Remembering Ivan

September 16, 2004 - that was not a good day. I have been going through my photos tonight and I ran across some Hurricane Ivan photos I shot and I realized that we are coming up on an anniversary of when Hurricane Ivan hit the Pensacola area. When something that dramatic happens to you, it's as if you go into auto pilot, at least it was for me and it's only afterwards that you realize how deeply the experience affected you. Looking at the photos I still can get a bit emotional about it. Anyway, here are some photos I shot and a poem I wrote - I think they helped me get over it.

How could you have done to us what you did, salty, beautiful blue?
Why roar at your gazing lover?
Sue, who gardened by your breezes has gone.
No voices or crabbing adventures and grandchildren playing...
who knew that one day YOU would grow ENRAGED
and take it all away.
How can I love you, trust you, though you woo me daily with your calm lapping, making up to me.
Breathing your scent I can't help myself.
Lover again.

The Canoe

On a night when
sounds drift for hours
upon the waters still
as sleep,
and the moon hovers over,
glowing upon it all,
the canoe waits so
beautifully determined,
at shores edge.

She is a patient vessel.
She is streamlined and light.
She glides easily, away.

I was sleeping when I
saw her. Encased in
sheets and sameness, resting
on favored comfort, I
saw her there, clearly,
waiting.
Sitting up, I wrote,
acknowledging her presence.

And I can't stop
loving her.
And I have no power
to un-hear
the lapping and licking
of her sides
as if each taste of her
knocks upon my heart,
"come!"
The stillness that surrounds
her cries,
"hurry!"

And the moon complicit
in illumination, steadily
declares the presence
of departure, still.

Storm Rolling In

Santa Rosa Sound, Gulf Breeze, Florida - a storm rolling in September 1, 2013

Portofino Towers - Pensacola Beach, Fl

When storms come through it looks as if almost all the color of the sky and water gets sucked out by the approaching front - but not quite all the color disappears. I tried to capture the look of it - maybe it's close. I hope you enjoy looking!

And then - it rolls back out again...

Genetically Modified Gospel

Today riding back home from Atlanta we passed a church with a catchy "you are a winner" slogan, which my husband read out loud. I can't remember what the slogan was exactly but I remember exactly how hearing the slogan read made me feel -  irritated. And a phrase came to me about the slogan - "genetically modified gospel". And as I frequently do, I began to think about writing something about that phrase/title that had come to me. You see, we were coming home from a business trip and a visit with a family member and as family members do, we laughed a lot and discussed all manor of topics - but life is not all laughs and many times life is very hard. We had also shared some struggles. I guess I had been internalizing this part of our conversation and then the church marketing on the sign entered the picture...when we returned home I went to the internet to look up articles and information on genetically modified food so I could write this with a little bit of knowledge of the process to genetically modify something. I can't say that I really understand all that goes into the process where our food has been altered but I did discover a few things, so here goes.

Genetically modified foods have been genetically engineered by the direct manipulation of it's genome using biotechnology to increase crop yields. Genome is the entirety of an organism's heredity information. Heredity information. Sounds to me that means as it was and is, naturally. Increasing crop yields is a good thing, right? I mean after all, what's wrong with increasing a farmer's yield and increasing the plant's resistance to pests? Sounds good. We should be grateful and happy regarding man's efforts to make something "better" and "more". Yet I can't help wondering (and do believe that) the food we eat is making us sicker and sicker and fatter and fatter, and so "more" is not "better", in my opinion, in regards to what has been done and is still being done to our food supply. But on to the modified gospel...

Why would it be that there is so much suffering in the world if God really meant following Jesus was to bring health, wealth and prosperity in all forms? If these wonderful promises don't happen to you, does that mean you are in the group that gets picked last for kickball? The news regarding Syria - one million Syrian children are refugees, over 3,000 people in Syria recently victims of what looks like their own government using chemical weapons on them, Christians in Sudan being airlifted out to save their lives, children in Haiti dying of hunger...

To swallow the tainted gospel message of personal achievement and self satisfaction can only be believed in while an individual would be willingly living in a culture of have and have nots, and participating in. How else could you possibly believe that is what the gospel is all about?  Happy, happy, happy? Maybe the have nots are just simply out of luck because they can't read, or they don't have access to the internet to hear that they should be healthy, wealthy and prosperous? Maybe they will never be picked for kick ball?

I know this is a bit of a rant but I had to. In closing I have included a video that sums up what I'm feeling right now - link is below. I hope that what started with irritation earlier today for me will be motivation to: For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me. Matthew 25: 35-36

www.youtube.com/watch?autoplay=1&v=PTc_FoELt8s&desktop_uri=%252Fwatch%253Fv%253DPTc_FoELt8s%2526autoplay%253D1&nomobile=1

Flowers, just because.

It has been awhile since I have made a post so to keep my creative side from rusting completely I went through my photos and pulled out a few flower photos to post here, on a rainy evening. I hope you enjoy.

Gulf Coast Seafood Gumbo

I'm making seafood gumbo today and do I have a great recipe! I can say that because it's not my bragging, it is a recipe from this cookbook, below.

I have the link to Amazon below to purchase this book, if you feel so inclined. It was published in 1962 with seafood recipes from Foley, Al. women's club and the recipes are authentic Gulf Coast. I took this opportunity to take a few shots of the ingredients (rainy day today) and you will find the recipe below.
Give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Okra, Bell Pepper, Tomatoes

Oysters

Shrimp

Crab Meat

LINK TO PURCHASE COOKBOOK  - http://www.amazon.com/Gulf-Coast-gourmet-Seafood-recipes/dp/B0007FUZW6

A Walk in Cloudland

Last week I took a walk in Cloudland Canyon State Park, Georgia. I was last in line during the trip down to the waterfalls due to my photographs and last in line on the way back up due to age and the fact that I had some sort of allergy fit that morning and i had pretty well stoned myself with antihistamines...anyway, here are some shots I hope you enjoy!

Hard to catch this shot - they can really move!

I love looking up at the sunlight looking down through the leaves

Moisture drops on spider web or insect netting

LINK TO WEB SITE FOR PARK:   http://www.gastateparks.org/CloudlandCanyon