Sheila Finkelstein.Picture_to_Ponder

Looking through Foam Filters - v3-#60: Sea Foam Face

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
a Tablecloth on the Beach at Delray Beach, FL

 

This issue brings us back to play for those who like finding the faces that I often see in images. The top photo is Atlantic Ocean coming in and pulling out on a tablecloth that had been left on the beach. The lower two are the tablecloth itself. The middle is shape of the tablecloth right before the surf came in, as in the top photo.The view on the bottom reflects the image that captured my attention in the first place.
                     
When I was selecting photos for this issue, what caught my eye and imagination in the top photo, when I saw it on my computer monitor, was the Medieval face I saw looking out at me, perhaps a king, with a square hat and long hair flowing out to the sides. (Note - For those not seeing it, the chin would be squashed down. The nose is above the dark space, bottom center.)

There is also little mouse, or other creature, crawling up the head on the left.
                     
Self-Reflecting Queries
I went to the beach for sunrise recently and, as I was walking the wet, white cloth caught my eye as the surf was coming up to meet it. I decided to observe the activity with my camera and took photos until the cloth as ultimately flattened out and disappeared, at least in the spot where I was.

Initially, I thought that the bunched up white material was a t-shirt and was surprised to discover that it was, in fact, a tablecloth. As I was thinking about it again today, while pondering queries for this issue, I realized that, for me, this is a striking example of an situation where my initial response was based on what I "knew" - "people take off t-shirts at the beach and may forget them." Certainly it's a more common than seeing tablecloths there.

Bringing it back to life off the beach, I have noticed in at least two or three situations, in the past couple of days, where I assumed something was a certain way and then started looking at the whole thing through the filters of my assumptions. I actually lost a lot of time trying to understand something and ultimately realized that the challenge was I had not come to the scenario with an unencumbered view.
                     
Are there places in your life now where you, too, may be being held back from something because you are operating out of your expectations that it is a certain way? Is so, I invite you to step back, find the filters and remove them if you can, switching to a "clean" pair of lenses.
                     
Then have fun with what might open up for you. The tablecloth certainly provided much more variety than a t-shirt would have. If nothing else, the latter was not likely to be able to open, in the end, as flat as the tablecloth and provide as much variation in movement and changes.

Being Authentic - Natural Light - V3-#59: Morning dew at Green Cay Wetlands

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Dew Drops on a Metal Railing at sunrise on the boardwalk at Green Cay Wetlands
                  
The top photo is a cover slide I made for a one-minute video that I started putting together to show several more of the photos and give a more complete perspective of my experience. The background shows the overall boardwalk with the metal railing. It is somewhat distorted view because the flat section on the left is the top of the wooden railing which is only about six or eight inches wide.
                      
The glistening of the dew drops in the early morning sunlight is what first caught my eye. I took several photos and then wiped off some of the drops to see how the railing would look. A portion of the third and fourth photos shows these results. I was totally excited with the variety of exquisite colors and textures.
                  
As an aside, note the insect in the photo shown here. It was not a planned part of the picture. I saw it only after I viewed the photos on my computer.
                  
Self-Reflecting Queries
To me, today's photos represent finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Once again we have the magic of light and reflections on metal, reminiscent, in part, of the photos in the bathroom sink at a restaurant. For those who missed it, see Mystery Photos.
                     
Except for the final photo I took of the Green Cay railing the feeling on this metal is quite different from that in the sink. We can conjecture that the differences between sunlight and artificial light are what results in the contrast.
                     
This leads to the query, "Are you aware of places in your life, perhaps in interactions with people, where you are being totally, authentically yourself, as compared to situations where you are putting on a different persona?"
                     
If you are, or become, aware of such experiences, can you track differences in results being produced?
                     
And, in a totally different conversation, I invite you to discover something visually new that excites you.

As always, have fun.

Interpretations- Words and Stories - v3-#58: Leaves and Reflections in Wakodahatchee

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Leaves and a Reflected Fern in Wakodahatchee Wetlands

The curled, dead leaves in the top photo captured my attention, initially, I think because of their stateliness in isolation.

For overall composition, movement and balance, I most like the middle photo with the reflected fern being the main center of interest. The focal point in the bottom photo is actually a portion of scene above on which I had zoomed in with my camera.
                      
The bottom two are grouped here with the top simply because they seemed to fit in mood and color. Interestingly, the muted background of the top looks like the water in the bottom two photos. In fact it is not water.

 Self-Reflecting Queries
I am searching for queries today, wondering if they fall into the category where we think things are one way and then find out that they are not. Or, might this represent the times that we don't know how to be with something until someone puts his/her interpretation and words on it.
                     
According to emails I get, there are times when a specific issue of Picture to Ponder strikes a significant chord with one or more of you. I thus offer "interpretations" by you or others as something you might want to look at today.

If the latter doesn't fit, I invite you to find a situation in your life that you have a lot of "story" around and simply be with it for how it appears if you are standing at a distance looking at it.
                      
Remember to have fun.                     
                     

Trunck fun - v3-#57: Trucks in Water Authority Yard

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Through and over a chain-link fence, a Truck and a Tank in Palm Beach County Water Authority's yard, adjacent to Wakodahatchee Wetlands
                
I don't actually know the names for the above equipment or machinery. I was simply caught up in the shapes and structures and the imagery that I saw. When I took the photos, I was not even certain I would be including them in Picture to Ponder. Then, while I was searching for today's feature photos, the top one repeatedly popped up.
                
Each time it appeared on my monitor, I instantly felt a big smile on my face; so here it is for you. There is, for me, something appealing in the softness of the forms and the leaves caressing them, contrasted with the hard metal. Then there is feeling that the truck is almost looking straight at me (the lower circle). At the same time it's looking away (the smaller opening above and slightly to the left).
                
The second photo is included simply to show you the full view, with the fence quite obvious in this one. The third photo of a tanky, muffler looking form is a picture I took several weeks ago in the same location. It was the sense of a very large insect, or creature from Outer Space, that captured my attention.
                        
Self-Reflecting Queries
I've made a long story today of what were originally simple responses of appreciation for me.

Bottom line, insofar as transferring this to Self-Reflecting Queries (SRQs), are there places in your life currently where you are complicating what might/could be very simple? If so, is there an action you might take to shift that?
                      
I also invite you to take some time in the next few days to look at portions of cars, trucks and other vehicles and mechanical objects to discover things you've never noticed before.

As always, have fun with this.

Lastly, as I was finishing up today, it occurred to me that if you enjoyed today's photos you would most likely appreciate some of my photo/drawing truck art. See links in this following section.
                      
Truck Art - Note Cards on Naturesplayground.com Posters, Infants and Kids T-shirts and more in Gift Shop

Clouds as Comfort - Pink Clouds at Sunset - v3-#56

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Clouds at sunset in our Boynton Beach, Florida neighborhood
                     
The top photo is the one which called out to me first to be included today, then the lower two. I like the overall feeling of the photo in the middle.
                     
The girl/woman I see (full body profile) on the left seems cradled and protected by the palm leaves, as well as by her back support. In the lower photo, as I move in closer, there is a more dramatic spark. As a matter of fact, Sam thought we were looking at an electricity outage. He even had a sensation in his hands, as he studied the photo.
                     
I invite you to take a minute or two to explore these photos for yourself.                      
                      
Self-Reflecting Queries
Usually when we think of clouds, the negative often comes up, at least for me, with such thoughts as a "cloudy day," where things are usually dark and gray.
                      
On the other hand, in Florida anyway, we most often have clouds like those featured here today. I view these pink and puffy ones as positive shapes of cushioning and discovery.
                        
Are there clouds in your life right now? If so, are they the dingy ones. If "yes", is there something you can do to recreate them for yourself as puffy comforting ones?

Peace.

Spinning a Web on Reality - v3-#55

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
looking Skyward at a webbed Insect Sculpture
                  
On a recent night-time walk in our neighborhood I noticed the web around the above sculpture that was in the front of one of the homes. I made a mental note to come back the next day to photograph it.
                
Many of you are probably wondering how this fits among my usual photos. Please  check the Self-Reflecting Queries section for more.                

In terms of aesthetics, I've included the top photo for its overall feeling. I especially like the almost circular flow of the central image in the midst of the beautiful clouds. Note the repetition of shapes.
         
In the lower photo the focus is more on the web.
                     
Self-Reflecting Queries
Today's photos are a departure from the usual, in part, because it's not my practice to feature another artist's work. In this case, it's the that is the NATURal web that is the center of interest.
                
The imagery had stayed with me from the time I first saw it. I decided that somehow there must be a message in it to pass on, so I went with my gut. As I started setting up today's issue, it came to me.
            
What intrigued me initially was that a live insect, or insects, had chosen this sculptural one to weave a web on. "Did it think that the sculpture was real? Was it an expression of romance? Love?" These are among the romantic, playful questions I had.

 

Whether any of these thoughts were true, what I realized is that the imagery above is a perfect example of how often I, and most likely you, interact with our perceptions of things, or situations, as if they are the reality. In the process we build our own webs around them, often accumulating a lot of "gunk" in the process, as exemplified in the photos above.

 

Sam and I had the pleasure this weekend of a visit with our dear friend, Ina from Boston. During a portion of the time, she and I worked on her Magic Meditations Workshops website. I've been interpreting her wishes and text, designing the site and getting it all up on the web.
             
She noted a minor/major mistake that had been missed from the beginning. Though it had nothing to do with my end of the process, without even checking it out, I assumed it was going to be a big deal for another person involved to correct. I know my assumption and resulting body language and, presumably, unexpressed attitude put some short-term, intermittent, and unnecessary tension in the space between Ina and me.

 

Bringing this back to today's photo, I, in effect, had starting building a web around something I called "real," a web that could have started attracting other negativity and junk.

I invite you, now, to look at your life. Are there areas where you may be building webs around unconfirmed "realities?" If so, as always, I invite you to check them out before the web structure is complete.

If you'd like to see the site-in-progress, click on WORKSHOPS. The CD cover art is comprised of selected photos of mine. If you visit, keep in mind that the CDs are in post-production. There are places you can register your name if you wish to be kept informed of their release date.

Completing on the Last Issue -
Thank all of you who shared your concern for, and support of, Sam and me. For those who read the SRQs, I'd like you to know that after I was finished, I had the huge "Aha" that what I had been focusing on is "what's missing," rather than on the Gratitude for what we do have. There is far more power in Gratitude.

I posted a follow-up on PICTURE PONDERING blog.                   

Dark and light in life symbolized by Wakodahatchee fireflag - v3-#54

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
fireflag leaves in varying stages of their life cycle in Wakodahatchee Wetlands
                  
Initially it was the color in some of the leaves that caught my attention on a recent walk. I zoomed in on some (not shown here), then took other photos of the surroundings.
                  
On the conscious level I was not aware of any message. For this descriptive section, suffice it to say that I love the rhythm in the photo and the play of the leaves. In the center photo, I like the composition and the leaf, with the play of light and shadows.
                  
The bottom one was a late addition as one of today's featured photos. When I finished working through so many varied and, sometimes, muddied thoughts and emotions today, this alive and bright photo from the same scene called to me and asked to be included.

 Self-Reflecting Queries
Today's photos are symbolic of some of the issues I am working through with losses we are experiencing as a result of the ravages of the Parkinson's Disease with which, as most of you know, my husband Sam is afflicted.

I've been feeling a lot of sadness lately as I experience more and more the loss of communication between us, as well as other things. Although Sam knows what's going on, it has become much harder for him to get out the words. What does not help either of us is that I am still in denial and angry words erupt quite frequently.      

I will probably blog on this as a way of further expansion and transformation for myself. Insofar as this space goes, I hold it that Picture to Ponder, generally, "should be" about "pretty and uplifting" pictures and thoughts. I therefore will not continue here expressing any more of my reactions to today's featured photos and thoughts.
                     
Also, I don't want to color your reactions. I do think today's photos are rich and beautiful, in their way, and your responses, depending on what you are experiencing in your life now, may be totally different from mine. I do not want to minimize that for you.
                     
In terms of queries for today, are there places in your life where you are hiding out and not facing your fears? If so, are there steps you can take, or are taking, to get you through and past them?

For me, it was allowing myself to push through here, dwelling on the photos, at first freeing myself up by sharing some of my thoughts with mastermind friends on a Skype chat and getting acknowledged, then following through here.

The ultimate test for me will be to continue the process and follow through on my Picture Pondering blog.                      
                     
Are there actions you would like to take, resulting from thoughts you've had from today's photos and writing? Will you follow through?

Water lettuce in Green Cay

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
more photos from my recent walk on the boardwalk at Green Cay Wetlands and Nature Center in Boynton Beach, Florida
                  
The top photo is Water Lettuce, which attracted me with its feeling of openness. Also, I thought it might be a water flower. The other second and third photos are of a Purple Martin house with nesting material coming out of the openings.

There are several Purple Martin houses in both Green Cay Wetlands and Wakodahatchee and this is the first time I had seen any greenery coming from them.
                     
Self-Reflecting Queries
Today is "Photos-Only Day." You get to create the SRQs, if you wish, for yourself and/or posting on the BLOG.

                  

Enjoy!

Making false assumptions - Whistling Ducks in Green Cay Wetlands - v3-#52

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in Green Cay Wetlands
                  
The top photo is a close-up of the male and female. I'm awaiting an answer on which one is which. I will post it on my site, on the Whistling Ducks page, linked below.
                  
The ducks and chicks are swimming in duckweed, a plant with many nutrients, not algae as some think when seeing duckweed-covered water. It's the tiny plants that are faintly visible on the ducks bills.

For more views of these ducks, see the added photos on a page I set up on my site - Whistling Ducks.
                     
Self-Reflecting Queries
Although today's photos are not particularly dramatic-looking, a query developed as I was speaking with another photographer and I decided I wanted to use it today.
                        
I commented that I found it interesting how remote and removed the parents seemed from their babies. Charlie, the photographer, pointed out that the parents were not detached. Rather they were on the alert for predators. I got that awakening thump with an "Of course! Why did I not think of that?"

My mind then started wandering and I began thinking about how often I make assumptions, based on a look or a tone of voice, that people are judging or assessing me. I am certain that what I thought is what is so and rarely bother to check it out.
                     
This pattern goes so far as my getting my back up, defensively, when I read an email written in all upper-case letters. I assume the person is expressing anger at me!

I did finally check this out once with someone editing an article I had written. How wrong I was! He simply was not a fast typist and rather than be bothered with shifting for upper and lower case letters, he chose to leave them all the same.

Are there places in your life now where you are interacting with people, past or present, based on a "look they gave" you or a particular tone of voice? If so, I invite you to initiate a discussion and check out your assumptions.

In concluding today, I find it ironic that when I went back to check other issues of Picture to Ponder where I featured whistling ducks, I found almost the exact the same theme generated by the ducks in June of 2005. See Issue 124.
                      
Obviously this is a recurrent theme for me. How about you?

False Impressions - Setting sun - v3-#51

                            

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos a Setting Sun in Florida                    This sun caught my eye recently because the it looked like a double image. I was so enthralled I went chasing it in my car, looking for a good place to photograph it in all of its intensity.          As I recall, the top photo was taken looking out my driver's side window. The next two were taken from my seat, aiming the camera out the passenger-side window. In showing the middle photo, I intentionally left the portion of the window and door frame in the image as a reminder. The body of water reflecting the sun is one of the countless man-made lakes that abound in the communities in my area of Southeast Florida.                       Self-Reflecting Queries One of the things that intrigues me, as a I reflect on the top photo, is that I did not stop to consider the how or why of the "double sun" image. It took me until today to realize that it was simply a faint line of clouds cutting across the sun that created that effect.                          As I continue my reflections, I think of the times I always feel the need to find the answers. In this case it was sufficient to simply "be" with what I saw, looking for more of it to enjoy, not needing the "why" of it. Are there places in your life now where you are spending so much time looking for answers that you forget to stop and enjoy what's there? If so, I invite you to pause and simply "be" in the moment, or moments, of the experience. As always, remember to have fun with this.

                                                                    

Reflected sunrise on sand and in the ocean at Delray Beach,FL

BuyPhoto/ Drawings on blank note cards suitable for framing. Go to CARD SETS                    Also see    Sunrise Photos on many products in our Gift Shop