I was just having this conversation with a very dear friend! How I am a creature of habit . Special places that stay in my heart. I flourish in walking the same trails through paths in a dense forest, or high above in elevation. Thoroughly enjoying , “…year after year …..observing what stays the same and what changes.”
Trying to catch a glimpse of the minute changes as branches form tiny buds, to when they’re fully leafed out ( I’ve yet to take a mental snapshot of each stage). Every season has its secrets,
we only need to look more closely to discover a few. In return , my friend replied~
“…but as you know,no spot is ever the same if you’re really looking. Everything, everyone, in constant motion of a kind.” ( yes, she has a way, that always leaves me in awe).
A love your story on Swift Swallows. Incredible photography, and your video was the perfect companion.
One of the places I love to kayak is a river close by. Under a bridge, we begin our journey, trying to paddle in stealth to drift underneath where the Barn Swallows nest within reach of an outstretched arm.
Nice to find a fellow kindred spirit along the path 😊
Beautiful Karen--both words and stunning images. I have a spiritual connection to Barn Swallows for sure...their migrations cue me to the regular heartbeat of the land (as I wrote and illustrated in my first book). My Middle Daughter has a pair of barn swallow tattoos! And Janisse Ray--what an amazing writer and human (she blurbed my 3rd book!) Her first book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, taught me how to write about nature. Thanks for lifting up her newest title!
Oh I love this so much Ken! Thank you for sharing! I didn't know Janisse blurbed your book, but I should not be surprised the two of you have a connection, it makes complete sense!
You have covered so many interesting topics in this post! Oh, and that extra sweet pic of the barn swallow looking right at you! So sweet! Thank you for the videos! I am curious about the cliff swallow nests. Do they ever enter the nest other than to lay the eggs? It appears too small. And what are those little black holes on the nest for? Maybe ventilation?
Your dreams have reminded me of a group that I used to meet with that was interested in wakeful-dreaming. The idea was to become awake in your dream state. And also, to be able to return to your dream at will. I was able to return to my dreams after a few weeks of recording dreams on waking. And I was able to take in more details of my dream while dreaming, like the details of people and situations. I have mostly enjoyed dreaming and found the recording of dreams as a way to enhance that enjoyment.
Thank you Sandy. The cliff swallow nests definitely get bigger, these were just the start. I'm not sure how the holes work, but perhaps they just form sort of naturally as mud dries? I really don't know!
Wakeful dreaming like lucid dreaming? Interesting. I've been recording my dreams for many years, though I used to be more diligent and now I hold a little looser, often just paying attention and noticing but not writing them all down. I really enjoy dreaming and I am glad to be sleeping well again so I am dreaming. I totally miss it when it goes quiet.
Wakeful dreaming and Lucid dreaming are similar. Some people claim to meet up in their dreams and both parties remember it. I was not so interested in doing that. I just wanted to have a better memory of my dreams and perhaps be able to become conscious of myself while dreaming. The trouble with that, is that I do think our dreams are a way to view our subconscious and for that purpose perhaps it may be best to just record our dreams and consider what they are saying to us. 😅 I would say you understood your subconscious very well in your cubical dream! ✨ Might be interesting to play with daydreaming of what you would like to do outside of your cubical. I think nourishing our daydreams is a way to feed our spirit. ✨
Yes, I like that. I never wanted to control my dreams - I'm already a control freak! I wanted to be able to get the messages through. I've been working with hypnosis and with neurographica drawing, both of which are ways of connecting with the subconscious/unconscious. In fairness, I've had those cubicle dreams for YEARS (I mean, last time I worked in an office with cubicles was a couple decades ago!) and this meaning just showed up. But that's how it works sometimes.
For me it is bus riding dreams that have periodically take me on trips! 🤣 And you know ... I don't have the fare, or the map or some other such thing plagues the trip. The neurographica drawing is new to me. Wishing you sweet rest and sweet dreams!!
But can they really swallow a barn or a cliff? No one has ever answered my question.
Thanks again, Karen. Your postings are such a breath of fresh air in a world screaming about Orange Man Bad and Crazy Uncle Joe.
“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” Henry Thoreau
Karen, your reflections on the cliff swallows remind me of the transient nature of comfort zones. Sometimes, the ideal spot for growth is hidden behind unassuming choices or unexpected changes. Watching these birds adapt and move can be a gentle nudge to reassess where we stand, not with resignation but with curiosity. Perhaps it’s the little shifts in perspective that guide us to spaces where we truly belong.
Oh I like this, "the transient nature of comfort zones". Ah yes, curiosity is always the key isn't it? I have it in spades but I don't always apply it when I most need it.
I love this whole post, but your first sentence really grabbed me. I think that's what makes your blog so fascinating, Karen. You take us along, post after post, as you (re)discover this place, over and over. It's a lovely illustration of how nature is ever-evolving, if we simply pay attention -- and if we return again and again, as you do. Thank you!
Beautiful shots of the swallows, Karen. I've struggled mightily to capture one in flight despite their daily appearance flying all around me (I even hear their familiar squeaking as I write this note)...
Thank you Jack - they are hard to catch in flight! I was a trying to catch them out over the water on the end of the dock and even the video didn't work too well because they were too close. One reason I like to take photos of them over the water - when they decide to swoop that way - is that it's actually easier to get in focus. If the camera focus misses it doesn't go all the way to infinity so it has a chance to catch the next one. And yes - squeaking!
This is lovely Karen. I love swallows - Cliff, Barn, Tree - all of them. Every morning and late afternoon I have tree swallows flying over my house. It makes me so happy to hear them over head.
Thank you for including the videos. The swallows’ vocalizations brought me back to childhood. In my uncle’s barn hay loft I could look down at the swallows nesting
Karen, you are a true witness to your place. The photo essay of the cliff swallows is a delight. My favorite photo is of two swallows posing by their mud nest. This is great great work, as ever. And I thank you so much for the shout-out about the book.
Janisse, the book sounds perfect for helping me with creating content for a new substack. Great introduction video! I have used Kickstarter before and love the rewards and choices that you have provided! Now to pick the one that is best for me! 😄✨👍
"sometimes it makes more sense to move along and find a place that better meets our needs." What a beautiful post with gorgeous photos. I read this in my favorite nesting place - where I nest every season - a corner I call and claim as my studio, looking out 2 large windows to the west, in the quiet morning with doves calling and others species filling in the background song, my favorite coffee still hot on my studio desk. (My husband cut the legs on this desk so it's a perfect height for drawing and painting.) We're in the season of "moving along", to find that place/town/neighborhood that better meets our needs. I can reproduce my studio corner just about anywhere - it's a microcosm nest - and provides balance and grounding while "moving along". Thank you for the perfect read at the perfect time. Thinking about nesting while looking at your photos of nests and watching the nesting videos was a perfect fit.
That sounds like such a lovely nest, and I love the customized desk! So important. I'm glad you can recreate it wherever you move and I hope you have some windows with some nature wherever that is. Thank you Mary!
Wow, these cliff swallows are tremendously intriguing little birds!!! Beautiful, quick, and maybe sort of feisty about their nesting preferences! Also--in the video, they kind of reminded me of hummingbirds the way they were almost hovering! Do they do that, Karen? And that's so cool how they use their tails as rudders!! I appreciate this glimpse into the world of the cliff swallows so much! Thank you for this, and for all you do, Karen! xo
I love your ideas about trying to shift the dream.
I was just having this conversation with a very dear friend! How I am a creature of habit . Special places that stay in my heart. I flourish in walking the same trails through paths in a dense forest, or high above in elevation. Thoroughly enjoying , “…year after year …..observing what stays the same and what changes.”
Trying to catch a glimpse of the minute changes as branches form tiny buds, to when they’re fully leafed out ( I’ve yet to take a mental snapshot of each stage). Every season has its secrets,
we only need to look more closely to discover a few. In return , my friend replied~
“…but as you know,no spot is ever the same if you’re really looking. Everything, everyone, in constant motion of a kind.” ( yes, she has a way, that always leaves me in awe).
A love your story on Swift Swallows. Incredible photography, and your video was the perfect companion.
One of the places I love to kayak is a river close by. Under a bridge, we begin our journey, trying to paddle in stealth to drift underneath where the Barn Swallows nest within reach of an outstretched arm.
Nice to find a fellow kindred spirit along the path 😊
Yes indeed. It's true, no place and nothing is ever the same from one moment to the next. Thank you Lor.
Great shots of magnificent little birds.
Thank you David
Loved all of this.
Thanks so much
Thank you Kevin
Beautiful Karen--both words and stunning images. I have a spiritual connection to Barn Swallows for sure...their migrations cue me to the regular heartbeat of the land (as I wrote and illustrated in my first book). My Middle Daughter has a pair of barn swallow tattoos! And Janisse Ray--what an amazing writer and human (she blurbed my 3rd book!) Her first book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, taught me how to write about nature. Thanks for lifting up her newest title!
Oh I love this so much Ken! Thank you for sharing! I didn't know Janisse blurbed your book, but I should not be surprised the two of you have a connection, it makes complete sense!
You have covered so many interesting topics in this post! Oh, and that extra sweet pic of the barn swallow looking right at you! So sweet! Thank you for the videos! I am curious about the cliff swallow nests. Do they ever enter the nest other than to lay the eggs? It appears too small. And what are those little black holes on the nest for? Maybe ventilation?
Your dreams have reminded me of a group that I used to meet with that was interested in wakeful-dreaming. The idea was to become awake in your dream state. And also, to be able to return to your dream at will. I was able to return to my dreams after a few weeks of recording dreams on waking. And I was able to take in more details of my dream while dreaming, like the details of people and situations. I have mostly enjoyed dreaming and found the recording of dreams as a way to enhance that enjoyment.
Thank you Sandy. The cliff swallow nests definitely get bigger, these were just the start. I'm not sure how the holes work, but perhaps they just form sort of naturally as mud dries? I really don't know!
Wakeful dreaming like lucid dreaming? Interesting. I've been recording my dreams for many years, though I used to be more diligent and now I hold a little looser, often just paying attention and noticing but not writing them all down. I really enjoy dreaming and I am glad to be sleeping well again so I am dreaming. I totally miss it when it goes quiet.
Wakeful dreaming and Lucid dreaming are similar. Some people claim to meet up in their dreams and both parties remember it. I was not so interested in doing that. I just wanted to have a better memory of my dreams and perhaps be able to become conscious of myself while dreaming. The trouble with that, is that I do think our dreams are a way to view our subconscious and for that purpose perhaps it may be best to just record our dreams and consider what they are saying to us. 😅 I would say you understood your subconscious very well in your cubical dream! ✨ Might be interesting to play with daydreaming of what you would like to do outside of your cubical. I think nourishing our daydreams is a way to feed our spirit. ✨
Yes, I like that. I never wanted to control my dreams - I'm already a control freak! I wanted to be able to get the messages through. I've been working with hypnosis and with neurographica drawing, both of which are ways of connecting with the subconscious/unconscious. In fairness, I've had those cubicle dreams for YEARS (I mean, last time I worked in an office with cubicles was a couple decades ago!) and this meaning just showed up. But that's how it works sometimes.
For me it is bus riding dreams that have periodically take me on trips! 🤣 And you know ... I don't have the fare, or the map or some other such thing plagues the trip. The neurographica drawing is new to me. Wishing you sweet rest and sweet dreams!!
But can they really swallow a barn or a cliff? No one has ever answered my question.
Thanks again, Karen. Your postings are such a breath of fresh air in a world screaming about Orange Man Bad and Crazy Uncle Joe.
“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” Henry Thoreau
Of course they can, one bite at a time. But they wouldn't because they are smarter than humans, lol. I love this quote, thank you!
Karen, your reflections on the cliff swallows remind me of the transient nature of comfort zones. Sometimes, the ideal spot for growth is hidden behind unassuming choices or unexpected changes. Watching these birds adapt and move can be a gentle nudge to reassess where we stand, not with resignation but with curiosity. Perhaps it’s the little shifts in perspective that guide us to spaces where we truly belong.
Oh I like this, "the transient nature of comfort zones". Ah yes, curiosity is always the key isn't it? I have it in spades but I don't always apply it when I most need it.
I love this whole post, but your first sentence really grabbed me. I think that's what makes your blog so fascinating, Karen. You take us along, post after post, as you (re)discover this place, over and over. It's a lovely illustration of how nature is ever-evolving, if we simply pay attention -- and if we return again and again, as you do. Thank you!
Thank you so much Jeanne.
Beautiful shots of the swallows, Karen. I've struggled mightily to capture one in flight despite their daily appearance flying all around me (I even hear their familiar squeaking as I write this note)...
Thank you Jack - they are hard to catch in flight! I was a trying to catch them out over the water on the end of the dock and even the video didn't work too well because they were too close. One reason I like to take photos of them over the water - when they decide to swoop that way - is that it's actually easier to get in focus. If the camera focus misses it doesn't go all the way to infinity so it has a chance to catch the next one. And yes - squeaking!
This is lovely Karen. I love swallows - Cliff, Barn, Tree - all of them. Every morning and late afternoon I have tree swallows flying over my house. It makes me so happy to hear them over head.
Thank you Pamela!
Your post was such a treat to read!
Mrs. Phoebe 😭
Don't know about you all but I can practically hear the barn swallows saying, "This neighborhood's really gone downhill."
Lol - yep, that's what he's saying for sure! And Mrs. Phoebe commiserates!
Thank you for including the videos. The swallows’ vocalizations brought me back to childhood. In my uncle’s barn hay loft I could look down at the swallows nesting
Mmmm, I love that.
Karen, you are a true witness to your place. The photo essay of the cliff swallows is a delight. My favorite photo is of two swallows posing by their mud nest. This is great great work, as ever. And I thank you so much for the shout-out about the book.
Thank you so much Janisse. I'm so glad you are publishing this book!
Janisse, the book sounds perfect for helping me with creating content for a new substack. Great introduction video! I have used Kickstarter before and love the rewards and choices that you have provided! Now to pick the one that is best for me! 😄✨👍
<3 Yes and Yeah!
"sometimes it makes more sense to move along and find a place that better meets our needs." What a beautiful post with gorgeous photos. I read this in my favorite nesting place - where I nest every season - a corner I call and claim as my studio, looking out 2 large windows to the west, in the quiet morning with doves calling and others species filling in the background song, my favorite coffee still hot on my studio desk. (My husband cut the legs on this desk so it's a perfect height for drawing and painting.) We're in the season of "moving along", to find that place/town/neighborhood that better meets our needs. I can reproduce my studio corner just about anywhere - it's a microcosm nest - and provides balance and grounding while "moving along". Thank you for the perfect read at the perfect time. Thinking about nesting while looking at your photos of nests and watching the nesting videos was a perfect fit.
That sounds like such a lovely nest, and I love the customized desk! So important. I'm glad you can recreate it wherever you move and I hope you have some windows with some nature wherever that is. Thank you Mary!
Wow, these cliff swallows are tremendously intriguing little birds!!! Beautiful, quick, and maybe sort of feisty about their nesting preferences! Also--in the video, they kind of reminded me of hummingbirds the way they were almost hovering! Do they do that, Karen? And that's so cool how they use their tails as rudders!! I appreciate this glimpse into the world of the cliff swallows so much! Thank you for this, and for all you do, Karen! xo
They do hover! They are really fascinating. Thank you Roxy!