The Banyan Tree
Florida is lush with all kinds of plants and trees. Reminds me of California, where everything seems to be feeding on Miracle Grow and is so prolific and colorful compared with Texas and the rest of the country. The fact that it does not often get very cold here makes a big difference. Most of the state has either a tropical or humid subtropical climate. Maybe it’s not fair to say more lush but just different in a tropical kind of way. Different than what I’m used to for sure.
While visiting, one tree that I see every day while walking around my Aunt’s complex is what I believe to be the Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis), a member of the fig family. The reason I’m not confident of the exact species is that there is also a native Florida Strangler Fig (Ficus aurea) that looks similar. After quite a lot of research, I’m just not sure.
Banyans are mostly found on the other side of the world where they are native to the Indian subcontinent and are often considered sacred or magical, worshiped and venerated by many specific countries and religions.
Banyans are rated the largest trees on the planet according to the area covered, and they live for hundreds of years. I love noticing what is around me and then doing some research. There’s so much to learn and explore when you are naturally curious!
Golfing in Florida
The last time I went golfing was probably 3-4 years ago. And It was with the same cousin here in Florida. The only reason I know how to golf is from taking some lessons as a teenager at the YMCA in Pennsylvania while visiting my grandparents for the summer. Somehow those few lessons have stuck with me enough to be able to have a good time on the fairway and not totally fail every shot. Actually, there are a lot of experiences and lessons learned while visiting PA. from ages 11-17, starting when my parent got a divorce in 85’. How grateful I am to have been able to get to know and spend so much time with my grandparents on both sides. They are all gone now.
Saw some interesting wildlife on the course, and the weather was perfect. As far as birds go, there was the standard fare that you see almost anywhere in this part of Florida. Ducks, geese, coots, gallinules, and Ibis. The most prominent, raising big a ruckus at the 12th hole putting green, was around 20-30 Egyptian Geese. They’re really beautiful birds with a distinctive dark eye patch and overall attractive coloring. They originated in Africa and when brought over to the US for zoos and the like, got loose and established feral populations. According to Wikipedia, the Ancient Egyptians considered them sacred. It’s doubtful the golfers pay them much mind other than when the birds are honking loudly on the sidelines or a nearby roof, as the player tries to sink their final putt.
There were also some huge invasive green iguanas in trees and on the ground. They look like dinosaurs and are fairly docile but I know many people in this state do not like them and they can do a lot of damage. Not one of them ran out to grab any of my golf balls so I was happy. Overall a beautiful morning! I didn’t play too horribly and got some quality time with my cousin.
Native American Heritage Month
There is a heavy subject that I often think about but don’t voice or address. If you are not in the mood for it you might consider skipping the first part of this post.
When I think or read about how Native Americans have been treated, and I try to imagine how different this country would be if their lives had been honored and respected, I just shake my head and feel a lot of shame. It’s not an exaggeration to say, the fact that many Americans are here living the lives they are is on the back of a mass elimination of human beings that were here long before any Europeans landed in the Americas. Not a fun history to think about but it’s the reality. Then you add slavery on top of that and it’s quite a dark period in our story.
How many Americans do I wonder have read the history and accounts of how Native Americans were treated by settlers and the US government? I’m sad to say I have only read one, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. As the author, Dee Brown states, “This is not a cheerful book, but history has a way of intruding upon the present, and perhaps those who read it will have a clearer understanding of what the American Indian is, by knowing what he was.“ It’s painful to hear of the heartless campaign to destroy the Native American culture and “replace it with the white man’s civilization.” The following quote and assessment still sounds relevant and likely set a precedent for how much of the land and resources of the US and world have been consumed and destroyed by greed and ignorance in the name of progress.
“To the Indians it seemed that these Europeans hated everything in nature - the living forests and their birds and beasts, the grassy grades, the water, the soil, the air itself.”
On a more positive note, here are a few other books that I found incredibly valuable that are authored by Native Americans. The first is The Lakota Way by Joseph M. Marshall III, which was a delight to listen to. These old stories and wisdom ring true to me and touch on something that is missing or that never was in the culture I was raised by. Where are the truly wise elders in our celebrities and politicians? Who do you look up to and why? What stories have these people shared that have helped you to learn about the world and how to navigate its perils and challenges?
Each chapter in the book shares an ancient story, with lessons about humility, perseverance, respect, honor, love, sacrifice, compassion, truth, bravery, fortitude, generosity, and wisdom. Talk about a self-help book that gets at what’s important.
“Humility was a virtue that the Lakota of old expected their leaders to possess. A quiet, humble person, we believed, was aware of other people and other things. An arrogant, boastful man was only aware of himself. Interestingly, our methods of selecting leaders today seem to favor the arrogant and boastful.”
Lastly is a book by Don Miguel Ruiz Jr., son of the well-known author of The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz. At some point, I will write more about each agreement and what they mean to me. This truly is an amazing book full of wisdom. One of the big questions that keep coming up in the book is this. Are you using knowledge, or is knowledge using you? Give it a listen or a read. There is a lot to learn.
“The primary tool one uses to domesticate oneself is self judgement. Using my archetypal model of what “I am Miguel” is supposed to mean, I see upon looking at my reflection all the perceived flaws or inadequacies, and my domestication springs into action. I am not smart enough, I’m not attractive enough, I don’t have enough, I’m lacking this or that, and so on. Self judgement resides where self acceptance wishes to be. Our attachments to these self judgements can become so normal that we don’t even recognize them as condemnations anymore. We accept them as a part of who we are. But at a very basic level our self judgements are all consequences of what we believe about ourselves at our core. Wether we accept or reject ourselves. Of all the beliefs to detach from this is the most important one. Let go of the attachment that you must obtain some image of perfection in order to be happy.”
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Day of Thanksgiving
I’m very thankful to be with my family on this day after a long stressful year. I’m thankful for all of the delicious food we consumed, and to every person that made having access to that food possible. From the farmer all the way to the grocery store employees, I hope they all are having a joyful day. Not everyone has food security and I don’t take it for granted.
If you haven’t read about the history of this holiday I recommend checking out the Wikipedia page. It seems like a given now, but the path it took to become a standard in the US is quite complicated. It definitely has grown out of many different religious traditions, but what I found most interesting was the time when it was more of a random or irregular event, based on the external circumstances of the world.
Me, my aunt, cousin, and his girlfriend.
“A day of thanksgiving was a day set aside for public worship in thanksgiving for events believed to signal God's mercy and favor. Such a day might be proclaimed by the civil authority or the church.” The counter or complement to that was something called a day of humiliation or fasting, which was more of a punishment connected to the judgment of God. “A day of humiliation or thanksgiving might be proclaimed in response to a drought, flood, fire, military defeat, or plague. They might also be held before the undertaking of a difficult endeavor.” Seems related to what’s happening now in many ways!
Fasting is something I’ve been researching and I think that’s why this part of history caught my eye. After stuffing myself to the brim with food today, the idea of less or limits appeals to me. I’m considering occasional fasts, to rest my system, and to work on a healthier relationship with food. Too often I eat without being hungry and for emotional comfort.
This train of thought also reminds me of a Stoic practice promoted by Tim Ferriss, from the Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 18, On Festivals and Fasting. “Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: ‘Is this the condition that I feared?” This is how my mind works.
David Allen Sibley
There must be 100’s of different bird guides available, but my favorite by far are the ones written and illustrated by master birder David Allen Sibley. Being an artist and having a love for painting of all types myself, probably has something to do with it. It’s hard to believe, but David hand-illustrated and painted every image in his guides, and I just love looking at them. According to the Audubon website he “painstakingly draws what he sees in the field—900 species for his most recent field guide—first in pencil and then in gouache paints. Sibley has been hailed as the heir to the great birder and artist Roger Tory Peterson, placing him in a long line of artist-naturalist hybrids that leads straight back to John James Audubon himself.”
Don’t get me wrong, photos of birds can be jaw-dropping. There is just artistry and uniformity to his paintings that I find very visually appealing. And the way all of the information is laid out works well and I find myself looking through the guide I have, cover to cover, over and over again. There is just so much to contemplate!
Found this splendid painting of a Carolina Chickadee by David on Pinterest.
So if you have a bird feeder and are curious about what you are seeing, or if you want to get serious about birding, I highly recommend David’s books. When you get your hands on one I suspect you’ll appreciate the years of research and practice drawing and painting that obviously went into them. Birds are amazing and I’m grateful to have a guide to understand them better.
“I wanted a book that would show every plumage and every subspecies, at rest and in flight. A book that would give details on the plumages and habits of each species, describe songs and calls, and show the complete distribution of each species, all on the same page and all in a format that would allow easy comparisons between species.”
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Loxahatchee
This morning I put in almost 10,000 steps, slowly exploring the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. According to their website, “the refuge consists of 145,188 acres, or 226 square miles, of Everglades ecosystems including a mosaic of wet prairies, sawgrass ridges, sloughs, tree islands, cattail communities, and a 400-acre cypress swamp. These lands provide habitat — food, water, shelter, and space — for more than 250 species of birds, 60 species of reptiles and amphibians, 40 species of butterflies, and 20 types of mammals.” My main goal was bird watching, but I did happen to spot two alligators sunning on mud.
If you are interested, I will talk about the birds that I saw and anything notable while encountering them. The most prevalent and numerous were the Common Gallinule, American Coot, and Purple Gallinule. More than once I was startled by their alarming calls from the water line very near my path. When not reacting to me they were swimming around like ducks and eating vegetation from underwater. The Purple Gallinule reminded me of a very large pigeon in shape and the iridescent coloring of their feathers.
The largest birds descending in size were the Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Anhinga, and Little Blue Heron. They were mostly out in the open and easy to observe. The Anhinga in particular really surprised me. I heard a splash and turned around to see 10 inches of its head above water, with a small fish skewered on the end of his upper bill. He then submerged for 10-15 seconds, came back up, and then seemed to disappear underwater, not to be seen again. It was hard to believe I was seeing a bird that stays underwater that much. Makes sense someone nicknamed it “Snakebird,” because that is how it looked.
There were a few birds that I was not able to identify. The more I get into birding the more I realize there is to learn. But when you love something and it is exciting the motivation is there. The last bird I will mention from this part of the refuge is the Loggerhead Shrike. What a handsome predatory songbird, mostly gray coloring, with black and white, and a precise mechanical song.
The Cypress Swamp at Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.
The last area I visited was the 400-acre cypress swamp, a small vestige of its historical range before Florida was transformed into what it is today. It’s an area covered in shallow water, with Cypress Trees, ferns, Spanish moss hanging everywhere, lichens, and all other sorts of swamp plants. It was eerily quiet while I navigated the constructed boardwalk, and I imagined how it might be much more active and noisy at night. Just when I had about given up seeing any birds, I was surprised by the appearance of three different types of woodpecker in a matter of minutes. A Pileated Woodpecker, which always seems surprisingly large, a male and female Red-bellied Woodpecker pair, and what I think was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. What a great way to spend half my day!
Cormorant Haikus
Standing on my back
In the middle of the depth
Maybe I’m not real
We can make it work
Floating artificially
Rest for a minute
1300 Miles to Florida
Made it tonight to Florida for a few weeks visit with family. These pics are from this morning after camping(sleeping in my car) at Big Lagoon State Park. Was hoping to hike down to the ocean at sunrise, but most of the trails were closed due to hurricane damage. Still managed to get a glimpse. Stay tuned. I hope to be doing a lot of hiking and bird watching while here.
I’ll tell you more about my connection to the number 4 some other time. It’s pretty interesting.
The Box Photo
One of the images that I create for Johnson’s Backyard Garden every week is called the box photo. It is intended to illustrate to the CSA members what they might be getting in their share. Here is a description from the JBG website that describes what the CSA is if you are not familiar.
“What is Community Supported Agriculture?
On Tuesday’s you can often find me arranging veggies near the ground and then perched high atop of a 6ft ladder hovering my camera over that week’s gorgeous harvest. After many years of feedback from customers, this seems to be one of their favorite images of mine to see on the JBG website. It has definitely evolved over the years. Here are a few recent ones that I think turned out pretty good.
Photo of me in the cabbage patch by Brenton Johnson, owner of the farm.
Favorites From The Farm - Week #47
Harvesting Lemongrass
Here are my bi-weekly photos from JBG Organic, the Austin based vegetable farm where I have been a photographer for 10 years!
It's Really About You
“Discomfort shows us where we are holding back, where we are stuck. This moment is the perfect teacher. People that trigger us are good news.”
One month into this year-long writing/blog challenge, I want to share one truth or lesson that I figured out a long time ago. It’s been the most consistent behavior of mine that I have observed and it seems to be true for others as well.
Maybe you’ve experienced this? Something about someone bothers or triggers you. It could be anyone, from the closest to you to a complete stranger. It happened today. There is a woman I encounter often that rarely smiles and seems kind of rigid and keeps to herself. I might think, what is her deal. Her guard is up, she doesn’t smile, and she is generally closed off.
If I stop to observe and question these feelings I find something and have to be totally honest with myself. It’s likely many acquaintances in my life at times see me the exact same way. And a big surprise, I don’t like that about myself. So when I see it in someone else I react negatively. As they say, everything is really just about us. Then I can ask, what is this here to teach me. These triggers point to where I need to take a hard look at my behavior or way of being in the world. Is it serving me or is it likely just a way to avoid being vulnerable and to avoid letting anyone see who I am?
An image made 10 years ago on film with something called a Quad Cam.
Living More Directly
This lesson yesterday from The Book of Awakening has to be the one that many years ago jarred my world the most. And it continues to stick in my mind and cause me to observe carefully my interactions with others. It made me look much more closely at how I do or don’t communicate my needs, and how I might be manipulating others instead of having good boundaries and taking the risk of as Mark says, being hurt.
Give it a read and see how it lands. Maybe some people might not think it is a big deal or much of an issue. I’ve discovered in my quest to have better boundaries, and by seeing my friends to the same, that if yours have been weak, you might overcompensate and can come off as seeming harsh or overprotective of your time and energy. I think it takes time and practice to balance it out. What’s your experience? How directly do you live?
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Try This Compassion Exercise
A few years ago I drove for Lyft and Uber for a short time. One of my passengers, a young optimistic college student, handed me a card on one ride. He told me I could keep it and encouraged me to try the exercise. The text on this accompanying graphic shares exactly what it showed. By sharing this I am not promoting the source, but am simply appreciating the content. The steps remind me of a general rule I try to follow. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Or maybe don’t judge someone until you have walked in their shoes. It’s very powerful and I highly recommend trying it.
“To develop understanding you have to practice looking at all beings with the eyes of compassion.”
Love U!?
“It’s hard to sustain love for others until we have a sense of inner abundance and sufficiency. When we experience inner impoverishment, love for another too early becomes hunger, for reassurance, for acclaim, and affirmation of our worth. Feeling incomplete inside of ourselves, we search for others to complete us. We can’t claim from others what we cannot give ourselves.”
Saw this graffiti along the Barton Creek Greenbelt under Loop 360 yesterday, and at first viewed it as a compliment from the creator, but then realized it could also be a prescription. And not an easy one in my experience. It sure seems like there are a lot of messages that come from our culture and society that do not prioritize, encourage, or model self-love.
New DUCKblind Podcast Episode
Andrea and Jill recording the interview.
In addition to producing a show for Austin Enneagram, I also occasionally record an interview for Jill at grayDUCK Gallery, here in Austin, TX. The episodes are to help promote the current exhibition and give people who have already seen the show or who want to visit the gallery, some extra context, and info about the art and artists. As with the other shows I produce, I capture the interview, edit and add music, write and organize the descriptions, and make sure it is published correctly to all platforms. With both shows, I also created the cover art and take pictures during the recordings for social media promotion.
Interview with Andrea Mellard. Crit Group Artists: Annie Arnold, Rakhee Jain Desai, Lydia Garcia, Sean Ripple, Alexandra Robinson, Saul Jerome E. San Juan, Michael Stephen, and Cheyenne Weaver
The Contemporary Austin's Crit Group 2020
grayDUCK Gallery
Exhibition dates: November 14 - December 13, 2020
Gallery Hours by appointment
Down the Rabbit Hole
This isn’t exactly an internet rabbit hole I’m talking about. Much better than that. It happened this way.
I’ve been following The Tim Ferriss Show for many years and it’s one of my favorite podcasts. The other day I listened to Tim talk with author Mary Karr, who I really didn’t know at all, and found her delightful. Very funny and straightforward. She is someone that would be great fun to hang out with I suspect. And even though we both grew up in Texas, based on what I heard she had a much different experience than I did.
Growing up in Austin is not like growing up in a small east Texas town it seems. Mary’s parent’s style of fighting and raising kids, shared in the interview and book, reminded me of what Matthew McConaughey said about his childhood in Greenlights.
Turns out Mary is pretty well known and she wrote a book called The Art of Memoir and is a teacher. Since I’m creating this blog to get better at writing, and it is somewhat of a memoir at times, it seemed like a book I would like. What’s wonderful is sometimes when I go to find a book on Libby at the library it’s available! Then I don’t have to wait and can start it right then.
In that book, Mary speaks very highly of and read excerpts from Richard Wright’s Black Boy. That book was also available! As soon as I finished Karr’s book I started Wright’s. And who knows where it will go next. So good.
One silver lining to the fact that I have a job driving 20+ hours a week is that I can listen to a lot of books. This week while following this train of content, I had a moment of excitement about life I’d like to share. Think about all of the books, and people, and places, and things there are to experience and learn about! I hope I can fit all that I desire to pursue, into whatever time I have left. It gives me a lot of optimism and joy to consider all the possibilities. What gets you excited about life?
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National Trails
Are you aware that there is a system of 1000’s of miles of trails all over the United States? The Appalachian is probably the most famous but there is so much more. While planning my drive to Florida for Thanksgiving I discovered a brochure for the Florida National Scenic Trail and there I saw a map similar to the one above with many more routes than I knew existed.
My first thought was what it would be like to hike them all! What diverse landscapes you would see, a thorough survey of this whole country. Since my camping trip last weekend, I have been wondering how I can spend more time in nature. It brings me a lot of joy to hike and bird watch and identify trees and plants. Why not make it a priority?
Click the map for a larger version! The National Trails System Act of 1968 helped to establish and promote the development and healthy uses of trails by all.
Grease is the Word
Yesterday on the radio I heard the title song from Grease and was reminded of my fondness for that movie. Back in 7th grade I was a latch key kid and would watch that movie almost everyday single day after school. It was on a VHS tape probably recorded from the TV, with commercials that I would fast forward through. How I dreamt of acting and singing in a musical someday. Since I had the house to myself for a few hours, I’m sure I did some dancing and singing in the living room. I’ve also often fantasized about being a teenager in the ’50s instead of the ’90s. Maybe in a past life?
The song reminded me of a series of images I made back in 2004 with a square format film camera, way before Instagram. The subject was a car club gathering held along the Colorado River here in Austin at a place called Festival Beach. I’ve always loved classic cars and was somewhat fascinated by the Kustom Kar Kulture. These 10 images above are some of my favorite from that time in my life, and I definitely romanticize the idea of having shot them on film and how much harder that was compared to digital photography today.
Veterans Day
This photo is one of a series of small aged prints that were in an old shoebox I inherited from my grandfather. He was in the 97th Infantry in WWII and I believe someone in his group was a photographer who made copies of the set and distributed them. There are 100 numbered photos and luckily a deteriorating typed list of names, dates, and locations. Eventually, I would like to scan them all and share the images online for those interested in the history of that war and this specific unit. What must it have been like to be one of these soldiers? Months or years of life and death situations in foreign countries, far from home.
Traveling through Germany towards the end of the war in April 1945.
Both of my grandfathers and my father were in the Army. None of them spoke much about their wars. I can only imagine what they went through. Now that they are all gone I wish I had pressed them more for their histories and experiences.
My paternal grandfather was a medic in WWII and told me of helping German soldiers and having them offer him gifts in return. He did not accept any. As a kid, I thought that was crazy, especially since I was such a collector and loved old stuff. He was part of a proud generation who would not accept or borrow anything from anyone. My maternal grandfather never spoke about WWII at all.
One of the few stories my Dad shared about Vietnam involved him waking up late and saving a lot of people as a result. It was his turn to drive the transport truck that took everyone to where they worked. He slept in that morning. As they were coming over the hill and could see their destination, it was hit with missiles or some kind of bombs and exploded right in front of them. If they had been on time they would have been dead. Unfortunately, his exposure to chemicals while in-country could have contributed to him developing Lou Gehrig’s disease later in life. The war might have ended up killing him after all, just 47 years after the fact.
I’m very grateful for the sacrifices of all veterans, those still alive and those no longer with us. Thank you.