The cypress tree has knees that allow it to bridge very different environments – soil, water and air.  The cypress tree reminds me that bridges in life are often needed. Thanksgiving Day gives me the opportunity to reach from my heart to yours and to tell each of you how utterly grateful I am that you allow me into your lives by sharing what I see and photograph.  So please take my thank you through this special day and into many tomorrows and pass the joy on to the next heart or soul that needs your help to build a healing bridge.  Peace and Grace, Doc Ellen

Jordan Lake, Haw River: Out of the fog that completely blanketed the riprap at the dam this morning appeared this 3-year-old bald eagle. For a brief moment a diffused beam of sunlight lit the tree and the eagle. The autumn morning suddenly had an eaglet brooch and I smiled.

Standing out at the lake this morning,
 I found myself thinking about all the displaced people in Texas and Louisiana.
I became absorbed in the thought that all of us need a place that is a safe home.
Birds need safe homes too … such as this ancient grand hardwood standing tall on the shoreline.
My prayers and meditations are that the people, animals, birds, plants and trees in Texas and Louisiana recover soon.
 

gliding rocker
three abreast
found by students
brought to rest
where ecology is taught

shadowing trees
stir my childhood memories
lazy reading days
stretched across scratchy pillows
one toe dangling pushing
creaking metal to and fro

how savory wafting fragrance
grandma’s biscuits and honeysuckle
still my mouth waters so
gliding rocker
brings memories decades old

IMG_1506 metal lawn rocker 2014