Meet The Atlantic Puffin

I know, I know...I should be doing my homework for both of my classes but I had such an exciting weekend that I just needed to share it.   I also just wanted to spend some time looking at those photo's...I promise to get the rest of my lessons done though.   I am working on the instagram,  just need to figure a few things out with that.

Now back to my weekend...Another one knocked off the bucket list and 3 years in the planning. I finally went 12 miles off the coast of Maine,  into the Atlantic ocean,  and meet my little Puffin friends.   Tiny little colorful birds that I will be blogging and bragging about in the next few weeks.   

Seal Island is a bird sanctuary that Canada designated in 1944.   Canada claims the Island belongs to them and the United States claims it belongs to us..so both countries have agreed to disagree and they both claim it.   Both flags fly on the Island and special permission is needed to land there.   So you can't just row your boat up and go visit the birds.   It is carefully and closing guarded with a light house and a research team.   We were lucky enough to make it this year.  Eleven of us went from power boat,  to a larger vessel and then when we got close to the Island we were over the side into another power boat.   We were broken up into groups of 4 and sent into blinds to view and photograph the birds.   I had never been in a blind before and it was a pretty tight space with tiny little windows.   The views and the sounds of the birds were awesome.   I will show you and tell you more about this trip as I move through my photo's.   What I will tell you now is that it was very exciting to be that close with nature.  Not only the birds,  which was the high light of course,  but to experience this tiny Island off the coast of Maine was wonderful.   In some ways surreal.   

For now I will leave you with my first photo.   A quick pick because I took over 1,000 photo's and just couldn't decide where to even start.   What I liked about this one is that it's straight out of the camera except for a tiny bit of lightening on his face.   No crop,  no Photoshop.   The point I'm trying to make with this shot is to show you just how close we were to the birds in those blinds.   There are other shots that were even closer but that's for another day.

So have you crossed anything off your bucket list lately.   Maybe now would be a good time to think about that.   It is such a powerful feeling to know that I am doing so many of the things that I have put down on my list...It gives me the strength and courage to move onto the next "thing" that I didn't think years ago that I could do...more power to bucket lists...hoping you can cross something off of your own list.

"As you grow older you find the only things you regret are the things you didn't do."  Zachary Scott

Lil Loon and Mom

It has been so long since I've posted and even longer since I've worked on my lessons,  Reflections of You.   I have missed both.   July has come and practically gone and we are now finally starting to get some semblance of normal...what the hell is normal anyways...I'd be happy with just a bit of "me time" now.   It is getting better and I'm so proud of Lil Sprout,  his Mom and Dad and my entire family.   It sure does take a village when the someone hits that brick wall that waits for all of us to show up at someday.   My village is my tiny family that possesses so much love and dedication to each other.   No questions asked,  we just do, for as long as doing is necessary.   For this brick wall test not only did we do but we are learning how to live day by day, setting new goals for our future as a family.

Last week for the first time this summer my husband and I ran away to our house in Maine.   When I was last there the comfort and peace that I always find there had taken a vacation.  I knew it wasn't right for me to be there and so we turned around and came home.   I am happy to say this time that when  we went there all the good feelings of peace and hope and pure joy came rushing back to me like a lost river.

Early on Sunday morning we went to church on the lake...Oh yes, there is church on the lake and you know it not by the sounds of church bells but by the Cry of the Loons.   I love the Loons,  it's part of the Maine experience for me.   So when they called,  we grabbed our kayak's,  tea and I took my little trusty Canon G-10. I hadn't paddled very far before I found the church sounds of my Loon and what a surprise I got when I discovered that she had a baby with her.   It has been years since I have captured a loon baby and I was so excited by the gift of Spirit in front of  me this morning.   I felt such a sense of endearment for the Mom and baby and they reminded me of my daughter and her Little One.   The Mother Loon so protective of her little fur ball and Jenna so protective and such a wonderful advocate for Sprout.   I have written about Mothering Moments before and my heart beats a little lighter each time I encounter one,  especially in the world of nature.  Two babies struggle to find their way in this new world that they find themselves in.   This was a gift that Sunday morning and I gave them space as they gave me such joy.

I am happy to say that Lil Sprout is doing well,  each day using his strength to grow strong and meet the challenges he faces.   He is happy,  beautiful and feisty if you mess to much with him.   Hey a lil lad needs his sleep.  That's his job and he takes it seriously.   He now weights 3 lbs,  5 ozs and today he was so happy to lose his oxygen tubes...Now we can really see his face.   He cried a bit when they took the tape off his face but I talked him through it and after I was rewarded with him holding my thumb,   opening his eyes and then giving me  his best big boy smile.   It was the perfect morning with Lil Sprout,  just as last Sunday was the best day with Mama Loon and her baby.   

Life takes us on many journeys and those journeys become part of who were are. It's not the situation that defines us it how we handle it alone and together with those we share our lives.   This journey with Lil Sprout was really difficult in the beginning.  Not only did I worry about him but I had to remember that my daughter was worth some of my worry time.   She has been a trooper.   An amazing Mom for sure.  So like the Mama Loon,  Jenna is keeping her baby close for now,  making sure he gets every opportunity for continued loving growth and me,  well I'm the Big Mama and I'd say I'm more Blessed than I would have thought possible.

We are turning corners,  making new routines and moving forward..one step at a time,  one day at a time. Being thankful for all who have supported and prayed for us...It sure does take a Village,  and my little village is full of hope,  love and gratefulness.

At The Edge of the Ocean

At the edge of the ocean is where I'm be when you come looking for me.  From the time I was born the ocean has never been more than 15 minutes away from me.   The ocean pulls me in and fills me up,  in is part of who I am.

In New England,  Massachusetts to be more precise,  you are surrounded by the ocean.   My first memories where of the beach.   When we were young we would actually go by ourselves as kids and spend the days. Life was more carefree and safe in the 50's than today...I do wonder now as I look back and think of how I am with my kids and grandkids,  why my Mother never worried about me drowning...maybe a matter of two many kids and to many other obligations.   So every day, all year long the beach and the ocean are available to me.   I love walking it and hearing the waves lap on the rocks.   It is so calming and mysterious.   Different each time you visit and the smell of the salt air relaxes the brain.

We are also fortunate in New England to be surround by Mountains....not great big ones like the Rockies but Mt. Washington is a decent size and it's majectic in it's own right.   We we leave Massachusetts and head to Maine,  New Hampshire or Vermont it's like traveling the globe...mountains,  rivers, streams.  Then you cross meadows,  lakes and pine forests and fishing villages.   The landscape is so devesified you can never be bored.It is also a great window for photography...summer sun and ocean adventures,  fall in glorious color on those maple trees,  winter abundant with snow and cold and of course always the renewal of spring with it's wildflowers and rebirth.   Birds tweeting most every season brings music to my ears.   Windows open,  sounds and smells enter...

I feel so blessed with all the beauty that my senses experience in my tiny town...New England is mapped by very small towns for the most part.  It is a safe place filled with beauty but mostly it is always the ocean that calls me home from travels...the ocean and my beloved woods of Maine.   I am never more than a foot away from solitude,  peace and the mystery of nature.  I feel an sense of awe each time I grab my camera and go.I do love to travel but my heart loves coming home to New England and all the gifts it offers up.   Living here reminds me everyday of the Grace that is given to all of us when we learn to appreciate what we have instead of what we think we are missing...

Thanks Kim for this lesson..it is sometimes important to track things in writing to bring them back to our minds and hearts.

Liam learning about the beach,  one ice cream at a time.  Every good beach has an ice cream stand.   Goes really well with the sand.

Another gift of the ocean and New England.   We love going to one of our seaside towns and sitting outside for dinner.   The view is always fantastic...and the sun setting over the ocean is so beautiful.   It doesn't always have to be fancy.  Just sitting at the rail with the view, beautiful flowers in a galvinized vase and a glass of wine.   It makes me feel like I'm in heaven and the cool breeze on a hot humid night is nature's air conditioning.

Life in New England...Ocean living.   Farm land and nature.  I also am fortunate to live in horse country right down the road...I have it all.   Come see me sometime..

Tiny Pants, Big Love

It always amazes me how quickly our world can change.   Some of those changes are so profound that they turn your world upside down in a minute and the results effect the rest of your life.

On June 27th a magnificent tiny boy entered our world way to early.   Oh yes,  we were waiting for him and loving him already.  What we didn't know was that he was loving us also and wanted to be  with us sooner rather than later.   He made his appearance in the middle of the night or you could say,  first thing in the morning at 12:30am.   A tiny specimen of a beautiful boy with  a head of hair and a good loud cry.   He certainly gave us all a scare with his timing but he has shown us what love stands for,  what bravery really means and what fighting for your right to live is all about.   At 2lbs,  11oz.  he has proven to me to be the most courageous person I know.

I have spent the last week watching him go through so many trials that most adults would fall apart under but not Lil Sprout...he's such a trooper.   Everyday he fights to get strong.  He never complains much about all the test he has done and he's so receptive to all our cravings of bonding with him...he has passed every test that is required of him at this early stage in his life and he gives us so much hope for his future.   What a miracle he is.   

His Mom and Dad are tireless in their quest to give him all the bonding and love that he deserves.   I watch the connections taking place even in this highly technical environment and the joy that radiates from all of us that get to spend time with him is palpable .   His big brother,  Lil Man,  goes to see him and brings him Teddy Bears for his incubator and balloons...he loves him already and waits for him to come home so he can show him how to "climb the stairs like a monkey"...my sweet boy's...such a nice ring to that.   Uncle Chris goes frequently and puts his warm loving hands on Sprouts little body so he can feel a connection.   We all have a turn at that and it is amazing how much Sprout loves it and calms down with each touch.   It's the only thing we have to give him at the moment,  but it's an important piece for his growth.   His Mom gets to hold him when she visits and I could watch them forever.   He snuggles in and listens to the beat of her heart just as he would if he had waited a bit longer to join us.   She kisses his tiny head.   One tiny baby,  bringing so much love and connection to a family that is feeling very Blessed.

It is an amazing process to watch modern medicine work it's miracles on such tiny babies.   We are fortunate to live in an area that has a special hospital for children,  one of the finest in the country.   The nurses and doctor's work tirelessly for these children and they also really take care of an entire family in the process.   What I love most about them is their easy way with which they practice...dedicated,  confident but relaxed and so we become relaxed also...

So this is where I have been, bonding with my newest treasure while also spending lots of time with my first love Liam.   One tiny baby boy has changed the world of his family.  This is only the beginning.   Many more changes will come,  more days of struggles as he grows and many hands to bring it all together.   But the one thing that he brings to us already is his Big Love...one tiny heart that beats in all of us.

Welcome to the World Baby Boy...you are so loved here.