place was completely deserted - except for a lone gray heron. These birds are usually pretty shy, but the frozen lake and quiet surroundings seemed to make it feel at ease, standing out in the open.

It was a peaceful moment, just me and the heron, soaking up the tranquility of the season.

hey pumpkins..happy halloween

in

Clarification Note: The image in the post was crafted in cooperation with Midjourney AI, which followed my prompts.

A brave new world - a post-AI Halloween celebration. A dead serious chill - the day of the living.

Postscript:

To my surprise, not everyone got the humor of this post. So here’s an explanation by ChatGPT:

'The humor here comes from flipping Halloween traditions and adding a futuristic twist. Halloween usually celebrates the "Day of the Dead," but in this "post-AI" world, skeletons are now the ones chilling out and watching humans, dressed as dolls like Barbie and Ken, put on a show. This “day of the living” implies that the roles have been reversed—it's the undead who are now relaxed spectators of humanity, which is cleverly ironic.

Also, "A dead serious chill" plays with the double meaning of "dead" and "chill," implying both relaxation and a spooky vibe, fitting for a Halloween scene.'

kind of snowy days...

in

For a couple of days, our surroundings were covered with snow. One day was very sunny, another was foggy. On the foggy day, as I made my way to Lake Luxembourg, I stumbled upon an amazing sight - a double spiral of wheel tracks in the snow, bare tree trunks, and a field dissolving in the fog. I was in a hurry to get to the lake and didn't bother to stop. I wandered around the lake, but the spiral wouldn't let me go. I stopped near it on the way back and captured this scene. It turned out to be the best shot in the series, although the others didn't disappoint either.

Whirling in the Winter Wonderland

Generally, when I select candidate images for printing, I 'season' them for weeks or even months, observing whether my feelings about the images have changed. This time, I was so confident in its quality that I printed, framed, and displayed 'Whirling in the Winter Wonderland' without delay.

Whirling in the Winter Wonderland

Here is a small selection of images from the series.

Sunny day at the lake

Foggy day at the lake

Time to fly

Time to chill

Leave me alone

On the hunt for a lunch companion

mjb and mj...ch3. blue, blue, blue umbrella

in

Clarification Note: All images in the post were crafted by Midjourney AI that followed my prompts.

[ Ch.1 ] [ Ch.2 ]

A lady with a blue umbrella and a dog

Mysterious and dreamlike cityscapes, shades of blue

Mysterious and dreamlike cityscapes, shades of blue

Mysterious and dreamlike modern cityscapes, 1930 blueprint

Mysterious and dreamlike modern cityscapes, shades of blue, medieval style painting

Mysterious and dreamlike cityscapes, shades of blue, medieval painting

tyler park...hanukkah eve

in

A peaceful windless Hanukkah Eve at the Tyler Park

It’s the perfect condition for practicing the art of stone skipping and skimming

Geese flocks are heading to the Lake Luxemburg for a good night sleep

A lonely paraglider is exploiting this golden opportunity

to fly with feathered companions

before landing in his back yard to get home in time for Hanukkah celebration