Tag Archives: nature

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Travel theme / Wild Weekly Photo Challenge: Beach – Askew Beach Seaweed

Apparently beach is a popular theme this week, thus:
This photo is part of a weekly travel themed photo contest Travel theme: Beach! – my entries for other weeks can be found here.

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I’m participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers. This week’s challenge is: Beach! – my entries for other weeks can be found here.

Askew Beach Seaweed by Seas Reflecting Starlight
To be fair, who doesn’t want to go to the beach in the summer?  (Even friends in the Southern Hemisphere are probably missing summer right about now.)

As people from all over the world get ready to visit Hawai’i's beaches this summer, I remind myself how grateful I am to live so close to the beach.  Which beach I choose to visit depends on what I plan to do when I arrive, the tide/currents, and if I plan to stay on the sand or get in the water.  Some places are peaceful and good for curling up with a book beneath a swaying palm tree.  Others have interesting shells, broken off pieces of coral, and seaweed strewed across the beach.  O’ahu doesn’t have any black sand beaches, but the beautiful sand that we do have varies in color and texture on different beaches.  The kinds of waves range from the famous gigantic waves surfers love to ride on North Shore, to softly lapping water ideal for snorkeling.

What do you like to do at the beach?

Hanauma Sunrise Panorama by Seas Reflecting Starlight
Previous photo – click to read more
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Wild Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections – Lotus Pond Reflecting Bridge Arches

I’m participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers.  This week’s challenge is: Reflections! – my entries for other weeks can be found here.

Lotus Pond Reflecting Bridge Arches by Seas Reflecting Starlight

Click on photo for a larger view!

On a peaceful day in Wuhan, China, the still waters of a pond perfectly reflect the many arches of a bridge.  In the shallow parts of the pond there are so many lotus plants growing that the lotus leaves completely cover the water.  A few pink lotus blossoms rise up proud and strong, transcending the pond and the canopy of leaves, but not the scene itself.  The same still waters that allow for such a nice reflection are also what allows the thin stem of the lotus to grow straight up, unhindered by currents.

Are the conditions for inner reflections the same as that which we need to fully bloom?

Here are a few of my other favorite reflection photos from previous entries – click to see a larger view and read more:

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Wild Weekly Photo Challenge: Spring – Feathered Flirtations

I’m participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers.  This week’s challenge is: Spring! – my entries for other weeks can be found here.

Feathered Flirtations-by Seas Reflecting Starlight

Two female mallards are checking out a passing male mallard.  One of the females is preening her feathers, as if hoping the male will notice her.  Even the water seems to reflect their mood, with the red reflections of all the koi in the lake.

Whenever I think of spring, two of the things I always think about are birds and new beginnings. These ducks seem like they are at the start of something, and there may be cute little ducklings in their future.  Spring may not be as distinct here in Hawai’i as it is in temperate regions, but there is still the feeling of something special in the air, and all the twitterpated birds add to that effect.

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Design: Watercolor Kyoto Autumn Temple Light Up

Watercolor Kyoto-Autumn-Temple-Light-Up by Seas Reflecting Starlight

This watercolor painting illustrates the glow of a temple light up in Kyoto, Japan. Arrays of lights shine up onto the multi-colored leaves of the trees and upon the various buildings on the temple grounds. This view is from Kiyomizu-dera, looking up at the surrounding mountains towards a small part of the temple near the mountain peaks.  The landscape feels otherworldly, and although logic knows that there are hidden lights shining on the trees, it seems as if the light is radiating out of the trees themselves – perhaps as if an inner light was illuminating the landscape and bringing it to life.  Although the technique of the light show is modern, the scene before me felt quite ancient and as timeless and the changing seasons.

Japan celebrates the richness of each season in a way that is unique amongst the countries I’ve visited thus far.  Even in this age of jet-imported fresh foods from half-way around the world, the Japanese still retain an emphasis on what is local, seasonal, and fresh – the uniqueness and beauty of what is right in front of them at the moment.  The same is true for the arts – it is often apparent which season is depicted in each Japanese painting, as that momentary fleeting beauty is represented.  It’s a celebration of impermanence, and of being present and living in the moment.  Where else do people, as an entire society, go out together just to see the autumn leaves?  Seeing Kyoto that November gave me the most appreciation for the potential benefits of having four seasons that I’ve ever had, being a woman of the tropics at heart.

Are there other parts of the world that have such autumn light ups?  Let me know in the comments!

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speakers and more

 Available at my Inner Bodhisattva Zazzle store.
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Forward – Spirited Snail on a Rainy Day

This photo is part of WordPress’ Weekly Photo Challenge: Forward – my entries for other weeks can be found here.

Spirited Snail on a Rainy Day by Seas Reflecting Starlight.

On a rainy day in central China, a snail scooted along an ancient stone wall.  The snail moved with a great sense of purpose, and amazingly fast for a snail.

Even on gloomy “days” of our lives, we need to keep moving forward as best as we are able.  This snail didn’t let the weather get it down – on the contrary, the moisture probably made it easier to move across the wet surface of the stone.  Perhaps that was the silver lining for the snail.

How can you best utilize the day’s circumstances to move forward in your life?

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Wild Weekly Photo Challenge: Sunrise – Hanauma Sunrise Panorama

I’m participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers.  This week’s Challenge is: Sunrise! – my entries for other weeks can be found here.

Hanauma Sunrise Panorama by Seas Reflecting Starlight

Click on the image to see a larger view!

This is yesterday’s sunrise coming up between Koko Head and Hanauma (the two mountains) with reflections in the beautiful ocean.  This photo could not have been taken during high tide, so timing really is everything sometimes!  It’s mornings like this that remind me how much I really love living in Hawai’i!  The panorama is too large to easily fit in this window, so click on it to see a larger view.

A few shout outs to some other gorgeous sunrises from around the world:

  • abstractlucidity shares multiple photos with a mirror reflection of the sunrise on water, and a nice silhouette of some water birds.
  • janeluriephotography has some images from Kiawah Island, South Carolina with beautiful clouds and grasses on the beach.
  • playamart shows sunrise on the rocky shoreline amongst the crashing waves at Playa San Miguel, and a small moment of a slew hermit crabs eating a coconut.
  • lagottocattleya‘s photo has silhouettes of trees rising out of the mist, and some pretty light refractions.
  • humantriumphant shares the bright and extremely vivid colors of a sunrise over the Appalachian Foothills.
  • uthamz shows a sunburst through the leaves of a tree overlooking a misty valley.
  • travelsandtrifles shares a mountainside aglow in “Let the Sun Shine”
  • the-serenity-space shows the soft pastel glow of a Pacific Ocean sunrise in Australia.
  • dewetswild has a nice silhouette of a bird on a lone branch of a dead tree.
  • photosandpursuits shares the Florida sun peeking through a tree and reflecting on a lake.
  • maireadkahn brings life to a frozen landscape with some bright golden hues.
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Wild Weekly Photo Challenge: Wanderlust – Le Shan Mountainside Buddhist Pavilion

I’m participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers.  This week’s Challenge is: Wanderlust! – my entries for other weeks can be found here.

Le Shan Mountainside Buddhist Pavilion by Seas Reflecting Starlight

Near the giant Buddha at Le Shan in Sichuan, China, a tiny pavilion clings to the steep mountainside, overlooking the expansive river below. Part of the charm of China is the dotting of the mountainous landscape with these pavilions and temples that are difficult to reach, and must have been even harder to build. The location gives them a sense of majesty and separation from the mundane world, often seeming as otherworldly and spiritual as the mists enveloping them.

When I think of “wanderlust” images of such mysterious and off-the-beaten-path places spring to mind.  To me, wanderlust embodies the spirit of adventure and the quest for the unknown.  Spirituality and a yearning the unknown are closely linked, and so a small often overlooked part at a Buddhist historical site seemed appropriate for this challenge.

What does “wanderlust” mean to you?

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Travel theme: Mountains – Colossal Le Shan Buddha

This photo is part of a weekly travel themed photo contest Travel theme: Mountains – my entries for other weeks can be found here.

Colossal Le Shan Buddha by Seas Reflecting Starlight

The Giant Buddha at Le Shan (乐山大佛) is carved directly out of the mountainside overlooking the river.  It is located in the southern part of the Chinese province of Sichuan, and together with Mount Emei is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was built during the Tang Dynasty (618–907).  The seated Buddha is so large that humans are dwarfed by a single toe of the Buddha.  This photo was taken about halfway down the perilous walkway carved into the cliff-face next to the Buddha.

Although Le Shan is rather short compared to many mountains, and the Chinese character “shān 山” can refer to hills as well as mountains, Le Shan is typically translated into English as a “mountain” and therefore will be considered one for the Mountain theme of the travel photo challenge.  Indeed it is a mountain of great historical, religious, and artistic importance, and still attracts thousands of tourists and pilgrims every day.  I had to wait in line for two hours before I could walk down the steep, uneven, and narrow stairway that lead from the Buddha’s head to his feet, and I was told that I wasn’t even there during a “busy” time.

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Design: Dazzling Glow Lotus

Dazzling Glow Lotus by Seas Reflecting Starlight.

Inspired by my Illuminating Lotus photo, but with a very different feel from my similarly-inspired Rainbow Etching Lotus, this art piece has a glow that radiates outward.  Of the three, this one seems the most otherworldly and mysterious, akin to a latent inner nature just waiting to shine.

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Wild Weekly Photo Challenge: Green – Glimmering Eyes in Glade

I’m participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers.  This week’s Challenge is: Green! – my entries for other weeks can be found here.

Glimmering Eyes in Glade by Seas Reflecting Starlight

Whose eyes are these, glimmering in the shadows in the glade?  Something is peering out of the dark leaves of the foliage.

What do you think it is?

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