A Tale of Two Beaches
"Average is crowded. There's room at the top. Keep climbing."
Richie Norton
This week Amy asks us to illustrate contrasts, which she explores beautifully in her challenge post. I've chosen to pair my contrast examples as you see above with the Delaware beach on the left and Kiawah's beach on the right. Below, I've included an image of some of Kiawah's spring foliage versus our favorite sign of autumn, the beautiful sweetgrass.
Two Seasons - Spring vs Autumn, Kiawah Island
"I think that to one in sympathy with nature, each season, in turn, seems the loveliest."
Mark Twain
Along with the seasons comes a change in the weather. But within each season we see changes as well. For example in the image below I've illustrated different weather situations which can occur at any time of year here on Kiawah.
Sun vs Rain, Kiawah Island
"When all is said and done, the weather and love are the two elements about which one can never be sure."
Alice Hoffman
The next image illustrates two different contrasts - on one hand, typical Kiawah landscapes, and on the other, the creatures who inhabit them. Kiawah is a small island but is home to several different types of environments which support a large variety of creatures. We treasure and protect them all equally.
Landscapes and Their Creatures, Kiawah Island
"There is immense joy in just watching all the little creatures in nature."
Bob Ross
I've used another group of creatures here on Kiawah to illustrate the contrast between large and small. Over 300 species of birds are either resident or seasonal inhabitants of our little island. In the image below I've included the largest, one of our beautiful bald eagles, and one of the smallest, a comparatively tiny bluebird.
Winged Residents, Kiawah Island
"I would like to paint the way a bird sings."
Claude Monet
Nature is a major focus here on Kiawah, not only because of the amazing variety of birds and animals, but also due to the plants and foliage that support them. They are also an ever-present illustration of vibrance vs decay, health vs demise, and perhaps most-importantly, of rebirth. I've illustrated that contrast in the flower images that follow.
Before and After, Magnolia Gardens
"If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for a moment."
Georgia O'Keefe
Finally, a set of images that offers several contrasts - amphibian vs human, fake vs real, fedora vs sunhat - but mostly I've included it for the smile it gave me when I first saw the subject on the left. I hope it brings you a smile as well.
Sporting Stylish Sombreros
"Hats are a great antidote to what's going on. It's really their purpose to put a happy face on a sad world."
Stephen Jones
Sincere thanks to Amy for this week's challenge. Be sure to visit and link to her beautiful post here. Using the Lens-Artists Tag will insure that your post appears in our reader section. Thanks also to Ann-Christine and to all those who responded to her "On Display" challenge last week. We very much appreciate the variety and quality of your replies. Finally, we hope you'll join us next week when John leads us once again on his Journeys with Johnbo site. Until then, as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
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