Lake Robbins Bridge, The Woodlands, Texas (2003) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Archive for the ‘Henry David Thoreau’ Tag
Lake Robbins Bridge Leave a comment
Eastern Bluebird Painting 1 comment
Eastern Bluebird — Photo-Artistry by kenne
The bluebird carries the sky on his back.
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Backwater Fishing Leave a comment
Backwater Fishing — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in.
I drink at it; but while I drink I see
the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is.
Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains.
— Henry David Thoreau
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Fall In The Catalinas Leave a comment
Fall In The Santa Catalina Mountains — Image by kenne
“Live each season as it passes;
breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit,
and resign yourself to the influences of each.”
— Henry David Thoreau
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Tuichi River Birds — Photo-Artistry Leave a comment
Tuichi River Birds — Photo-Artistry by kenne
This world is but a canvas to our imagination.
— Henry David Thoreau
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I Went To The Desert . . . Leave a comment
Catalina Foothills Sunset — Image by kenne
I went to the [desert] because I wished to live deliberately,
to front only the essential facts of life,
and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
— Henry David Thoreau
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Two-Tailed Swallowtail — Photo-Artistry 1 comment
Two-tailed Swallowtail — Photo-Artistry by kenne
“Let us first be as simple and well as Nature ourselves,
dispel the clouds which hang over our brows,
and take up a little life into our pores.
Do not stay to be an overseer of the poor,
but endeavor to become one of the worthies of the world.”
— Henry David Thoreau
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Tucson Folk Festival Leave a comment
(April 30, 2011) — Image by kenne
Aim above morality.
Be not simply good,
be good for something.
— Henry David Thoreau
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A Walk In The Woods 1 comment
Autumn On Mt. Lemmon — Image by kenne
Nature
by Henry David Thoreau
O Nature! I do not aspire
To be the highest in thy choir, –
To be a meteor in thy sky,
Or comet that may range on high;
Only a zephyr that may blow
Among the reeds by the river low;
Give me thy most privy place
Where to run my airy race.
In some withdrawn, unpublic mead
Let me sigh upon a reed,
Or in the woods, with leafy din,
Whisper the still evening in:
Some still work give me to do, –
Only – be it near to you!
For I’d rather be thy child
And pupil, in the forest wild,
Than be the king of men elsewhere,
And most sovereign slave of care;
To have one moment of thy dawn,
Than share the city’s year forlorn.
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Standing At The Altar Of Nature Leave a comment
Naturalist David Lazaroff and several other naturalists with the 2011 SCVN Training Class, Day 1 — Image by kenne
I was a member of the 2011 Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) class. During the fall training I wrote the following poem, posting it on this blog:
STANDING AT THE ALTAR OF NATURE
When we stand
at the altar of nature,
we stand with the greats;
Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Henry David Thoreau,
and John Muir,
each having helped define
our relationship
with nature and language –
“every natural fact is a symbol
of some spiritual fact,
. . . words are signs of natural facts.”
Nature’s beauty becomes
a source of spiritual energy
connecting all things
into a universal whole
with the energy of our
thoughts and will.
We stand at nature’s altar
not separate from her,
seeing her in the flowers,
insects, animals, mountains,
creating a unified landscape
of our inward and outward senses.
Like all relationships,
the experience depends
on the degree of harmony
between us and nature,
therefore becoming a gift
granted while walking with nature
as she is embraced in our minds –
Enlighten, she shares her secrets,
making the universe more “transparent.”
Yet the gift may only offer a glimpse,
to be shared in images and words,
charming all living things.
Commenting on my poem, SCVN member, Walt Tornow, wrote that my poem ”. . . captures beautifully my feelings about being in the mountains.” He went on to share the following:
GOD, GRACE, AND GRATITUDE
Finding God in the wilderness …
- The majesty of our mountains, the magnificence of views/ vistas they afford, and the splendor and munificence of the many gifts that nature has to offer
- The awe and humility that comes from being witness to the grandeur of it all, juxtaposed with realizing the relative smallness and fleetingness of our existence
- Never feeling or being alone … lots of company by nature’s creatures, and taking in the beauty of nature’s show
- Feeling vulnerable, yet trusting, being in the wilderness — potential prey to wildlife, and exposed to the elements
- Experiencing awe, joy and inspiration by being here
- Feeling connected … becoming one with myself, with nature, and the universe
- Finding peace, serenity, and sense of holiness … my place of worship and meditation
Here for the grace of God am I …
Grateful to be, to be here, and be given the opportunity and capacity to enjoy the many gifts/ blessings around me.
– Walt Tornow
If you feel our passion for nature, we want to share it with you by inviting you to become a Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalist.
We are currently recruiting people who share our passion for nature
to take part in our 2017 SCVN Training Class from the beginning of October to January.
After completing the training you will start next January teaching kindergarten and/or elementary students approximately 1 morning per week. All training curriculum materials provide for an excellent learning experience, along with many guest nature experts.
Additionally, you can take part in adult Public Interpretations nature programs about Sabino Canyon.
You can learn more about this wonderful volunteer nature program and get an application by visiting our website
www.sabinonaturalists.org/
Please pass on this information on to persons you will be interested in becoming an SCVN member. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have — kenneturner@gmail.com
kenne
Naturalist, Gwen Swanson, demonstrates “panning” to students in the “Strike It Rich” program.
This creekside activity allows children to learn about the difference between rocks and minerals
by panning for garnets in the sand along Sabino Creek, and the importance of water in forming the canyon.
Image by kenne
SCVN Training nature walk with naturalist, Bill Kaufman (Fall 2011) — Image by kenne
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Pathways Leave a comment
“Woodlands” (Aspen Draw Trail on Mt. Lemmon) — Computer Art by kenne
As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth,
so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind.
To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again.
To make a deep mental path, we must think
over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.
–Henry David Thoreau
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Standing At Nature’s Alter 1 comment
Image by kenne
Standing At Nature’s Alter
When we stand
at the altar of nature,
we stand with the greats;
Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Henry David Thoreau,
and John Muir,
each having helped define
our relationship
with nature and language —
“every natural fact is a symbol
of some spiritual fact,
. . . words are signs of natural facts.”
Nature’s beauty becomes
a source of spiritual energy
connecting all things
into a universal whole
with the energy of our
thoughts and will.
We stand at nature’s alter as man
not separate from her,
seeing her in the flowers,
insects, animals, mountains,
creating a unified landscape
of our inward and outward senses.
Like all relationships,
the experience depends
on the degree of harmony
between man and nature,
therefore becoming a gift
granted while walking with nature
as she is embraced in our minds –
Enlighten, she shares her secrets,
making the universe more “transparent.”
Yet the gift may only offer a glimpse,
to be shared in images and words,
charming all living things.
kenne
(First posted August 30, 2011)
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Sonoran Desert Yellow Flower Leave a comment
Sonoran Desert Yellow Trumpet Flower — Image by kenne
No man ever followed his genius till it misled him.
Though the result were bodily weakness,
yet perhaps no one can say that the consequences were to be regretted,
for these were a life in conformity to higher principles.
If the day and night are such that you greet them with joy,
and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs,
is more elastic, more starry, more immortal, … That is your success.
All nature is your congratulation, and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself.
The greatest gains and values are farthest from being appreciated.
We easily come to doubt if they exist. We soon forget them.
They are the highest reality. … The true harvest of my daily life
is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening.
It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched.
— from Walden or Life in the Woods — Where I Lived, and What I Lived For by Henry David Thoreau
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Searching for Nature’s Sweetness 1 comment
Searching for Nature’s Sweetness — Computer Paintings by kenne
This world is but a canvas to our imagination.
— Henry David Thoreau
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Morning Clouds Moving On, Madera Canyon 4 comments
Morning Clouds Moving On, Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains — Images by kenne
An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
— Henry David Thoreau
Becoming is Superior to Being 