towards the center

Sunrise at Stonehenge

2011-03-10T13:36:00.001-08:00

Sunrise at Stonehenge, originally uploaded by badcampix.

The sun rises through the stone portal and the first rays fall on the ancient altar at Stonehenge on the morning of the Summer Solstice.

Ani

2010-12-13T07:57:00.001-08:00

Ani, originally uploaded by badcampix.

Oncidium Kalihi Orchid

2010-11-29T19:30:00.001-08:00

Oncidium Kalihi Orchid, originally uploaded by badcampix.

The orchid in my kitchen window is budding again.
I feel so honored to be blessed with such an opulent display of beauty!

Ice River

2010-04-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

Brian in the grove

2010-02-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

2010-02-12T21:04:00.001-08:00

He’s a goodboy,with a great personality, and a number of odd quirks. When we brought him home the car freaked him out, as did linoleum floors, in-fact any floor that wasn’t carpeted or wood freaked him out. He didn’t understand how to go up or down stairs, he was completely un-housebroken, and he had a nervous habit of spinning and running in clockwise circles for long periods of time. Griffin is our rescue dog. Over the last two and a half years he has gained almost three pounds (making him a normal weight), two siblings with which he shares a love/hate relationship, a bright, funny, sensitive personality, a home, and us.

It began one late night at the end of September. Cheryl was working on the sports section of the Providence Journal when her co-worker called her over to look at a Smooth Fox Terrier on Pet Finder at the city pound.

“He’s awfully cute, but we don’t need another dog…”

At the time, Cleo and Puck were (and still are) our two feisty Fox Terriers. After our Daschund died we looked for a dog with big personality, few health problems and that wouldn’t set off Cheryl’s allergies – Smooth Fox Terriers seemed to fit the bill. We were introduced to Lori Furguson of Blu Vu Fox Terriers, and soon Cleo, a delicate looking tiny brown and white puppy came home with us. We were in love.

“Ok.” Said Cheryl’s co-worker. “I’ll send his picture along to Berta.”

I found myself opening a page with a little black face looking up at me. After much discussion, we decided to inquire about the dog, with the intent of possibly rescuing him from puppy death row, and then passing him along to Smooth Fox Terrier Rescue to find him a forever home.

A number of phone calls to Providence Animal Control later, Cheryl discovered that a young male Smooth Fox Terrier had been picked up with no identification from a downtown neighborhood having been seen running loose for about a month. Unfortunately no one had come forward to claim or adopt him in his three an a half week stay with the City of Providence, they had just that morning passed him along to the Animal Rescue League for one last chance… if he passed his evaluation. Five weeks, two visits with the whole family, and a whole lot of red tape later, Griffin came home with me. And never left.

It’s been a long journey since that day in November. With love, and patience, and better living through chemistry, every day gets better and better. He no longer spins uncontrollably, fights with his siblings are fewer, and we can trust him out in the house unsupervised (mostly). Each morning he charges down the stairs and into the kitchen to get his breakfast, and greet the day with joy. The love and trust we get from him makes it all worth it

Walking

2010-01-24T20:49:00.000-08:00

The woods are wrapped in secrets and dreams, painted in shades of grey. Mist rises between the ghosts of silhouette trees that bend and sigh under the burden of new snow. Boots slide looking for a purchase on the uphill trail. Only the crunch of my footsteps and the patter of freezing rain breaks the stillness.

Coyote Grace in Performer Magazine

2009-08-08T22:46:00.001-07:00

With toe-tapping melodies and a wry sense of humor, Coyote Grace explores themes deeply personal, yet universal to the human experience. Heads turned in rapt attention when they recently appeared in the Emerging Artist Showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, and a cappella harmony rang from the stage as they lifted off with a verse from “Run Around,” the first track of their new CD, Ear to the Ground. Weaving a rich tapestry of vocal harmonies, guitar and upright bass, the musical duo of Ingrid Elizabeth and Joe Stevens have formulated a deeply textured and sometimes sparkling blend of alternative Americana....
http://performermag.blogspot.com/2009/08/coyote-grace.html

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Written by Berta A Daniels

Photography and Video by Berta A Daniels

Leaping and Dancing into the heart of the Temple

2009-04-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

Coro Allegro honored Bishop Gene Robinson with the second annual Daniel Pinkham Award for Outstanding Contributions to Classical Music and to the GLBT Community, Friday April 3rd, 2009.

Land Shark!

2009-03-31T22:53:00.001-07:00

Happy April Fool's Day!

Spring

2009-03-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

We walk through the woods in early morning, the dogs and I, mist rising from the last of the melting ice. A warm down draft bringing the promise of warmer days to come shimmers through the trees on a shaft of early sunlight, the moist smell of pine and rotting leaves under foot. The dogs dance in this unseasonable warmth. I rename them Muck and Trouble and Bounce. I hope this is more than a reprieve from the season of snow. Because this is New England it's still too soon to tell. But for now, we enjoy the first breath of spring.

No Full Faith and Credit - or COBRA - for you

2009-03-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

In the spring of 2004, just 3 short days after Same-Sex Marriage became legal in the state of Massachusetts, my lovely spouse of 15 years (at the time) and I renewed our vows and made it legal - in Massachusetts anyway...

I have found myself caught between the proverbial "rock and hard-place" better known as Massachusetts state law and the Federal Government. Not only has this duplicity made filing taxes a nightmare, but when my spouse got laid off three weeks ago, we counted on my being able to continue to have access to our excellent health insurance through COBRA. What were we thinking? COBRA is a Federal program, and we are not married according to Federal Law. And, because we are married in Massachusetts, our combine income exceeds the amount that would make me eligible to purchase reasonable health insurance at a price I can afford.

You may ask - Whatever happened to the Constitution of the United States? Not too long ago, we as a nation held Article four, Section one of our Constitution, better known as the "Full Faith and Credit Clause", as essential to running both commerce and personal affairs, with the assumption it would apply to any contract we might enter into. Thanks to the "Defense of Marriage Act" signed into law by Bill Clinton, gay and lesbian people who decided to enter into legal marriage are now facing an onslaught of unfair, often confusing and abusive treatment from our Federal Government.

Writing discrimination into law is wrong. While the the decision to restrict marriage to between one man and one woman should be made according to each individual's religious and personal convictions, DOMA erases the separation between Church and State and creates a subclass of citizens who are not equal under the laws of this Nation. In-fact, not only does DOMA discriminate against same-sex couples, but it belittles the state of marriage between one man and one woman which it professes to uphold. If traditional, heterosexual marriage is so fragile it cannot withstand the legal recognition of gay and lesbian relationships, there is something so broken no law or constitutional amendment will be able to fix it.

I'm just here for the cheese

2009-03-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

Deep in the heart of the Alabama Gulf Coast, cleverly hidden down a dirt side road with only a tiny sign to indicate its presence, Sweet Home Farm is making some world class cheese.

In 1984 Alyce Birchenough and Doug Wolbert had enough of Michigan winters and headed south to the fertile fields of Elberta. Alyce received her cheese making license from the state of Alabama in 1987, and the rest, as they say, is history.

With 60 acres of organically run Bermuda Grass pasture and a herd of 21 dairy cows, including replacements, Doug and Alyce make over 15 varieties of handcrafted raw cow's milk farmstead cheeses. Quality over quantity serves as their guiding principal. Their large international following makes mail order obsolete so, you must visit their farm store, open Wednesday through Saturday, in order to acquire some of their excellent products. Some of our favorites include the Perdido - a Morbier style cheese with a semi-soft texture, and a full rich flavor accented by ashes from the rosemary plants in their herb garden, the Bama Jack - an outstanding sharp aged cheddar, and the Bayside Blue - velvety decadence with a strong musky blue vein make this cheese alone well worth the trip. No wonder Sweet Home Farm has won multiple awards and is a national icon in Slow Food and farmstead cheese manufacturing.

Sweet Home Farm

27107 Schoen Rd

Elberta, AL 36530

(251) 986-5663

A Spring with no flowers... well no New England Flower show

2009-03-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

How can this be? Here we are in the middle of March and not a bulb in sight. With the onslaught of economic hard times, what has been the first sign of spring for many of us in New England has closed its door for the foreseeable future. Gone are the opulent water garden displays with their towering waterfalls that plummet into koi-filled Japanese temple style pools, as well as the fragrant spectacle of thousands of flowering trees, shrubs and bulbs forced into the pinnacle of blooming decadence for this one week to act as a glorious reminder that winter is almost over! As the temperature plummets once again to below freezing, I long for the opportunity to shake off the cold and wander through its imaginative indoor wonderland of horticultural splendor. Spanning over six acres, the New England Spring Flower Show has been the third largest exhibition of its kind in the world. While the Massachusetts Horticultural Society has replaced it this year with "Blooms", there is no satisfying substitute.

Ignition....Lift off!

2009-03-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today I work the path of fire. With my will, I light the flame of self-determination and creativity. Form follows energy, or so they say, so today I say my vision makes a difference in the world! I write this blog, take my pictures and create my alchemical art. In the butterfly effect, one small action, like lighting a match, can spark a wildfire across the world. What we all do matters! So, be kind and respectful to each other. One small question could spark a revolution!

Alchemical Offering Bowl by Berta A Daniels, 2007 Raku