Grounded: The Art of Looking Down (Part 8)

I was waiting to meet my friend Meghan outside of a Tijuana Flats for Taco Tuesday. I liked the way the rapidly diminishing sunlight was grazing the hoods of the park cars and bouncing off the gravel in the parking lot.

My bright pink sandals against the Tetris styled Publix bathroom tile floor. 

Standing in a park pavilion in downtown St.Petersburg. Those beautiful magenta petals had recently fallen off of the trees that surrounded the park. 

I was on my way to DRIP when I got caught in the rain. I took shelter at a nearby Bahama Breeze restaurant and enjoyed what little cover their awning provided.

Surprise Trip to the Beach

My boyfriend suggested we make the drive to the beach after I picked him up from work one evening. I was skeptical about the time frame but I liked the idea of adventure. We changed clothes and made our way down to Cocoa Beach. The weather had begun to get stormy but it made for some beautiful photos. 

To my right the fading sunlight lit up these plumes in the clouds. 

To my left the clouds turned fluorescent and seemed to mirror the waves as they rolled up to the shore.

A close up shot of this beautifully rosy sky. 

My boyfriend basking the the simultaneously calm and stormy nature of the beach. 

Vibrant Rainbow

I stepped outside my apartment to grab the laundry on a rainy evening and ended capturing a stunning rainbow. It was a perfect double rainbow that was facing the sun at dusk. The beautiful evening sky after the rain set the scene for a dramatic, almost glowing rainbow. The rapid sinking of the sun created an intense changing of colors in a matter of moments. All pictures below were taken over the course of approximately seven minutes. 

 Hands down, the most striking rainbow I have ever seen. 

Lowry Park Zoo

Lowry Park Zoo is a wonderful zoo located in Tampa. I always have a fantastic time and one of my favorite places to take photos is within the free-flight aviary located just inside the entrance. 

A pair of Pied Imperial Pigeons from Southeast Asia.

A Sun Bittern from Central and South America showing off its beautifully patterned feathers.

A breeding pair of Red Legged Seriemas from Brazil with their two chicks. 

A young Orangutan munching on some leafs. 

An adolescent Orangutan joins the younger one who was eating. I was able to capture this dynamic pose of the older one reaching for the Orangutan below. 

One of my favorite animals from the zoo - a Yellow-Footed Rock Wallaby. Just adorable!

The incredible thing about the Wallaby's was that they were held in an enclosure that the guests could walk through. You were able to be inches away from them as long as you did not touch them. The enclosure also had two attendants standing by the entrance and exit. Apparently the Wallaby's were a little too curious about the rest of the zoo. 

An Alligator Snapping Turtle. 

A resting Pine Snake. 

A Bald Eagle framed beautifully by the branches of the tree. 

A decorative bust in the Asian Gardens.

Kobi

At the end of March one of my coworkers had a stray cat take up refuge in her backyard and gave birth to three kittens. I took one of the males and named him Kobi. He has proven to be a lively and wonderful addition to the family. 

The terrible "First Bath".

Completely wiped out after his first visit to the vets office. 

Learning to snuggle. 

I was surprised how quickly my ten year old male Jet had adapted to the newcomer. 

Both kitties sharing the bed while listening to the curious noises of my boyfriend brushing his teeth. 

He loves to perch on the cat scratching post. 

All curled up on a warm pile of laundry. 

Oleaginous (Part 2)

The rain brings out the beauty of the oil leak in my car. 

...Like glimmering peacock feathers. 

...Like a raging forest fire whirling across the tree tops. 

...Like a cosmic burst of radiation dissipating out into the universe.

The Crystal Coincidence

I have a few friends that practice crystal healing and over the years I have been adding to my collection. Some have been gifts and some have been purchased; but one thing I have come to realize is that the perfect one will find its way into your life at the perfect time. I would like to share some of the interesting stories behind some of my favorite stones. 

This is a piece of Peacock rock. Most Peacock rock comes in iridescent shades of blue and purple but  this particular stone is so weathered that the deep blues and purples have shifted to warm sunset colors. I've had this one so long I'm not even sure where I got it from in the first place. Peacock rocks represent joy and harmony and since I've had this one since childhood I love to joke that I've "always had happiness".

This is a piece of Green Tourmaline embedded in Quartz. It was a gift from my friend Freddy for my 30th birthday. At the time Freddy had no idea what Green Tourmaline represented. He had just gone into a shop that sold crystals and "had a feeling" that this was the right one for me. We looked it up later and found out that Green Tourmaline was good for stimulating healing; particularly physical healing. Ironically, I had broken my nose only a few weeks prior to my birthday. 

This is Selenite and it is the first stone that I had purchased for myself. I came across it purely by chance. I was have a rough few day for no reason in particular. I remember felling anxious and unsettled. I went to a local metaphysical bookstore called the Spiral Circle. I loved how calm I felt there and I just assumed that being their would make me feel more centered. I wandered around the rooms and happened to absentmindedly pick up this stone. It instantly felt different - almost like it had electricity. I purchased the stone without knowing anything about it. 

I took it home to discover that Selenite is a very intense stone used to clear negative energy and balance your spiritual self. After about two days the anxious feeling I had been having was diminishing. I have since loaned this one out to friends periodically. It has receive a few battle scars along the way but everyone tells me about how much better they sleep and how uplifted they feel while they have it. 

This piece of Rose Quartz was a chip that fell off of a much larger rock and initially its edges were almost razor sharp. 

Rose Quartz is a gentle stone that supports the heart, emotional healing, and represents pure love in all of its forms (love for yourself, your partner, family, friends, community, etc.) I got this stone during a point in my life when I felt like I needed to create stronger connections with others. I would hold the stone and slowly run my fingers along the sharp edges in order to wear them down. It translated into a conscious attempt to wear down any of my rough edges and be more open to love. Within months of acquiring the Rose Quartz I have entered into a wonderful relationship, adopted and additional pet, become more open to cultivating new friendships more willing to take bigger social risks. 

The Aqua Aura Quartz is one of the most stunning and enigmatic stones that I have. 

Aqua Aura Quartz does not occur naturally; it is the product of taking clear Quartz and treating it with a special process in which the surface is bonded with vaporized gold. The end result is Quartz crystal with a brilliant blue color. The process of bonding gold to the stone also highlights any cracks or imperfections giving the stone a very multi-dimensional shine. 

The Aqua Aura Quartz reminded me of the Selenite; once I picked it up I had a hard time being able to put it back down. It just felt good in my hand. 

It is an excellent stone for communication, soothing the emotional body, and cultivating success. All things I feel I need more of in my daily life. I find that having the stone with me creates a feeling of calm, confident energy and stronger self-awareness.