Category: Weekly Photo Challenge

Photo Challenge: Close-up

Published on by J. Kelland Perry29 Comments

Cee Neuner’s challenge for photographers yesterday* reminds me of this photo I took back in August. I captured the spider and her masterpiece through my kitchen window that fog-shrouded night, not knowing how the outdoor light on our house would illuminate its detail so well, especially the misty moisture that clings to every intricate strand of the web. The overall effect reminds me of fine gold chain.

PERRY’S POINT, NL – AUGUST 13, 2022

“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.” – Pablo Picasso

*Cee’s Midweek Madness Photo Challenge: Close-up or Macro

Evergreen Post: Thinking Out Loud

Published on by J. Kelland Perry28 Comments

This is a post of mine from a previous September. I hope you enjoy it!

What is the essence of a life?

A deep thought indeed, but putting aside the belief in the existence of a supreme being for a moment, what is the first notion that question conjures for you?

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Is it the wail of a newborn when she is pushed from the womb, wet and shivering, into a cold world of bright light and jarring noise?

Is it a living being’s will and drive to survive?

Is it the slow and arduous process of becoming what your potential keeps whispering you can be, or the serendipitous ease of slipping into a role you were born to fill?

Is it what we cling to as we grow old, try to recapture, strive to enjoy in every waking moment, as the end draws ever nearer?

Could it simply be the state of being, dreaming, pondering and loving?

Or hating and enduring what the universe has given you?

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Maybe, life is the constant of the everyday.

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It’s the laughter of a stranger on a crowded subway, the silly song that got stuck in your head and you sang in the shower this morning, a face that suddenly smiles in your direction, a warm hug, a lover’s kiss, or a soft place to fall after a long day.

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Perhaps it is the enduring memory of a giant harvest moon, the languid ripple of a pond you sat beside last summer, the smell of warm cinnamon in an apple pie, the taste of licorice, or the sweet sip of ice-cold raspberry Koolaid you loved as a child.

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Some of life is lived between the lines of our subconscious, in the many subtleties of our private, innermost selves.

Life is all of this and much more. It is joy and disappointment, connection and camaraderie, isolation and despair, exquisite pleasure, and acute suffering.

Life is the endurance of the human experience and the divining of purpose.

Life is the continuity of unconditional love.

What do you think  life is all about?
What is your answer to this enduring question?

Original post along with your lovely comments here.

Photo Prompt: Sail

Published on by J. Kelland Perry33 Comments

We know we should help our environment by reducing waste wherever we can. So with the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” advice in mind, I came up with an idea to repurpose an old favourite sweatshirt of mine.

At a marina in Maine
At a marina in Maine

This is no off-the-rack item. My husband gave it to me years ago after creating the artwork for a St. John’s, NL tour boat company. The owners of the Scademia* sold T-shirts with the new artwork, and Paul gifted me with a sweatshirt.

After a time and tons of wear, the sleeves and neckline became decidedly off-white, so it disappeared into the back of my closet. Recently I was tossing away old clothes, rediscovered it, and came up with this:

Ready for hanging! Not bad, huh?

*The Scademia, the last of the Grand Banks Schooners, was an icon in the tourism industry for over 25 years. Many people from around the world have walked her decks as she took them out through the narrows on an adventure on the open seas. . . . Many people were married, fell in love, or even got screeched-in aboard of her, including many famous people like rock legend Rod Stewart and the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau. – Facebook

This is my contribution to the RDP Monday prompt: SAIL

Which Way: Thoughts on a Nature Trail

Published on by J. Kelland Perry43 Comments

When you get the chance to enjoy a walk outside, which way* do you go? Do you prefer a stroll through the streets of your community or neighbourhood? Or would you rather a natural, more secluded setting?

If possible, I will always choose a walk in nature. Luckily, there are several trails, as well as plenty of beaches, in my area. I’m an introvert through and through, so my preference makes sense. An extrovert would probably choose a more peopled path so they could enjoy a few chats along the way. And there’s nothing wrong with that either.

Nature walks, where I can take the time to reflect and recharge, are like meditation for me. I don’t need a lot of external (people-y) stimulation to be happy. In fact, too much can feel overwhelming.

With all that is happening in our external world over the last couple of years—the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the political and racial unrest in our own countries—I believe I’ve retreated into introversion even more, as a way to preserve and care for my mental health.

I realize not everyone can choose to do so, depending on their jobs, etc., but if you are an introvert, don’t ever feel guilty for needing and allowing time for yourself. It’s a part of who you are.

“I’m an introvert… I love being by myself, love being outdoors, love taking a long walk with my dogs and looking at the trees, flowers, the sky.” ~ Audrey Hepburn

“Asking an introvert to open up is as rude as asking an extrovert to shut up.” ~ Unknown

Where do you like to take your walks?

Which way are you leaning on the
Introversion/Extroversion scale?

Do tell!

*Photos taken on May 8, 2022 @ Business Pond Walking Trail, Valleyfield, NL

*Which Way Photo Challenge – Alive and Trekking

Photo Challenge: Wedding*

Published on by J. Kelland Perry24 Comments

Back in the day when my sister was planning her wedding, she asked my children to stand as flower girl and ring bearer. This photo has been on display here in my home ever since.

They are adults now, of course, and my daughter is married with a family of her own.

Of special note, the pandemic didn’t bring all bad news: my son is now engaged!

♥ Cherish Every Moment ♥

*Ragtag Daily Prompt: Wedding!

Wordless Wednesday

Published on by J. Kelland Perry20 Comments

Vivian’s View From Here: A Fresh Look

Published on by J. Kelland Perry39 Comments

Hello everyone! Vivian K. Perry here, eager to bring you a fresh look of me enjoying Perry’s Point this morning.

It’s been an odd sort of winter here in Newfoundland and Labrador, with less snow than usual, particularly here on the Bonavista North coastline where a strong gale often whisks the flakes away before they can even think about settling. But overnight last night the light wind allowed a pretty layer of snow to fall, and the sun came out, so I couldn’t wait to go outside and explore.

This was my second trip outside this morning.
Time to make more tracks!

I’ve made plenty of paw prints but I look for the dry spots too.


I think I’ve had enough for now. Time to go inside for a cuddle.

“You know, sometimes the world seems like a pretty mean place.
That’s why animals are so soft and huggy.” – Bill Watterson

Check out my very short YouTube video below
to see how I try to retrace my snow-prints! ~ love, Vivian


Photo Challenge: Sunday Stills – Another Fresh Look At…

Sunday Snaps: Feeding the Birds, Parisian Style

Published on by J. Kelland Perry30 Comments

Happy Sunday, all!

This afternoon has me wistfully looking back on our European trip, yet again. For this post in particular, I’m reminiscing about Paris and our visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral.

As enthralling as it was to take a tour inside this extraordinary example of French Gothic architecture, I was equally enamored with the feathery congregation outside!

In April of 2019, a massive fire tore through the roof of the Notre Dame, but a restoration by artisans is in the works. I have a feeling these birds have missed the tourists and will be happy when this historic cathedral reopens in 2024.

By the way, did you know that February is National Bird Feeding Month in the U.S.?

“Birds are the most popular group in the animal kingdom. We feed them and tame them and think we know them. And yet they inhabit a world which is really rather mysterious.” ~ David Attenborough

Photo Challenge: Sunday Stills — Are You a #Bird Feeder?

My photos originally shared here: Scenes From France – Part 3: More Paris!

Which Way?

Published on by J. Kelland Perry27 Comments

Happy Friday, all!
Here’s a fun photo challenge from the blog Alive and Trekking.

Which way do I go for my favourite local walking trail?
To Greenspond, of course!

Greenspond Walking Trail

And which way to Bennett Island?
Across the water from Newtown, that’s where.

Rowing to Bennett Island

“It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

While visiting Italy, which way to Siena?
Through this archway!

Our group entering Siena in Italy.
Most of the walls built in the 10th and 11th century still surround the city today.

And which direction do we go to spend lots of money?
This way!

Shops and boutiques line many of the streets in Siena.

Here I am getting ready to leave Grand Central Station
to explore New York City. But which way should I go?
There’s so much to see!

Excited to visit the Big Apple

Back in Newfoundland, what is the only way
to enter St. John’s Harbour from the Atlantic Ocean?
Through the Narrows.

From Signal Hill, watching a boat enter the Narrows of St. John’s Harbour

“Happiness is a direction, not a place.”
~ Sydney J. Harris

Signal Hill, St. John’s

And finally, which way was Maisie going on that lovely August day?
Where was she leading Vivian? Who knows?

“Right behind you, Sis!”

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”
~ George Harrison (and perhaps Louis Carroll?)

Photo Challenge: Which Way by Alive and Trekking

Weathered

Published on by J. Kelland Perry41 Comments

“Some old things are lovely warm still with the life of forgotten men who made them.”
~ D. H. Lawrence

I snapped these photos with my phone on July 11th last year while visiting my daughter and her family at their summer property in Lead Cove, NL. They are of my son-in-law’s shed, which once belonged to his father, and to his grandfather before that. The above quote came to mind from one of my previous posts, titled Old.

The weathered closeup depicted in the last photo takes me back to that summer afternoon, when I pressed my hand on the sun-warmed clapboard, grey as driftwood under its flakes of peeling paint. There’s something about old structures that inspire a longing, speak in soft whispers, as if sharing with me the poignant aura of days long gone.

Photo Challenge: Weather(ed) – Travel With Intent
Photo Challenge: Closeup or Macro – Cee Neuner