Conservation Connection at the Zoo

Life's path

While listening to Rachmaninoff Concerto N. 2 - II. Adagio sostenuto
youtube.com/watch?v=llveGVApdz4
youtube.com/watch?v=aseYsowHj4E

I composed the following words, quickly as they are, no rework:

remember me when I was younger somewhat spree

I always knew you'd remember me
taken to heart real dearly dear
for thee,
don't hesitate, no regrets for something
more beautiful than anything real

listen once more

I always felt a kind revere one can see
reverberating rather all around me

building like the water down a stream
to a pond that sits and wonders at its
new found potential built up from
trickles.. trickles, streams rivers

rolling washing flowing
flowing like the rivers in my heart
glorious tempests of passions rise
a shimmering sheath of reflecting light

tumbling bouncing building boiling
fall, fall dance, right up
and down and over the edge.....


Hesitant, waiting, anxious, tempted,
back and forth undecided,
relaxing, letting go,
winding down, finding time to go,
over the edge, slow waters still
and now flowing, sparkling waterfall

Down ye go, now smooth and silky
to the bottom of the falls
my love is waiting there
can wait and yet be ready

No need to hurry when there is
patience to find the sublime
time to meet and

Find one find two together
as one, combined now
all right when we
see each other in
our existence
and we can go down
life's path
as a pair can
never ever be
alone
alone
no one
done
yet
now
we
do
seeeee
our..
time

Lilliputians -- British Soldiers

This magical little world reminds me of the Lilliputians of Gulliver's Travels

I was walking in Harrison Hills Park last weekend, attempting to locate a less than common bird, a Northern Shrike. I didn't find the bird, but I found this old snag of a tree long since laying horizontally at the top of a hill, and all covered with these Lilliputian-esqe fungi growth. It was amazing! My attempt to photograph was difficult, the only one I liked was this Depth of Field style...
Cladonia cristatella

According to my friend Dick: "They're British Soldiers. Also called Matchstick lichen. They are very sensitive to air pollution and disappeared from the Pittsburgh area back in the 1960's and in Murrysville as well. With catalytic converters on the cars after 1973 they started returning. Still haven't reached their former abundance."

Never Comes the Day...

Westmoreland Conservancy Calendar

This is the front page of a calendar that myself and other members of the Westmoreland Conservancy developed about one year ago for 2008.

This year the Westmoreland Conservancy is organizing
"Conservation Connection at the Zoo" to be held at the Pittsburgh Zoo on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008. Our purpose is three-fold: to promote land preservation, expand membership and to encourage like-minded organizations to meet and mingle at a dinner at a great Pittsburgh venue like the zoo. We would like to invite everyone to attend. If you are interested, please contact us. Thanks!

Northern Mockingbird and berries

I go to Phipps to wander around inside the glass rooms in warmth to photograph flowers, and outside I see this Northern Mockingbird sitting in a bunch of berries with the wind blowing his feathers.

Punxsutawney Phil

That goofy goober groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil
heard man-made warming fable from humans on the Hill (Capital)
Sprung up from Gobbler's Knob
their story he would rob
Grievous global forecast do oft make this Phil ill

Phil:
As I look around me,
a bright future 'tis all I see,
deep shadow well before thee.
Rising temps will never be.

Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/08 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob