Storm-Chasing

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Mike and I attempted a little storm-chasing on Sunday Night. We both had our Canon S5 IS cameras set up on tripods running CHDK scripts to try and capture lightning. But the storm fizzled here in Marquette, Michigan. The night as no a loss, though. Dramatic weather makes for great color and a different view on our everyday life. Some photos were taken with a small Casio camera that I run trails and races with–it fits in a tiny pocket.

Fairylands and Forty-Seven

Photo by Mike Hainstock

I’m blessed to live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and to have The Wilds so readily at hand. Saturday I worked a 3pm to 11pm shift followed by the morning shift on Sunday 7am-3pm. I only managed 4 hours of sleep between the shifts. I think I surprised Mike when I came home and said, “Grab your camera–let’s go!”. So Sunday, around 4pm we headed out, guided by our intuition, and landed down a gorge near a waterfall in Fairyland where I fell in love with this tree. I could have taken a nap and listen to it whisper secrets!

Photo by Kim Nixon

Sunshine is like the equivalent to “the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down” allowing me to sing in the face of negativity and danger! And I’ve been focussing on spreading joy and disconnecting from the negative that tries to swamp us down. Imaging and Imagining the life I want to lead is key!

Photo by Kim Nixon

Blossoming and branching and keeping that sense of discovery is important. What will sparkle in the sunlight under trees near flowing waters? You’ll never know unless you venture down into the gorge. Facing fears and trying new things isn’t so bad. The last time Mike and I visited this particular bend in the Carp River I was very afraid to walk over a log bridge. My fear of heights and falling so irrational. The creek is really only a foot or so deep, come on fall in I dare ya! (I can laugh now). I walked over it twice with ease on Sunday. Magical!

Photo by Kim Nixon

I am forty-seven and it is a magical age. I’ve having another spring and I can unfold, blossom, soak in sun, and enjoy the wind. I’m going to grow, heal, learn. I feel like singing often. I listen to my intuition and I can hear the little magical beings of the deep forest calling.

Self Reflections on the Dead River

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Dead River I-IV

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Part One: An evening with Mike on the Dead River Basin had me reflecting. I was thinking of May Erlewine, her music, her lyrics, her voice, and how I needed to be lulled by eddies. I was entranced by the surface tension of the water. The thickness of the water. Viscosity. The reflections of forest and sky. Upsides. Downsides. And how needy I have felt the last few days.