Sunday at the Beach

One of the spectacular views north at Ravenseyrie

(Click on photo to view larger image)

An anonymous, ancient Chinese poet wrote:

I have been gazing
At the scenery of Sho and Shung.
I realize
I am all of a sudden
Part of the landscape.

Now that we here on Manitoulin Island have shifted to the needs of the tourists, my Ravenseyrie Studio in the Wharf building on the Gore Bay waterfront is open six days a week instead of five.

Sunday is my one day off and it is a blessed day for me...not a day for attending church (an earthy pagan is in "church" every single day!) but a day for staying home and totally ignoring the clock. It's a day to dawdle, a day to be "gazing" until "I am all of a sudden part of the landscape".

I guard these Sundays with a truly selfish heart, eschewing visitors and obligations so that I may restore that which being available to the public all week has drained from me. How thankful I am for the rejuvenating environment of Ravenseyrie--it never fails to infuse me with renewed strength and a sense of physical, mental and spiritual balance.

Today's journal entry I make as an offering to those of you who have busy lives and find it almost impossible to take even a moment for dawdling. The photos I took this past Sunday feel very magical to me...they have the power to "stop the world" and bring the viewer into the "now".

I hope you enjoy gazing at the scenery of Ravenseyrie. (Click on the photos to view larger images.)

A group of grullas splashing through the "tide pool"

Wee Fada has no trouble negotiating the rocky terrain of the tide pool.

Zeus, Mistral, Animado, Fada, Belina, Bella, Ciente and Altamiro doze at water's edge, with a picturesque sailboat along the horizon. Imagine what a thrill it must be to spot horses on the beach while out sailing the North Channel!

Kevin is walking over to visit with us...what a dapper island boy he is!

I pass the camera to Kevin, who takes a few photos while I interact with the little ones: first with Fada......and then with Animado.

Jerry, Doll and Dee form their own small herd and enjoy the cool breeze off Lake Huron. When I view these Ravenseyrie beach scenes, the colors are so stunning, I feel my heart will burst from the sensation of beauty and exotica they evoke.