Tag Archives: Nicaragua

Photography, Poetry

Cafe in Hand

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A cafe in hand

A chair beckons

A mountainous view

Off to the east

Darkening in the coming

Of the night

A refreshing cool breeze

Dispersing the day’s heat

The parrots have returned

To where ever they roost

The white plumed garza

Long since gone

The sky dark and threatening

Clouds a somber grey

A beam of light

Emerging from the clouds

To cast a golden ray

In a moment of glory

Over a rounded hill

As the clouds roll on

The light slowly fades

Darkness descends once again

The dogs gathered round

Their heads on paws

A kitten purring

Comfortably on my lap

Enjoying the cooling even

While I sip my cafe

Photography, Poetry

Going Up The Mountain

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I slowly open my eyes

To the coming of morning

Sunlight streaming through the window

Dust mites dancing in the sunbeam

I put on my ole blue jeans

Stepping out into the morning

 

Hey, it’s a beautiful morning

 

Going up the mountain

 

Packsack slung over my shoulder

Stepping off the porch

With a jaunty stride

I make my way

To the nearby road

The mountain beckons in the distance

 

Hey, it’s a beautiful morning

 

Going up the mountain

 

Kitchen smoke is rising

From the local’s homes

As I walk the road

Plenty of smiles welcome me

As men and women pass me by

Jugs on their shoulders

Or pails in hand

Children with shy smiles

Playing on the road

 

Hey, it’s a beautiful morning

 

Going up the mountain

 

At roads end a trail beckons

Leading me to the river ford

The trail winds up the hillside

Emerging from the forest

The trail levels out

To a field of maze

Not yet ready to harvest

I travel the trail

Walking the fields edge

 

 

 

 

Hey, it’s a beautiful morning

 

Going up the mountain

 

The morning sun becoming warmer

As the trail goes higher

Reaching the next plateau

My route becoming harder

A herd of Granada step aside

As I pass on by

Barb wire fencing block my way

Tossing my backpack over the fence

I scramble on hands and knees

Under the barb wire fence

Grabbing my packsack, I move on

 

Hey, it’s a beautiful morning

 

Going up the mountain

 

The summit is near

The path becoming steeper

There is now a cool breeze

I make my way to an outcropping

To sit and observe

A land that is far-reaching

As far as the eye can see

Mountains tall in the distance

Clouds roaming over the mountains

Mist from the valley

I feel that mountain breeze

 

Hey, it’s a beautiful morning

 

Going up the mountain

 

There is something about

This mountainous country

Of mountains towering overhead

Highlands dot the landscape

Deep valleys slash the land

Mountains are like giants

I like a blade of grass

It is a humble feeling

 

 

 

Hey, it’s a beautiful morning

 

Going up the mountain

Photography, Poetry

A Memory of You

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Sitting under the maple tree

The stars glittering through

The canopy of leaves

The moonlight awash over the valley

 

Every night I dream of you

Knowing you will never be there

Your face is slowly fading

Just a memory to remember

 

I think of you

I long for you

My eyes fill with tears

My heart is still aching

It is all I got

It is all I have

Is a memory of you

My cheeks tingle in sensation

Of a hand brushing my cheeks

Of the cool evening wind

 

It was two years past

On a cold November day

I lost control of the vehicle

On the black ice

When I looked at you

I knew you were gone

Holding you in my arms

For the last time

 

I think of you

I long for you

My eyes fill with tears

My heart is still aching

It is all I got

It is all I have

Is a memory of you

 

 

Standing by your grave

I wished you farewell

Tears falling freely

Thinking of our time together

Left a rose for you

A favourite of yours

 

A mist has covered

The valley before me

With the approaching dawn

The stars becoming faint

Like the memory of you

 

I think of you

I long for you

My eyes fill with tears

My heart is still aching

It is all I got

It is all I have

Is a memory of you

Photography, Poetry

Hurry the Dawn

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Hurray Dawn

 

A storm is raging

In the darkness of night

My mind is adrift

In the seas of time

Looking for a port of call

My body is restless

Like the surging winds

My heart is aching

As I lie alone

In my rumpled bed

Hurry the dawn

 

My shoulders are heavy

With the burden of life

My eyes are moist

As the rain patters

On the roof top

The sound of thunder

Echoing in the mountains

The flash of lightning

Illuminates the room

Casting eerie shadows on the walls

Darkness returns as the storm rages

I am a lonely man

Hurry the dawn

 

Rising in the dawn

The storm has abated

To step outside

The patter of rain is faint

On the rustling leaves

Blending with the subdued rustle

The forest whispering to itself

The dawn has come reluctantly

Glowing sullen through

A dark cloudy sky

A beam of light

Pierces the morning sky

Bringing forth a ray of hope

The mind has cleared

The body in repose

The beauty of the land

Hurry the dawn

Photography

Design Elements

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Sea Of Light

 

Lighting is a powerful tool to capture those unique landscape photos. My first impression of the mountains of Nicaragua was how am I going to create a composition. Where I come from there is rock, trees and water. What is missing in these mountains was water. With that in mind I sat and just observed. Before long I noticed these incredible displays of lighting happening before my eyes. There is for the most part clouds moving in the sky. This is what gives you that unique display of lighting that magically appears here and there.

Now I had to have design elements for compositions. From where I am the mountains were for the most part in the background. The highlands and hills in the foreground. But what really sets things off is the open spaces to be found. Look at the trees next time you are out. They have unique shapes and forms that give that extra artistic touch. Throw in the lighting and you get that unique photo as you see above. Do not forget the land contours in this part of the world. I find they are very unique. The contours can be used as a design element in your composition. If you can just watch and look at the scene before you as vertical and horizontal lines then you will be able to capture that great shot.

Everyone pretty much learned geometry in school. With that in mind look for geometric shapes to incorporate into your next photographic experience.  The curve of the hills; the tree shapes, plus how the land shapes look. There is lots to see out there once you get pass the outer layer.

While that is it for now. Spring is slowly evolving here. Art shows are happening. Greeting fellow artists. So until next time happy trails

 

Photography, Poetry

Magic Of Light

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A Touch Of Light

 

A cafe in hand

A chair beckons

A mountainous view

Off to the east

Darkening in the coming

Of the night

A refreshing cool breeze

Dispersing the day’s heat

The parrots have returned

To where ever they roost

The white plumed garza

Long since gone

The sky dark and threatening

Clouds a somber grey

A beam of light

Emerging from the clouds

To cast a golden ray

In a moment of glory

Over a rounded hill

As the clouds roll on

The light slowly fades

Darkness descends once again

While I sip my cafe

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography, Poetry

I Am A Student

5 Comments

 

 

Mountain Clouds

 

I am a student

Of Mother Earth

Of Mother Nature

I have opened my soul

I listen with my ears

I view with my eyes

I smell with my nostrils

To all that is offered

By the wilderness

That we live in

From the grandeur scenes

In the far distance

To The beauty at hand

The singing of birds

The mating sound of frogs

The call of the predator

The smell of the woods

The sound of running water

The murmuring of the wind

In the leafy canopies

Mother Nature has much to offer

If only we notice

Photography, Poetry

A Wee Tree

3 Comments

Sunlit Grass

 

A long uphill slope

The sky in turmoil

Darken clouds rolling on

A touch of color

From the evening sun

The north wind blowing

Over the parched land

A wee tree swaying

Before the surging wind

Standing desolate and forlorn

 

A clump of grass

Knee high in height

Parched and dry

Moving to and fro

Before the billowing wind

A golden evening hue

From a beam of sunlight

Intensifies the glowing grass

The sky continues to darken

The clouds streaming on

As the sun lowers

 

 

 

 

Photography, Poetry

A Vastness

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A Vast Land

Standing on a hill

The vastness of the land

Spreads before me

My lodging but a dot

On the large scale of things

A beam of light

From the setting sun

Caresses the sun burnt hills

I stand in awe

With the hills unfolding

Before my squinting eyes

The feel of the breeze

Freshening on my face

A cool welcome from

The heat of the day

A common experience

In the mountainous country

 

Far in the distance

On an open hillside

Movement can be spotted

It is the ganado cresting

A brown splotched rise

Herded home by trailing young boys

Mere dots in the fading light

 

 

It is also a sign

That I too must leave

To follow the winding trail

Down the sloping hill

Before darkness engulfs me

The trail takes a diagonal

Through a field of maize

The stalks standing forlorn

In the evening half light

A fence line appears ahead

The trail running parallel

The descent is quick

An adobe home appears

Soon lost in the dimness

 

The Rio Trentino materializes

Hopping from rock to rock

The shallow river is crossed

The road beckons ahead

A patch of red roof

Appears in the near distance

Nestled on a sloping hill

A place to rest

Ones weary legs

Photography, Poetry

Granada

2 Comments

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Been riding on the Chicken buses all day
Arrived in Granada hot and dry
Took to the streets
Looking for a hotel
Charming colonial colored buildings
Boldly painted in splashes
Of red, green and yellow
Line the narrow streets
The red tiled roofs
Overhang the streets
There is an air
Of excitement and energy
The chaotic open air market
Bustles with activity

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A carved wooden door beckons
An attractive young lady
Greets and invites me in
Tis the Hotel Casa Del Consulado
Of old world charm and warmth
With a room secured
A refreshing shower
The afternoon wearing on
It is time to hit the street
I make my way
To the Granada Central Park

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Strolling along the bustling street
With one way traffic
An overhanging balcony beckons
As I stood there gazing
I pictured a beautiful young woman
Dressed in her finery
Hair glistening in the evening light
A sparkle of a tear
As a young man below
Serenades with his guitar
Expressing his true love
The blast of a car’s horn
Disturbs my thoughts
I continued along cobblestone streets

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The Parque Central materializes
The shady benches and green grass
Beckons a weary traveler
By night a haven for cuddling lovers
Vendors line the streets
Selling their wares and food
Carriages line Parque Central

A cafe beckons to the right
Tables on the terrace
Provide welcome shade
From the mid afternoon sun
Seated at a table
With a cup of cafe
Observing the busy street life
Going on before me

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The luminous Cathedral of Granada
Looms to the east
A bright yellow church
Of neoclassical design
Three red roofed domes
Rise to the sky
As I sipped my café
Admiring the beautiful architecture
Of the Granada Cathedral
The sun is descending
The air is cooling

With the evening in full swing
It is time to enjoy
The nightlife of Calle La Calzada
A crowded cobbled street
Lined on both sides
With bars and restaurants

Sitting down to dinner
With the stars overhead
It is a joy to watch
The musicians and dancers
The street vendors hawking
Their various wares table side
A waiter approaches smiling
To offer me a menu
I order Gallopinto with fried plantains
To quench my thirst
While waiting for the meal
I ordered a Toña lager

As I sipped my beer
The sounds of the street
Flowed and ebbed around me
The meal soon arrived
Along with a young vendor
His wares on display
I inquired about a shark tooth necklace
To my delight he produced.
Haggling over the price
We both came to an agreement
I became a proud owner
Of a shark tooth necklace
To wear on my neck

The hour was getting late
It is time to retire
Making my way through
The less crowded streets
I slipped through the entrance
Of Hotel Casa Del Consulado_MG_0395