Pavilion of Heaven

 

I took this picture on a morning walk at Surfside Beach.  It was a cloudy day and the sun rays were breaking through the storm clouds.

'Daughter of Earth and Water' River Guana

The Cloud

by Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792-1822

 I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,

         From the seas and the streams;

I bear light shade for the leaves when laid

         In their noonday dreams.

From my wings are shaken the dews that waken

         The sweet buds every one,

When rocked to rest on their mother's breast,

         As she dances about the sun.

I wield the flail of the lashing hail,

         And whiten the green plains under,

And then again I dissolve it in rain,

         And laugh as I pass in thunder.

   I sift the snow on the mountains below,

         And their great pines groan aghast;

And all the night 'tis my pillow white,

         While I sleep in the arms of the blast.

Sublime on the towers of my skiey bowers,

         Lightning my pilot sits;

In a cavern under is fettered the thunder,

         It struggles and howls at fits;

Over earth and ocean, with gentle motion,

         This pilot is guiding me,

Lured by the love of the genii that move

         In the depths of the purple sea;

Over the rills, and the crags, and the hills,

         Over the lakes and the plains,

Wherever he dream, under mountain or stream,

         The Spirit he loves remains;

And I all the while bask in Heaven's blue smile,

         Whilst he is dissolving in rains.

   The sanguine Sunrise, with his meteor eyes,

         And his burning plumes outspread,

Leaps on the back of my sailing rack,

         When the morning star shines dead;

As on the jag of a mountain crag,

         Which an earthquake rocks and swings,

An eagle alit one moment may sit

         In the light of its golden wings.

And when Sunset may breathe, from the lit sea beneath,

         Its ardours of rest and of love,

And the crimson pall of eve may fall

         From the depth of Heaven above,

With wings folded I rest, on mine aëry nest,

         As still as a brooding dove.

   That orbèd maiden with white fire laden,

         Whom mortals call the Moon,

Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-like floor,

         By the midnight breezes strewn;

And wherever the beat of her unseen feet,

         Which only the angels hear,

May have broken the woof of my tent's thin roof,

         The stars peep behind her and peer;

And I laugh to see them whirl and flee,

         Like a swarm of golden bees,

When I widen the rent in my wind-built tent,

         Till calm the rivers, lakes, and seas,

Like strips of the sky fallen through me on high,

         Are each paved with the moon and these.

   I bind the Sun's throne with a burning zone,

         And the Moon's with a girdle of pearl;

The volcanoes are dim, and the stars reel and swim,

         When the whirlwinds my banner unfurl.

From cape to cape, with a bridge-like shape,

         Over a torrent sea,

Sunbeam-proof, I hang like a roof,

         The mountains its columns be.

The triumphal arch through which I march

         With hurricane, fire, and snow,

When the Powers of the air are chained to my chair,

         Is the million-coloured bow;

The sphere-fire above its soft colours wove,

         While the moist Earth was laughing below.

   I am the daughter of Earth and Water,

         And the nursling of the Sky;

I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;

         I change, but I cannot die.

For after the rain when with never a stain

         The pavilion of Heaven is bare,

And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams

         Build up the blue dome of air,

I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,

         And out of the caverns of rain,

Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb,

         I arise and unbuild it again.

 

Fall Sunset Matazanas River

I don't know if a fall sunset is any different then a summer one except it is not as hot.  In October the temperature drops to the high 70's and the breeze from the Intra costal feels refreshing. 

Mary's Summer Flowers 2014

As long as my mother is able to grow flowers in her yard, I will celebrate their beauty on this blog. She is 86 years old and has shown incredible strength through many sorrows this year.  The beauty of these flowers can't compare to the beauty of her inner spirit.

A Sea Life Morning

 

There was a hurricane in the Atlantic that hit Bermuda over the weekend.  The beaches were swarming with sea birds.  The population of birds was more then normal.  Dolphins were swimming in Matazanas River at Washington Oaks.  I sit and watch them for a few minutes.

Early Morning Sunlight Washington Oaks Park

Early morning sunlight just made the gardens glisten with a golden glow.  These photos were taken on Saturday morning.  

Fort Matanzas Nature Trail Boardwalk

 

 

 

Fort Matanzas has a large conservation area on the beach.  The park has a nature trail boardwalk for people to use to walk over to the beach.  The deck protects the wildlife, sand dunes and vegetation.  These photos were taken at sunset.

Sunset over Matanzas River and Marsh

 

 

Waterway Park is a small park with nature trails and a view of Matanzas Fort, River and the marsh. The trees glowed with the evening sunlight.  The sky turned reddish orange over the green lush colors of the marsh just a spectacular scene.

Morning Sun Matanzas Marsh

The Sun Peeking at Crescent Beach

The sky was too cloudy to allow the sun to rise brightly on this particular morning.  It created interesting cloud and sky formations in the struggle of the sun peeking through the dense clouds.

Washington Oaks in the Shadows

  

I seldom take pictures in black and white but it is a form of photography that is considered very beautiful and where a photographer can be very creative. It has a purity of expression with many shades from darkness to light.  I particularly like trees with various sizes and bold shapes.  The reflections of light in the water is opaque and luminous. These photos were taken at Washington Oaks State Park during a walk.

Chambers Island Wildlife Refuge

The wildlife Refuge of Chambers Island had birds, birds and more birds everywhere.