The Garden Took Over
I saw this on one of my walks along my favorite creek trail, a place where I’ve taken many of the photographs that later became photo projects.
What caught my eye was a long fallen log. One end had a shape that reminded me of the bow of a boat, while the heavier back end was covered in green moss. I looked at it and thought, That could be a boat.
From there, the idea grew. I imagined an old boat that had been sitting in the woods for so long that nature had started to claim it. Moss, ferns, vines, and little flowers were moving in, making it part of the landscape.
Then I added one tall, nearly leafless stalk rising from the boat, with a single unusual flower blooming at the top. That became the little surprise in the scene.
To me, the garden seems to be saying, “You may have built this for one purpose, but we can use it too.”
And that’s really what this project became: an old boat, a forest, and nature having a little fun with what was left behind.
The Rock That Didn’t Belong
I was sitting out back today, looking at the rocks around my patio. I put them there years ago to cut down on watering, using a drip system for the plants instead.
As I looked around, I started thinking that almost every one of those rocks could become a picture or a story. If I ever need an idea, I may not have to go very far. I can just step outside, pick up a rock, and see where my imagination takes it.
This one caught my attention because of its smooth, rounded shape and the indentation in the middle. It didn’t feel like an ordinary rock. It seemed like it belonged to something larger, almost as if it had been shaped for a purpose.
So the indentation became a pool, the side became a climb, and a small traveler appeared on his way to the top.
Something sitting quietly in my backyard suddenly became another world.
Sometimes imagination doesn’t need a destination.
It just needs something worth noticing.
