Laine's Blog, Thinking Out Loud

Let The Autumn Light Reach You

 

What nourishes you

in the middle of a Pandemic?

 

What nourishes you

when political forces take a dark turn

and plunge us into a past that should be long forgotten?

 

 

For me it is Poetry -

Poetry and Music that soothe my soul

and the beauty all around me -

flowers still blooming in our Florida gardens and

the angle of the sun in the trees at a certain time of day,

and of course the beach!

And happy dogs and peaceful cats!

And friends, young and old!

 

Let the autumn light reach you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

©2021 Laine Quinn, photo of Spanish Moss in Live Oaks at Washington Oaks State Park.

 

 

 

What I know...

 

What I know - what I know is -

Love will find a way.

 

Conflict in your life?

Say this -

Love will find a way.

 

Anxious?

Say this in your heart and mind -

Love will find a way.

 

It does.

It will.

 

 

Somehow it opens your heart and reminds you of the love there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a song that goes like the first line of this post but I can't find it!

But there are 2 others with the title of "Love Will Find a Way" by Pablo Cruise and Lionel Ritchie.

In any event, Love will find a way!

©Laine Quinn 2021 Photo of sunrise with steady waves, one after the other, 09/08/2021

St. Augustine Music Festival

 

Every June, there are two wonderful weekends of beautiful Music

at the Cathedral in downtown St. Augustine,

with the greatest acoustics and world class musicians,

it is heavenly!

 

Handel, Mozart, Haydn,

what can I say?

 

Thank You!

 

 

The Saint Augustine Music Festival, Saturday night.

 

And the answer is...

 

The stage lights at the Gipsy Kings' concert on Thursday night!

St. Augustine Amphitheater.

 

A good time was had by all!

 

 

 

America and Russia...

 

 

 

This photograph was an Astronomy Picture of the Day, on March 14, 2015.

 

 

It shows a Russian Spacecraft carrying three astronauts, 

one American and two Russians,

returning from the International Space Station

over a sea of golden clouds.

 

You don't hear much about cooperation between these two nations,

but it takes a lot of time and effort to plan a trip like this -

with scientists and cosmonauts and dreams that come true

about people living in space for months at a time and thriving.

 

This happens all day, everyday in the world,

people getting along

and living side by side with their unique neighbors.

 

Just look around you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Astronauts return to Earth on Russian Soyuz spaceship

And It Was...

 

Beautiful!

 

 

Fifteen minutes later, and you can see Mars...

 

 

Another fifteen minutes and it's nighttime...

 

 

Venus is the brightest star.

Mars is just above.

 

Tonight Mars will move closer to Venus,

but the moon will be farther away.

 

 

 

Crescent Moon, with Venus and Mars, February 20, 2015.

 

 

Singin' In The Rain...

 

 

"So many songs about rain,

I don't know which one to sing first.

 

La la la la la..." 

 

 

 

"Where'd everybody go?"

 

 

 

 

Lizard, about to sing in the rain, on the deck, St. Augustine, Florida.

 

Time Well Spent

 

 

St. Augustine Music Festival,

at the Cathedral Basilica,

the last night,

Mozart and more Mozart!

 

Sublime.

The sound of the strings in this church is so wonderful,

it transports you to another time and place.

Oboe and horn are also just as wonderful!

Piano too.

 

Thank you to SAMF Chamber Orchestra,

the Church and all the performers.

And it's free,

for 6 nights in the summer.

 

Time well spent.

 

 

 

No flash photography and tripod in car...

 

 

 

 

A Little Faery Music

 

Clap your hands if you believe in faeries...

 

 

 

 

 

Ladew Gardens meets Peter Pan.

 

In Praise of Music

 

Music, that strange juxtaposition of sounds - melodies and harmonies and syncopations - 

is as ephemeral as the wind.

 

Bette Davis once said that music was the one thing that she could not live without.

 

It's a kind of magic  soup that is cooked up by wizards of many stripes - 

from geniuses to crickets and frogs!

 

The young band pictured here is certainly making some fine music.

Can't you just hear it?

 

 

 

 

Magic Lantern slide print The Band, by Patricia A. Burke ©2002, with stars and moon added by this photographer!

Men In Skirts

 

 

Florida is full of surprises.

Who knew that you could pull together a fife and drum band

from the Clay County Sheriff's Department,

get them to wear skirts

and perform in public?

 

They are really good

and they even let a woman join in on the fun!!

 

How cool is that?

 

 

 

The Clay County Fife and Drum, performing at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall

 

Season of Gratitude

 

 

A piano player who could turn every song you never knew you knew into a tango,

to go with perfect dinners, delicious service,

and good company.

 

The season of gratitude begins.

 

 

 

A balmy November evening at the Casa Maya, St. Augustine, Florida.

 

If Life Is A Dream...

 

 

If life is "but a dream,"

then the paradox is

that the only way to realize this is to

wake up!

 

 

 

Spanish moss hanging from the trees in Blue Spring State Park, Florida.

 

The Angels Can't Say No

 

 

Angel's Trumpets, that's what these magnificent flowers are called.

They are blooming all over St. Augustine now.

Maybe we can invite the angels to come and play for us on these delicate instruments,

and be blessed with their songs.

We are in need of angels here and everywhere.

 

This is the week that our attention goes to giving thanks and we turn our thoughts to sharing -

our love, friendship, time, food and drink.

It's a time to be gentle with each other,

to recognize our fellow travelers on this journey called life and be grateful.

And maybe we should keep an ear out for the tender sound of angel's trumpets.

Once invited, the angels can't say no!