Yellow Swallowtail

Butterflies will soon be gone for another year so I will risk boring you with this Yellow Swallowtail. This old butterfly, although tattered, was flying vigorously among the blossoms.

Late this summer I have found most of my butterflies visiting thistle flowers. Thistles are considered a noxious weed by farmers and most landowners but in the scheme of nature thistle nectar and pollen is an important source of food for many insects while the seeds are hungrily sought after by birds.

The true value of nature is often not appreciated. Many folks spend their lives chasing the unholy dollar while ignoring the natural treasures we are blessed with. Mankind strives to control nature when instead we should be more concerned with learning to live in harmony with it.

July 4th, Independence Day

While we celebrate this Independence Day let us not forget the cost. So often we honor our men and women in uniform past and present as the ones who have sacrificed that we may enjoy this great gift of Freedom. Let us not forget the sacrifice of their families at home. We cannot forget the mothers longing for their sons return, the young wife wondering if her child will ever see Daddy, the father lying down to rest after a hard days work only to find sleep will not come as he worries about what is happening to his son’s unit currently deployed in the desert sands. Let us not forget the grief of the families who’s loved one returns as a casualty of war.

Let us not waste the Great Gift of Freedom for which they all have paid so dearly. Our media thrives on reporting about what is wrong with America. Reports of our problems fill our air waves; friction between races, ethnic groups, citizenship status, political parties etc is reported by news anchors who’s demeanor suggest that they are an authority on each and every story they report when in fact they are only actors who’s job it is to drive ratings with no regard for the damage they may do.

In this age of Globalization some business leaders think only of the short-term profits outsourcing off-shore can bring. Wall Street money managers coolly calculate their next strategy of how to legally separated working people from their hard earned cash. We are over run by politicians whose main concern is filling their campaign chest that they may once again win reelection while representing their major campaign contributors and not the citizens of their district.

It is the responsibility of each citizen to let his or her voice be heard. Write your politicians, vote, attend local government meetings, become involved in your community,

IF YOU ARE NOT A PART OF THE SOLUTION
YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM!

Collage Notes: The banner in memory to Christopher Cutchall is from a memorial display on the side of his parents barn, The Helo’s along with the Marine & Sailor are images from the dedication of a Memorial for a young local Marine KIA in Iraq. The tombstone is that of my Great-Great Grandparents. Great-Great Grandfather served with Company B 3rd Regiment Maryland Volunteers in our Civil War.

Honey Bees, Global Warming, some Salty Thoughts

A Carpenter Bee hurries from Flower to Flower

I have read the many dire warnings lately about how the world’s food production will be destroyed if the current problem with the decline in honey bees is to continue. The purveyors of doom would have us believe that a large percentage of the world’s crops will fail if they do not have honey bees to assist in pollination.

This same group of people would have us believe that although history teaches that our earth has went through ice ages and warming ages many times in the past, today with the exception of human activities, earth should be in a period of stable temperatures extending infinitely into the future.

As I looked at my cherry tree dressed in its white robe of blossoms I seen a vast array of insect species buzzing about the flowers. There were wasp, flies, bumble bees, carpenter bees and many creatures which I could not begin to identify. Could it be that only the honey bee has the ability to transfer pollen? Is our very existence on this rock that we call earth so fragile that the failure of one species such as the honey bee could spell doom for our entire civilization?

As I look about me I am prone to disagree with the folks who create sensations by making attention grabbing dooms day pronouncements. I think of them as the modern “Chicken Littles” Sorry folks, the sky is not falling, only changing, as the earth has done since the beginning of time.

Character

No brush grows in a new fence row, the post are neatly aligned and properly spaced, the wire is new and shiny. Each fence of this type is nearly identical to the next.

A tree falls on it here, a cow forces her way through there, a little bird nest in a hole where a knot has rotted away. Ivies climb the post, brush grows, and repairs are made. The passing years, the problems encountered are written indelibly upon the fence. As the years take their toll each fence develops its own unique character and beauty.

When young, we are nearly perfect with fresh young faces and lithe young bodies. As the years pass, the life we live, the trying times we go through are indelibly etched upon our countenance.

Like the fence, with the passing of time, we too develop our own unique individual character and beauty.

The Boulders

In literature we frequently find references to rocks. They are seen as being solid, durable, strong, and impenetrable. In times past rocks were used to build pyramids, fortresses, and many other massive imposing structures. During our Civil War General Thomas J. Jackson earned his name “Stonewall” at the battle of the First Bull Run for standing in the midst of shot and shell unflinching. General George H. Thomas earned the nickname “The Rock of Chickamauga defending Chickamauga Creek in northwestern Georgia.

Have you noticed how banks and large government buildings are frequently made of stone? Mankind’s intuitions are only as strong as the faith of the people. Imposing masonry structures have an aurora of strength, stability, and permanence designed to bolster our faith in them. Just like the soldiers mentioned above they may not be as solid and eternal as they first appear. They may in fact be supported by only a small underpinning without which they must surely fall.

This outcrop on the edge of a precipice portrays all of these characteristics.

The Path

I beckon you come.

Walk under the spreading branches of my mighty oak. Follow me through the mist. The way is not clear. Do not be timid. Others have passed this way before and you must only follow for I am here to guide you.

Follow me into the glorious light of the future.

The Path by Salty Dawg


(This verse was inspired by my wonderful wife, who upon seeing this photograph said “That picture speaks to me”)

Lonely Pine

On a lonely windswept mountain top, a pine stands guard. The beautiful valley which lies before is shrouded in fog. Such is the way of life; we cannot always see what lies before us.

I arose early this morning to go in search of an image. I traveled to a high mountain overlook hoping to capture the sunrise over the valley floor. Instead I was met with dense fog. So as the old saying goes; when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!

The Gate

The gate has served its family for many years. Its duties has been to keep the cows and chickens out of the lawn and to keep the children safely in. Once this was a bustling farm, the parents, busy running their business while tending to their five children. Of the young children who once played in the lawn some have passed away. The gate now hangs in disrepair as this farm as well as its occupants shows the obvious signs of age.

Time waits for no one.

The old have learned this truth,

the young will as time passes.

The Bridge

I came upon this quaint little bridge in my travels. While photographing it I began to reflect upon the bridges I have crossed in this path of life. The bridges we cross are both literal and figurative. The one characteristic all of our bridges have in common is that they carry us over the difficult places we must cross.
Reflect upon the bridges in your life and consider what your life would have been like if those bridges had not been there for you.