Category: Art

Introducing Hermanos Gutiérrez: A New Favorite for My Playlists

6th May 2024
Music
0 Comment

It’s always such a joy discovering new music! I’ve recently stumbled over Hermanos Gutiérrez, the stage name of two Ecuadorian-Swiss brothers, Alejandro Gutiérrez and Estevan Gutiérrez, who formed their Latin instrumental band in 2015 in Zürich.

They have released five albums so far; the first four of them were self-released. A new album, Sonido Cosmico, will be released on June 14th, 2024, and I’m looking forward to it.

Related Posts

If you liked this post, share it on your preferred social network or forward it to a friend.

Favorite Photos: April 2024

2nd May 2024
PhotographyWildlife
0 Comment
  1. Favorite Photos: January 2023
  2. Favorite Photos: February 2023
  3. Favorite Photos: March 2023
  4. Favorite Photos: April 2023
  5. Favorite Photos: May 2023
  6. Favorite Photos: June 2023
  7. Favorite Photos: July 2023
  8. Favorite Photos: August 2023
  9. Paris Is Always A Good Idea
  10. Favorite Photos: October 2023
  11. Favorite Photos: November 2023
  12. Favorite Photos: December 2023
  13. Favorite Photos: January 2024
  14. Favorite Photos: February 2024
  15. Favorite Photos: March 2024
  16. Favorite Photos: April 2024
  17. Favorite Photos: May 2024
  18. Favorite Photos: June 2024
  19. Favorite Photos: July 2024
  20. Favorite Photos: August 2024
  21. Favorite Photos: September 2024
  22. Favorite Photos: October 2024
  23. Favorite Photos: November 2024 Scheduled for 1st December 2024
Kangaroo Island kangaroo joey at sunset

Warning: cuteness overload! This little joey has got me wrapped around its tiny paw. Just look at those big eyes and fluffy ears! 🦘❤️ And that golden light! I feel so blessed to witness moments like these.

A Kangaroo Island kangaroo female (Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus) tenderly grooms her suckling joey 😍. Incredibly, the mother kangaroo can carry joeys at different development stages in her pouch. She can also provide different nutritional content milk in her four teats to cater to the various joeys’ ages!

Kangaroo Island kangaroo joey at sunset

This is the same joey as in the first photo. How cute?

All kangaroo photos were taken at the Ecopia Retreat wildlife sanctuary in February 2024.

Red squirrel searching a tree stump

Squirrel on a mission: curiosity never looked so cute! 🐿️💕

Red squirrel standing on a tree stump

Always looking ahead, even when the view seems a little bit nutty 🐿️🌳.

I hope you enjoyed these photos; there are more to come next month.

Related Posts

If you liked this post, share it on your preferred social network or forward it to a friend.

Moon Tonight

16th April 2024
Poetry
0 Comment
  1. Things to Do in the Belly of the Whale
  2. From Blossoms
  3. Wild Geese
  4. The Peace of Wild Things
  5. My Gift to You
  6. Departing Spring
  7. The Skylark
  8. What a Strange Thing!
  9. Although The Wind …
  10. The Old Pond
  11. Spring Is Like A Perhaps Hand
  12. Hast thou 2 loaves of bread …
  13. Youth and Age
  14. A Postcard From the Volcano
  15. The Kraken
  16. He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
  17. There Is a Solitude of Space
  18. Because I Could Not Stop for Death
  19. Mad Song
  20. Answer July
  21. Success Is Counted Sweetest
  22. Hope Is the Thing with Feathers
  23. The Bluebird
  24. A Vision of the End
  25. The Crying of Water
  26. A Rose Has Thorns As Well As Honey
  27. Winter
  28. The Dark Cavalier
  29. There is no Life or Death
  30. Sheep in Winter
  31. To a Snowflake
  32. Sextain
  33. A Crocodile
  34. Sea Fever
  35. The Giant Cactus of Arizona
  36. The Coming of Night
  37. Going to the Picnic
  38. Moon Tonight
  39. A Southern Night
  40. Greenness
  41. Twilight
  42. On the Wing
  43. In Summer
  44. Before Parting
  45. Sonnet
  46. The Red Wheelbarrow
  47. Acceptance
  48. At The Pool
  49. Incurable
  50. Bluebird and Cardinal
  51. [Say What You Will, And Scratch My Heart To Find]
  52. The River
  53. Vas Doloris
  54. Squirrel
  55. Ghosts
  56. The Spirit of Poetry
  57. Nightfall in the Tropics Scheduled for 10th December 2024
  58. Journey of the Magi Scheduled for 23rd December 2024
  59. The City Lights Scheduled for 7th January 2025
Full moon

Moon tonight,
Beloved . . .
When twilight
Has gathered together
The ends
Of her soft robe
And the last bird-call
Has died.
Moon tonight—
Cool as a forgotten dream,
Dearer than lost twilights
Among trees where birds sing
No more. 
 

Gwendolyn Bennett (1902-1981) was an American artist, writer, and journalist.

To read more poems, click here.

Going to the Picnic

9th April 2024
Poetry
0 Comment
  1. Things to Do in the Belly of the Whale
  2. From Blossoms
  3. Wild Geese
  4. The Peace of Wild Things
  5. My Gift to You
  6. Departing Spring
  7. The Skylark
  8. What a Strange Thing!
  9. Although The Wind …
  10. The Old Pond
  11. Spring Is Like A Perhaps Hand
  12. Hast thou 2 loaves of bread …
  13. Youth and Age
  14. A Postcard From the Volcano
  15. The Kraken
  16. He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
  17. There Is a Solitude of Space
  18. Because I Could Not Stop for Death
  19. Mad Song
  20. Answer July
  21. Success Is Counted Sweetest
  22. Hope Is the Thing with Feathers
  23. The Bluebird
  24. A Vision of the End
  25. The Crying of Water
  26. A Rose Has Thorns As Well As Honey
  27. Winter
  28. The Dark Cavalier
  29. There is no Life or Death
  30. Sheep in Winter
  31. To a Snowflake
  32. Sextain
  33. A Crocodile
  34. Sea Fever
  35. The Giant Cactus of Arizona
  36. The Coming of Night
  37. Going to the Picnic
  38. Moon Tonight
  39. A Southern Night
  40. Greenness
  41. Twilight
  42. On the Wing
  43. In Summer
  44. Before Parting
  45. Sonnet
  46. The Red Wheelbarrow
  47. Acceptance
  48. At The Pool
  49. Incurable
  50. Bluebird and Cardinal
  51. [Say What You Will, And Scratch My Heart To Find]
  52. The River
  53. Vas Doloris
  54. Squirrel
  55. Ghosts
  56. The Spirit of Poetry
  57. Nightfall in the Tropics Scheduled for 10th December 2024
  58. Journey of the Magi Scheduled for 23rd December 2024
  59. The City Lights Scheduled for 7th January 2025
Close-up of a picnic blanket with wicker basket, hat and food

Photo by Evangelina Silina on Unsplash

1  
 There is a large crowd of young folks  
 Hurrying down the road;  
 They are going to have a picnic now,  
 And spread the news abroad.  

 2  
 They are wearing beautiful bouquets,  
 And carrying bright tin dippers;  
 New straw hats are waiving high,  
 And patent leather slippers.  

3  
 Their hats are made of fine chiffon,  
 And decorated too.  
 There will be plenty of goodies  
 For your friends and for you.  

4 
 They will have a big barbecue.  
 And a lot of other stuff.  
 They are going to eat and drink  
 Till everybody puff.  

5 
 They will have cakes and candy by the heaps,  
 And ice cream pressed in cake;  
 Peanuts parched fresh and hot,  
 And a lot of fine milk shakes.  

 6  
 They will have fish croquets by the bushels,  
 And cocoanut jumbles too;  
 They are going to feed their friends and foes  
 And have enough for you.  

 7  
 They are going to have a big dance  
 And have a jolly time.  
 They want to show their handsome looks  
 Because they look so fine.  

 8  
 One barrel or two of lemonade,  
 Mixed all through with ice;  
 Lemons cut and thrown therein  
 Gee! it’s awful nice.  

9  
 Of all the fun and jolities,  
 And all the places of rest,  
 Just go to an old picnic ground;  
 They tell me that’s the best.  

Julius C. Wright was an American poet.

To read more poems, click here.

Favorite Photos: March 2024

4th April 2024
PhotographyWildlife
0 Comment
  1. Favorite Photos: January 2023
  2. Favorite Photos: February 2023
  3. Favorite Photos: March 2023
  4. Favorite Photos: April 2023
  5. Favorite Photos: May 2023
  6. Favorite Photos: June 2023
  7. Favorite Photos: July 2023
  8. Favorite Photos: August 2023
  9. Paris Is Always A Good Idea
  10. Favorite Photos: October 2023
  11. Favorite Photos: November 2023
  12. Favorite Photos: December 2023
  13. Favorite Photos: January 2024
  14. Favorite Photos: February 2024
  15. Favorite Photos: March 2024
  16. Favorite Photos: April 2024
  17. Favorite Photos: May 2024
  18. Favorite Photos: June 2024
  19. Favorite Photos: July 2024
  20. Favorite Photos: August 2024
  21. Favorite Photos: September 2024
  22. Favorite Photos: October 2024
  23. Favorite Photos: November 2024 Scheduled for 1st December 2024
Boxing Kangaroo Island Kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus) at sunset

When you and your mate have a disagreement and need to settle it like true Aussies 🇦🇺🥊😂. I always wanted to photograph boxing kangaroos, and one February evening, I was finally lucky enough to find a pair of joeys sparring playfully while the sun was going down. (And the light disappeared quickly; I had to bump up the ISO to 12.800 to freeze the action in low light).

A Kangaroo Island kangaroo joey (Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus) grooms itself at sunrise on Kangaroo island, South Australia.

Another joey, grooming itself, same magical evening. So cute!

White-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) in flight

White-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) photographed at the wildlife sanctuary created by Ecopia Retreat on Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

Bottlenose dolphin

A wild bottlenose dolphin emerges from the sea to breathe, expelling stale air through the blowhole on top of its head before inhaling fresh air.

This is the first time I’ve photographed dolphins, and it took me a while to figure out the best way to do it. Unfortunately, they disappeared before I could perfect my newfound technique. Nevertheless, I’m grateful for this fantastic experience!

Photographed off the North Coast of Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

Eastern osprey (Pandion haliaetus cristatus) on Kangaroo Island, South Australia

I was fortunate enough to come across this rare eastern osprey (Pandion haliaetus cristatus), also known as the fish hawk, on Hanson Bay beach in Kangaroo Island (South Australia) in February 2024.

Unfortunately, they are a rare sight nowadays. They are listed as vulnerable in South Australia, and only 50 breeding pairs are estimated to be left in the region.

Sadly, human activities such as coastal development and competition for food with fishing production negatively impact their nesting sites and breeding.

I hope you enjoyed these photos; there are more to come next month.

Related Posts

If you liked this post, share it on your preferred social network or forward it to a friend.

The Coming of Night

2nd April 2024
Poetry
0 Comment
  1. Things to Do in the Belly of the Whale
  2. From Blossoms
  3. Wild Geese
  4. The Peace of Wild Things
  5. My Gift to You
  6. Departing Spring
  7. The Skylark
  8. What a Strange Thing!
  9. Although The Wind …
  10. The Old Pond
  11. Spring Is Like A Perhaps Hand
  12. Hast thou 2 loaves of bread …
  13. Youth and Age
  14. A Postcard From the Volcano
  15. The Kraken
  16. He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
  17. There Is a Solitude of Space
  18. Because I Could Not Stop for Death
  19. Mad Song
  20. Answer July
  21. Success Is Counted Sweetest
  22. Hope Is the Thing with Feathers
  23. The Bluebird
  24. A Vision of the End
  25. The Crying of Water
  26. A Rose Has Thorns As Well As Honey
  27. Winter
  28. The Dark Cavalier
  29. There is no Life or Death
  30. Sheep in Winter
  31. To a Snowflake
  32. Sextain
  33. A Crocodile
  34. Sea Fever
  35. The Giant Cactus of Arizona
  36. The Coming of Night
  37. Going to the Picnic
  38. Moon Tonight
  39. A Southern Night
  40. Greenness
  41. Twilight
  42. On the Wing
  43. In Summer
  44. Before Parting
  45. Sonnet
  46. The Red Wheelbarrow
  47. Acceptance
  48. At The Pool
  49. Incurable
  50. Bluebird and Cardinal
  51. [Say What You Will, And Scratch My Heart To Find]
  52. The River
  53. Vas Doloris
  54. Squirrel
  55. Ghosts
  56. The Spirit of Poetry
  57. Nightfall in the Tropics Scheduled for 10th December 2024
  58. Journey of the Magi Scheduled for 23rd December 2024
  59. The City Lights Scheduled for 7th January 2025
New York City at sunset

Photo by Muzammil Soorma on Unsplash

The sun is near set  
And the tall buildings  
Become teeth  
Tearing bloodily at the sky’s throat; 
The blank wall by my window 
Becomes night sky over the marches  
When there is no moon, and no wind,  
And little fishes splash in the pools. 

I had lit my candle to make a song for you,  
But I have forgotten it for I am very tired; 
And the candle … a yellow moth … 
Flutters, flutters,  
Deep in my brain.  
My song was about, ‘a foreign lady 
Who was beautiful and sad,  
Who was forsaken, and who died  
A thousand years ago.’ 
But the cracked cup at my elbow, 
With dregs of tea in it,  
Fixes my tired thought more surely  
Than the song I made for you and forgot … 
That I might give you this.  

I am tired.  

I am so tired 
That my soul is a great plain  
Made desolate, 
And the beating of a million hearts  
Is but the whisper of night winds 
Blowing across it. 

Skipwith Cannell (1887–1957)  was an American poet.

To read more poems, click here.

The Giant Cactus of Arizona

26th March 2024
Poetry
0 Comment
  1. Things to Do in the Belly of the Whale
  2. From Blossoms
  3. Wild Geese
  4. The Peace of Wild Things
  5. My Gift to You
  6. Departing Spring
  7. The Skylark
  8. What a Strange Thing!
  9. Although The Wind …
  10. The Old Pond
  11. Spring Is Like A Perhaps Hand
  12. Hast thou 2 loaves of bread …
  13. Youth and Age
  14. A Postcard From the Volcano
  15. The Kraken
  16. He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
  17. There Is a Solitude of Space
  18. Because I Could Not Stop for Death
  19. Mad Song
  20. Answer July
  21. Success Is Counted Sweetest
  22. Hope Is the Thing with Feathers
  23. The Bluebird
  24. A Vision of the End
  25. The Crying of Water
  26. A Rose Has Thorns As Well As Honey
  27. Winter
  28. The Dark Cavalier
  29. There is no Life or Death
  30. Sheep in Winter
  31. To a Snowflake
  32. Sextain
  33. A Crocodile
  34. Sea Fever
  35. The Giant Cactus of Arizona
  36. The Coming of Night
  37. Going to the Picnic
  38. Moon Tonight
  39. A Southern Night
  40. Greenness
  41. Twilight
  42. On the Wing
  43. In Summer
  44. Before Parting
  45. Sonnet
  46. The Red Wheelbarrow
  47. Acceptance
  48. At The Pool
  49. Incurable
  50. Bluebird and Cardinal
  51. [Say What You Will, And Scratch My Heart To Find]
  52. The River
  53. Vas Doloris
  54. Squirrel
  55. Ghosts
  56. The Spirit of Poetry
  57. Nightfall in the Tropics Scheduled for 10th December 2024
  58. Journey of the Magi Scheduled for 23rd December 2024
  59. The City Lights Scheduled for 7th January 2025
Arizona landscape with cactus in the foreground

Photo by Jeremy Alford on Unsplash

The cactus in the desert stands  
    Like time’s inviolate sentinel,  
Watching the sun-washed waste of sands 
     Lest they their ancient secrets tell.  
And the lost lore of mournful lands 
     It knows alone and guards too well.
  
Wiser than Sphynx or pyramid,  
     It points a stark hand at the sky,  
And all the stars alight or hid  
     It counts as they go rolling by; 
And mysteries the gods forbid 
     Darken its heavy memory.  

I asked how old the world was—yea, 
     And why yon ruddy mountain grew 
Out of hell’s fire. By night nor day  
     It answered not, though all it knew,  
But lifted, as it stopped my way,  
     Its wrinkled fingers toward the blue
  
Inscrutable and stern and still  
     It waits the everlasting doom.  
Races and years may do their will—
     Lo, it will rise above their tomb,  
Till the drugged earth has drunk her fill 
     Of light, and falls asleep in gloom. 

Harriet Monroe (1860–1936) was an American poet, critic, and editor. She is best known as the founding publisher and editor of Poetry magazine.

To read more poems, click here.

My First Photo Contest (and the Result)

24th March 2024
PhotographyWildlife
0 Comment
Kangaroo Island kangaroo and joey

I’m thrilled to announce that my photo of this adorable Kangaroo Island kangaroo and her joey was a finalist in the 2023 Pangolin Wildlife Photography Challenge‘s “Animal Behaviour” category.

I captured this photo while on a trip to Kangaroo Island, a beautiful and unique place in South Australia. It is my absolute favorite photo of the year, and it’s an honor to have it recognized among so many beautiful entries.

Watching the mother take care of her little one was amazing; they had such a special bond! Witnessing moments like these is what makes wildlife photography so special to me.

The kangaroos in the photo are Kangaroo Island kangaroos, a subspecies of the Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus). Because of their long period of isolation from mainland Australia, the KI kangaroos are pretty different from the Western Grey kangaroos. They’re shorter, darker, and much cuter if you ask me!

Kangaroo Island kangaroo and joey, photo entered in the Pangolin photo contest

This was my first time entering a photo contest, and I’m thrilled to have made it among the finalists. So many talented photographers and beautiful photos were submitted, and I’m honored to be included among them. Thanks to everyone who supported me!

I hope this photo helps remind people of how important it is to protect and preserve our wildlife and helps to raise awareness and appreciation for these amazing animals. Every animal has a unique story and deserves to be appreciated and respected.

Here are all the finalists; my photo is at 5:31 minutes in the video. And on the video cover 😉.

Related Posts

If you liked this post, share it on your preferred social network or forward it to a friend.

Sea Fever

12th March 2024
Poetry
0 Comment
  1. Things to Do in the Belly of the Whale
  2. From Blossoms
  3. Wild Geese
  4. The Peace of Wild Things
  5. My Gift to You
  6. Departing Spring
  7. The Skylark
  8. What a Strange Thing!
  9. Although The Wind …
  10. The Old Pond
  11. Spring Is Like A Perhaps Hand
  12. Hast thou 2 loaves of bread …
  13. Youth and Age
  14. A Postcard From the Volcano
  15. The Kraken
  16. He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
  17. There Is a Solitude of Space
  18. Because I Could Not Stop for Death
  19. Mad Song
  20. Answer July
  21. Success Is Counted Sweetest
  22. Hope Is the Thing with Feathers
  23. The Bluebird
  24. A Vision of the End
  25. The Crying of Water
  26. A Rose Has Thorns As Well As Honey
  27. Winter
  28. The Dark Cavalier
  29. There is no Life or Death
  30. Sheep in Winter
  31. To a Snowflake
  32. Sextain
  33. A Crocodile
  34. Sea Fever
  35. The Giant Cactus of Arizona
  36. The Coming of Night
  37. Going to the Picnic
  38. Moon Tonight
  39. A Southern Night
  40. Greenness
  41. Twilight
  42. On the Wing
  43. In Summer
  44. Before Parting
  45. Sonnet
  46. The Red Wheelbarrow
  47. Acceptance
  48. At The Pool
  49. Incurable
  50. Bluebird and Cardinal
  51. [Say What You Will, And Scratch My Heart To Find]
  52. The River
  53. Vas Doloris
  54. Squirrel
  55. Ghosts
  56. The Spirit of Poetry
  57. Nightfall in the Tropics Scheduled for 10th December 2024
  58. Journey of the Magi Scheduled for 23rd December 2024
  59. The City Lights Scheduled for 7th January 2025
Close-up of sea

I must go down to the seas again, to the
      lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer
      her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and
      the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey
      dawn breaking.
I must go down to the seas again, for the call
      of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be
      denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white
      clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and
      the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the
      vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way, where
      the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing
      fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the
      long trick’s over.

John Masefield (1878–1967) was an English poet and children’s fiction writer.

To read more poems, click here.

Favorite Photos: February 2024

6th March 2024
PhotographyWildlife
0 Comment
  1. Favorite Photos: January 2023
  2. Favorite Photos: February 2023
  3. Favorite Photos: March 2023
  4. Favorite Photos: April 2023
  5. Favorite Photos: May 2023
  6. Favorite Photos: June 2023
  7. Favorite Photos: July 2023
  8. Favorite Photos: August 2023
  9. Paris Is Always A Good Idea
  10. Favorite Photos: October 2023
  11. Favorite Photos: November 2023
  12. Favorite Photos: December 2023
  13. Favorite Photos: January 2024
  14. Favorite Photos: February 2024
  15. Favorite Photos: March 2024
  16. Favorite Photos: April 2024
  17. Favorite Photos: May 2024
  18. Favorite Photos: June 2024
  19. Favorite Photos: July 2024
  20. Favorite Photos: August 2024
  21. Favorite Photos: September 2024
  22. Favorite Photos: October 2024
  23. Favorite Photos: November 2024 Scheduled for 1st December 2024
Two young Kangaroo Island kangaroos practicing their boxing skills

Two young Kangaroo Island kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus) practicing their boxing skills.

Wait, what? Kangaroos? Does it mean that I’ve been to Australia again?

Indeed I was, and too short a time it was! Three weeks on Kangaroo Island flew by in the blink of an eye, and now I’m back home, sorting through thousands of photos. I’ve just started, so it’ll take some time until I’m done and can begin processing the best photos.

I love this photo because it was the first time I’d seen boxing kangaroos, and managed to take a few pictures in that golden light.

Sheep bathed in golden light at sunrise

We were on our way to Seal Bay for a 7am appointment with the research team when we came across these sheep grazing peacefully as the sun rose. Everything was bathed in gold; it was breathtaking.

Unfortunately, we were in a hurry and couldn’t afford to stop for too long. I literally jumped out of the car and quickly took a few photos, hoping some would be good enough 😅. 

Two Kangaroo Island kangaroos at sunset

This may not be a masterpiece, but I love it. It has so many things I love: the golden light, the kangaroos, the grass tree to the left, and the flowering eucalyptus to the right.

The composition could be better, and I did move around a lot, trying to get a better angle, but the roos were skittish, and this is the best I could do.

I hope you enjoyed these photos; there are more to come next month.

Related Posts

If you liked this post, share it on your preferred social network or forward it to a friend.