Weekly Photo Challenge – My 2012 in Pictures
All washed up
Many of the joys of life come from exploration, its one of those things that keeps you alive and interested. Whether it is exploration of new places near or far from home, new ideas, new hobbies, new techniques in pursuit of improvement or perfection, or whatever it is that satisfies your curiosity, finding interesting things keeps you moving forward.
The image above, taken in February at Lake Ferry in the Wairarapa District near New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington, prompted these thoughts. How would I feel if I reached a point in life when I felt all washed up. Here the remnants of a once thriving tree are left stranded in a stony shore, bleached grey by the sun and apparently useless to anyone. Yet that is what happens to many people in our societies – left abandoned and all washed up. What ever happened to their desire for exploration, or were they never given a real chance to start with?
As we move into 2013 let’s keep our drive to explore alive, and maybe even help someone who has lost their sense of direction to explore new ways to become alive again.
Weekly Photo Challenge – My 2012 in Pictures
Cape Palliser Lighthouse
For me, this image sums up my 2012 and points to a beacon of light for 2013. Last year was quite a challenge for my wife Valerie and me – not the year that we had envisaged in January. A straight forward looking year turned into one of unplanned trips and a crippling accident which entailed several long periods away from home.
The above image was taken at Cape Palliser near the entrance to Wellington Harbour. We visited this remote cape as a side trip before journeying to a family wedding. When I look at the stairs they represent the long haul through the year where out-of-town family child minding trips dominated the early part, followed by Valerie’s recovery from a skiing accident in the latter part. The lighthouse at the top represents the beacon showing a clear passage for the year to come.
In between all of this we fitted a whale watching trip to Kaikoura on the north eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand, a holiday on Queensland’s Gold Coast, and a lovely couple of days skiing before the accident.
We are grateful that our wide circle of friends have given us encouragement and support throughout the period since August, for which we feel blessed indeed. Such is Val’s recovery that we are already planning our travels for this year and are excited by the prospects of what is to come.
The stairs also represent my journey with photography and blogging. It has been a year of learning and experimentation. Each new discovery leads me towards the next summit. My blog received its 10,000th visit just before New Year’s Eve, which was one of my goals for the year. I don’t do this for the numbers but, being a retired numbers person, I am interested to watch how the visits increase and where they come from. This blog gives me an outlet for my photography and a reason to keep on finding new material and to improve my craft. I am grateful for those who take the time to visit and explore my blog, and especially for the growing number of followers. In return I follow the blogs of others and get great enjoyment from reading what they post and how they see the world.
Thank you for your support. Best wishes for 2013, and may you succeed in all you do and have a happy and healthy year.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Green
Historic Farm Buildings, St James Conservation Area, Canterbury, New Zealand
This oasis of green is at the site of the old St James Station homestead beside the Clarence River in the St James Range in North Canterbury. The original St James Homestead built around 1880 burned down in 1947 but the out buildings that remain are considered of special importance and worthy of restoration by the Department of Conservation. The area is reached by car by following a winding narrow unsealed road out of Hanmer Springs leading to the Molesworth Station. At a “T” junction the road to the left leads to the site of the old St James Homestead. In summer this area is very dry but the area immediately around the homestead site is green and sheltered by trees.
Chris Gregory's Alphathreads 