The Heavens Declare ...

1 Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens;
    praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels;
    praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
...

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
...
    
11 kings of the earth and all nations,
    you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
    old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
...

Praise the Lord.

(from Psalm 148)


I was reminded of the awesomeness and majesty of our Creator many times this past week as the heavens declared His glory in our back yard.

(Day 132) Hold me back!

I'm quite sure that all of you out there doing a project 365 have run into those times of brain constipation. You know, the day's getting late, you haven't got your shot yet, the pressure's building, you're looking around at something that you think you might use as a subject, and nothing seems to be co-operating with you.

Well, today was not one of those days. In fact, I had the opposite problem. I drove to a favourite place just a few minutes from home. I'd been here in the fall but hadn't yet seen it in the spring. I felt like I had died and gone to photographers' heaven. So bear with me as I post beyond the project 365 one-shot 'limit' (this is getting to be a habit).

(18-55mm  f8  1/125 sec  ISO200)

entrance to photographers' heaven

(18-55mm  f8  1/125 sec  ISO200)

(18-55mm  f5.6  1/1600 sec  ISO200)

(18-55mm  f5.6  1/250 sec  ISO200)

a burgundy trillium among the white

(18-55mm  f8  1/100 sec  ISO200)

(18-55mm  f14  1/50 sec  ISO200)

(Day 126) Almost heaven

We had another weird-weather day. The only thing we didn't get was snow. The forecast was for partly cloudy skies, but we started the day off with rain, then clearing with strong winds, then a brief but violent thunderstorm, followed by more clearing. Towards dinnertime it started raining again, but the sun was shining brilliantly. I ran to grab my camera to try and capture this phenomenon but when I got outside the rain had stopped, and instead there was a 'sign' from heaven that reminded me of a promise made long ago.

After dinner I walked over to our lilac 'woods' (there's at least an acre of them) to capture them before they're gone again. The air was heavy with their fragrance - surely heaven must smell like this!

(18-55mm  f8  1/1250 sec  ISO200)


looking out the front door

(18-55mm  f5.6  1/100 sec  ISO200)

(18-55mm  f14  1/100 sec  ISO200)

(18-55mm  f5.6  1/160 sec  ISO200)

(Day 87) Let there be Light

Whatever your beliefs are, scientists still have not been able to explain the origin of the universe. Oh yes, theories abound, but proof lies beyond reach. It's my belief that God took care of that, just as He took care of creating light. And He's also promised that there's light beyond death.

Some people who have had a 'near death experience' claim to have caught a glimpse of that light before they were snatched from death's jaws. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. And whether my mother-in-law saw that tonight when she left this earthly existence I don't know either. What I do believe, however, is that she's in the presence of The Light and is relieved of all her earthly suffering. For that I give thanks.

(60mm  f2.8  3.2 sec  ISO100)

(Day 35) At last ...

It was a fitting end to a most glorious day - the sun setting into a bank of clouds on the Gulf. People sat or stood silently and watched the spectacle unfolding, or perhaps, folding. All was momentarily quiet. Mere humans could not have created such a scene. The beauty of photography is that it allows us to capture moments like this to savour again, and to transport us to the scene from another time and place. And at last we enjoyed a day that fully met the expectations we had had before our trip began, although we did partake too much of the sun, just in case the opportunity wouldn't present itself again. We agreed that we would pay the price without grumbling.

(70-200mm @ f8 1/200 ISO200)

(Day 30) Sand, surf .. almost heaven

Compared to 2 days ago, today's scene felt like a slice of heaven. Nothing more needs to be said ... the picture speaks for itself.

(taken with 18-55mm @f11.0 1/320 sec ISO200)