Sunday, December 2, 2012

Reflection and Night

Just a few photos which alternate between water reflections and night scenes.


minden gull river reflection
These landscapes of water and reflection have become an obsession.
~ Claude Monet





autumn night wabukayne2
A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.
~ Steve Martin





young heron2
When despair for the world grows in me, and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be -- I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought or grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
~ Wendell Berry





wabukayne autumn night
Being in the woods at night is a beautiful thing.
~ Hugo Weaving





puddled path
I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
~ Edward Steichen




 
autumn night benny frank
I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day. ~ Vincent Van Gogh




 
minden gull river bridge
In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.
~ Alex Haley





autumn night wabukayne benny
The streets were dark with something more than night.
~ Raymond Chandler





gull river reflection2
Like water which can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only so long as its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the Self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed. 
~Indra Devi





autumn raccoon
To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle.
~ Walt Whitman





bville creek
A wind has blown the rain away and blown the sky away and all the leaves away, and the trees stand. I think, I too, have known autumn too long.
~ e. e. cummings





autumn raccoon2
What a nice night for an evening.
~ Steven Wright 

53 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

what a great set of images and a great variety of fabulous quotes to go with them. some incredibly deep and meaningful and some perfectly whimsical. :)

stephen Hayes said...

I love the way you blend quotes with pictures. You really make me think...and that's a good thing, no matter what my psychiatrist says.

Hilary said...

Love them all, but kept going back to my fave......the very first one.

Country Girl said...

I love love love your night scenes here, Hilary. Would love to take photos such as these. You also have the best quotes. Steve Martin continues to crack me up.

WritingsForLife said...

The night photos are amazing!! I think I have seen some of the reflection photos before, and I remember how completely amazed I was by them too :-)

Laura said...

beautiful images and quotes Hilary... how in the world did you manage to photograph that gorgeous raccoon without frightening him/her away?

Tabor said...

You have mastered the light which is the yardstick for all great photography.

Cloudia said...

Post of the Week?
MONTH!
Just a lovely walk down a wooded path. Thank YOU-



Wishing YOU a sweet week,
with Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral

~ > < } } ( ° >

> < 3 3 3 ( ' >

><}}(°> ~

Brian Miller said...

what a cute coon! smiles...i love that first reflection shot...almost like a painting on the water...and hte soft lighted path pics are really cool too hilary...happy sunday

Phyllis E said...

Beautiful, Cuzzie.

Monet would have been hard-pressed to improve on the "impressions" of the first photo.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Beautiful pictures. I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this,but your blog seems very slow to load. It takes a long time for the pictures to appear.

DJan said...

You always leave me wishing I knew the words to express the loveliness of your pictures and how they make me feel. It's going to have to be enough to say a simple thank you. :-)

Leave It To Davis said...

I love this....so thought provoking! Wonderful pictures to go with your quotes.

Liz Mays said...

Absolute magic.

SandyCarlson said...

Just what I needed before another week in the throes of a self-important bureaucracy. Thank you, my friend. Love our friend in the tree.

Gail Dixon said...

Awww, I'm smitten with the raccoon surrounded by the fall foliage. The first water reflection shot is to die for. All are lovely, as always, though. Those few just spoke to me. :)

Lynne with an e said...

Loved the alternating current from light to dark, underscored with just the right words, and a few little rascals glimpsed along the way.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

The Monet quote was so appropriate for that first reflection image. It almost looked like a Monet painting. Of course, the Steve Martin quote is more my style. :)

The first one of the raccoon really "wowed" me. The background of fall foliage just sets it off to perfection.

Red said...

Kinda neat the way you put the two themes together. I certainly like water reflections. Your quotes and photos give a mysterious feeling. Great post.

Pierre BOYER said...

A lovely walk...

Pierre

ADRIAN said...

Another good set. I really enjoyed the first image.

Wendy said...

Beautiful heron shot. So peaceful and serene. And the reflections on water are so clear!
How did you manage to capture that racoon? He looks so cute and not afraid one little bit!
What a lovely autumnal post.

Merisi said...

Absolutely gorgeous collection of images, Hilary!
It was such a pleasure to wait and see each appearing.
And I remember the Chandler quote, loved to read it again.

Cheers,
Merisi

Sueann said...

Gorgeous images...all! But that first one is amazing...and my fav!!
Hugs
SueAnn

Indrani said...

Fantastic shots and ideal quotes too. Love the pics you capture for us.

the Bag Lady said...

As I've said many times before, Hilary, you have a wonderful eye for beauty!
I especially love the bridge photo.

Kerri Farley said...

Hilary - these are stunning!
That first shot is a Work of Art! Frame it!

Mental P Mama said...

As beautiful as ever. Just turned my beautiful calendar to December (obviously). I have enjoyed it so much. Especially since I won it the very day of my breast cancer surgery. It is my lucky calendar! xoxo

Anvilcloud said...

You did really well with both types of shots.

Bossy Betty said...

These posts are so peaceful and wonderful. I love the quotes you find to put between the photos. The big grey big (heron?) stole my heart.

messymimi said...

Sometimes i'm not sure if i like the reflection or the reality best.

Daryl said...

love the contrasting .... both of your day/night and your home/away shots

Sharon Wagner said...

We took a foggy and magical night walk this weekend. I love the mystery of the familiar when it is dark. My favorite photo is the person and dog on the bridge.

Suldog said...

You always choose such perfect quotations to go along with the photos. I especially like the e.e. cummings (and the Steven Wright and Steve Martin, too, of course, but I'm trying to appear deeper than I am.)

Glo said...

Hilary ~ just stunning photos! My favorite is the first one which truly is amazing. A lovely sequence of photos and quotes which I really enjoyed.

Crabby McSlacker said...

Wow, love these pictures, and the Monet reflection is particularly amazing. But all are so lovely!!

Anonymous said...

These are wonderful, but I especially love that first one!! So beautiful!

Kat said...

Just beautiful. The pictures and quotes are so perfectly matched!

lime said...

i just love your reflection shots especially. just beautiful.

Mage said...

What nice juicy stuff. Nothing pretty on my pages, just color...then again, I love color.

Anonymous said...

Wow wow wow - you've outdone yourself again! Fabulous series of shots. Love the golden glow of evening but have to say that the reflection shots are my favourite...

holdingmoments said...

Excellent set Hilary.
First and fourth are exceptional.

Bob Bushell said...

The night and sunlight they can make things feels warm. Love your pictures.

Dianne said...

exceptional warmth in the night shots
and Benny! what a brave boy

love the racoon

Rita said...

The way you entwine words and pictures is like taking a mini vacation! I find the night so peaceful, private, and quiet. Loved your raccoon friend! ;)

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

That top photo truly does look like a Monet painting!
Well done, as always. :)

Unknown said...

I just love, love, love the wood scenes!! Beautiful!

Murr Brewster said...

I've been waiting five minutes for the photos to load. No luck. So I have to tell you that your choice of quotes is stellar on its own. Oo wait! The first one just came in! Hot damn!

Murr Brewster said...

I've been waiting five minutes for the photos to load. No luck. So I have to tell you that your choice of quotes is stellar on its own. Oo wait! The first one just came in! Hot damn!

Unknown said...

Hilary: This is the first time I've ever remembered night photos on your blog. They convey the feeling perfectly. A magnificent balance of sunlight, evening, color and circumstance! :)

Frank Baron said...

Another buncha beauties, dear. That first one could be a Manet painting.

Christine said...

i love your night time photography :) it was great catching up on your blog today ~ the birds are amazing!

Jo said...

Gah, more raccoons! hahaha

Really beautiful shots, Hilary. I think I like the amber-dark night shots best...the mood is so special in them...but that first photo took my breath away. Painting with life.