A downy feather from some unknown molting bird rests temporarily during a moment of stillness in the air. Copyright 2018 Pamela Breitberg
Moment of rest..
quiet
Paces of life…
Bee and Fly laboring on Dahlia. Copyright 2017 Pamela Breitberg
Watching others busying themselves is my amusement lately while I take time out from routines and duties to refresh myself. It has been too long since I have been able to stay still in one place, just be tranquil, with empty thoughts. This luxury of unfilled time will last only a brief while. Time is precious. I watch others do their routines such as this Bee and Fly on a summer Dahlia and I am grateful for the ordinary, underappreciated, normal paces of life. Soon I will rejoin the busyness and be productive again with a passion that comes from this immeasurable restorative respite.
Tender tranquility…
Details visible only with patient stillness. Copyright 2017 Pamela Breitberg
Blossoms highlighted by sunlit palm leaf in background. Copyright 2017 Pamela Breitberg
Inconspicuous entrance…
The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond lies just outside the far north end of Lincoln Park Zoo. One discreet turnstile entry connects the two. This morning it was a welcome respite in our five miles walk through Lincoln Park. The water fell softly down the stones and leaves gently fell into the pond. Newer fallen leaves floated above the water logged older leaves collecting at the bottom of the shallow pond.
Waterfall in Caldwell Lily Pond, Lincoln Park, Chicago. Copyright 2016, Pamela Breitberg
Albert Caldwell Lily Pond adjoining Lincoln Park Zoo. Copyright 2016, Pamela Breitberg
Floating and sunken autumn leaves. Copyright 2016 Pamela Breitberg
Autumn reflections. Copyright 2016 Pamela Breitberg
Dense stillness…
Quiet moments gazing at the wet forest floor that edges Volo Bog. Still and single in color, yet richly active with textures and diversity. Mosses, ferns, mushroom, and more….
Fern standing above the forest floor. Copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg
Moss laden forest floor. Copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg
Mushroom signaling damp forest floor. Copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg
Tranquil attention-getters…
Feathery plumes of tiny flowers bring prominent attention to this shade-loving, summer bloom. In the fall, it is often Goldenrods in their golden show or many perennials’ seed heads that create such a fuzzy manifestation. These bunches are the low blossoming Astilbe perennial used as border plants in one of my beds surrounded by Pachysandra ground cover. It is one of my least aggressive plants, so I regularly defend it’s territory, thinning out invading, more prolific, species. This year’s blooms are more outstanding in part due to our very wet spring and early summer.
Ants on blooming Astilbe plumes. Copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg
Blooming Astilbe among Pachysandra ground cover. Copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg
Serene solitude…
Heron resting on the Japanese Island at Chicago Botanic Garden brings a sense of peaceful pondering. Copyright 2015, Pamela Breitberg
garden whites…
Ever faithful Service Bush. Copyright 2015, Pamela Breitberg
Strawberries-to-be. Copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg.
Still ripening Snowball bush. Copyright 2015, Pamela Breitberg
Bleeding Heart in white. Copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg
Lily of the Valley, copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg
At rest…
Red-winged Blackbird taking a rare moment to rest under the fuzzy seeded tree at North Pond. copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg
Still life…
The emerald green moss on this log lying atop a forest floor of drying matted leaves, seems to silently shout for attention: a clear sign that Springs awakens. copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg