Twirly Bird Heart -Guest Heart Thursday

Not only are these in the shape of hearts, but when separated, these make wonderful "twirly birds!"  Years ago, I lived in a house on the side of a hill.  Below was a pasture where a giant maple tree stood.  Fall came in one swoop that year.  It was mid-morning when I happened to be standing at the window overlooking the field.  In an instant, a sudden tremendous gust of wind gathered every leaf and twirly bird from that tree into a fist of invisible air.

I watched open mouthed as the air laden with leaves swooped up the hill past our home to hurl them straight overhead.  As I ran outside for a better look, I was even more astonished--not a breath of wind stirred--it was totally still.   Then...magically, hundreds of thousands of "whirly birds" came drifting down like soft, brown, twirling snow.  It was one of the most beautiful, magical moments in nature I've ever experienced. 

So...your assignment on this fine Fall day?  Find a maple tree, underneath there will be plenty of these.  Grab a "twirly bird" and throw it into the air.  It will make you smile.  Happy Guest Heart Thursday!

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

Smoke in the Forest

I was astonished when I took this photo.  There was no smoke in the air when I clicked the shutter--yet I have captured this smokey sunlit scene with its geometrically straight lines.

I checked the lens of my camera--it was as clean as a whistle.  These photos were shot in the forests of our childhood.  I've always thought of them as magic--how wonderful to capture some of that childhood feeling in this photo.

Magic Lights

Our journey home from Spokane took us through Oregon's great Columbia Gorge.  My husband and I took our time, stopping frequently.  Just as the sun was setting we decided to pull off at a small park neither one of us had been to before.  The late sunshine slanted through the trees as we walked hand in hand to the edge of the waters.

It was beautiful--hard to describe the lovely magic of this place.  There was a colorful rainbow quality to the air and bits of cottonwood drifted through the sunshine like tiny faeries.  My husband and I swung in the swings and laughed like children.  The river sparkled its magical dreams.

The next day, I took a look at the photos from the park.  I gasped when I saw this picture.  An unexpected square of colorful reflections.  Probably a trick of the camera--but amazing all the same.

The qualities of our world, reflections, light, shapes of cloud, tree, hill and mountain will never cease to amaze my soul.