the day after you left us
purple flowers erupted
in a spot they hadn’t before
velvet soft petals lit by sunlight
quietly whispering love
delicate yet strong just like you
Poetry: Bloom
Author: Bridgette
Photography: Sunset Drive
“Some roads aren’t meant to be traveled alone.”
-Chinese Proverb
My favorite thing to come out of quarantine was the tradition of evening drives with my daughter. We play loud music, talk about everything, and just drive. After spending the majority of last week apart from each other it felt good to get behind the wheel and see where the road took us. We found dragonflies, cows, our favorite parking lot, and a gorgeous sunset.
As we process our grief and plan a memorial to celebrate my mother-in-law, it felt extra special to have these moments of beauty to reflect on the blessings in our lives. Thank you to everyone who has reached out and supported our family. We feel the love.
- Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
What to see more?
Poetry: Worn Patch
treasured memories locked
within silken threads
slowly, slowly unraveling
pressed elbows leave
life’s strong imprint
gently, gently fading
circling butterflies through
cloudy skies forever
softly, softly loving
Photography: Neighborhood Sunrise
“The morning steals upon the night, Melting the darkness.” -William Shakespeare
A gorgeous friend of mine writes and talks a lot about joy—seeking it out, the importance of recognizing it, and fighting for it even when it feels ridiculous. She inspires me all the time and this morning I did something purely for the joy of it. I hiked to a park by my house with my camera to capture the sunrise. It felt luxurious and I basked in the beauty of the world for an entire hour alone.
My mother-in-law has entered hospice care within the home of my kind, caring, and incredibly giving sister-in-law. This time in our lives is hard. Watching a woman of immeasurable strength and love fade before all our eyes is beyond difficult. While I don’t know what this next part looks like, I do know that even within these hard moments we can find gratitude and even joy.
- Check out the important work of my friend Jill at Ridiculous Joy
All the photos above were taken with my Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
Here’s a bonus iPhone self-portrait:
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Poetry: Body Talk
a hundred full moons
danced
since chaos burned my
curvy landscape to dust
ashes swirl within cobwebbed
cells
trapping festering gray memories
inside oily rancid darkness
sandbagged alone I await
loves
electric sharp thundering to
storm my hollow heart
awake
Photography: Oregon Mountains
“What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”
-Jack Kerouac, On the Road
I’ve shared many photos the last few weeks of my trip to Oregon but this final collection is the most special to me.
My grandmother died of Covid at the start of the pandemic. Although it took us several years, we were finally able to reunite her with her husband in a lush field of tall grasses on top of a beautiful Oregon mountain. The sun shone brightly and butterflies chased the truck as we left. It feels wonderful to know she’s where she wants to be and at peace.
Here are a few of the images from that day. I hope you enjoy them.
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Poetry: Apple Carrot Muffins
The same old silver grater, clear
glass bowl, dented wooden spoon used
to make round applesauce cake for
first birthdays
today
made muffins for freshman and senior
year. Instead of watching from your
wooden high chair, bass boomed behind
closed bedroom
doors
while green granny smith apples, bright
orange carrots joined honey, oats, almond
flour for you. Another day of
beautiful childhood
fleeting
before lovesick eyes not done soaking
up all the wondrous firsts, seconds
of motherhood’s dance. Don’t blink they
tell you;
blink
blink
blink
Photography: West Coast Game Park Safari
My daughter and I visited the West Coast Game Park Safari located in Bandon, Oregon. While many people rave about this place, what I saw concerned me. Some of the animals seemed distressed or uncared for. While I appreciated being able to see them so close, I couldn’t help but wonder about the history of the animals and the park.
Before leaving I asked about the lovely chimpanzee named Daphne (the first picture below), but they couldn’t tell me anything about her. All questions were answered with “read the signs,” which were faded and had no information about where the animals originated from.
Today I did a little research before posting these photos and it seems the park has been listed on Peta’s list of Highway Hellholes and has received many citations for animal neglect. I wish I was wrong, but I don’t think this is a good place for animals and I can’t recommend it. However, I still wanted to share my favorite photos of these beautiful animal ambassadors. They deserve better.
Some bonus photos from our travels through Oregon:
What to see more?
Post-Roe Poetry: Fighting Back With Words
kittens
millions mew through
milk-bottle streets
hackle raised hunger
post-Roe madness
darting between cars
hiding within bushes
painful prurient truths
scruffy discarded mogs
forced birthing bleeds
terrors tumultuous tears
ineffable wailing woe
unwanted pink mouths
tiny hisses erupt
dry-tongued sorrow
drowned by righteous
thy will be done
***
diaper drives don’t give love
feeding crying newborn mouths
does nothing for broken souls
trapped in poverty’s unrelenting
cycle you pretend to understand
while you played summer camp
horseback rides, sailing, singing
desperation rages wildfire hot
without choices, chances, hope
sprinkling your righteous confetti
gathering tiny clothes in basements
women trapped cry into the night
why is this happening to me?
you take away choice saying
you are ready for all the babies
forcing your golden-crossed will
caring not for life’s long-term pain
persecute, punish, push your truth
while infant mortality rates soar
quality healthcare by reservation only
let the babies eat cake off free bibles
*This week I listened to This American’s Life’s episode titled “The Pink House at the Center of the World.” These poems are my reaction.
Photography: Little Whale Cove
She closed her eyes. She drew her shoulders back. She took a slow and steady breath.
There was tension in the air. A weight. A wait. There was no wind. She did not speak. The world grew and stretched tight.-Patrick Rothfuss, The Slow Regard of Silent Things
There’s nothing quite like standing on the beach at sunset and watching the sky and water play together with a dance of reflection and light. On our recent trip to Oregon my daughter and I sat apart from each other in complete silence watching the sun slowly descend into a bank of clouds. It was slow and sudden—a beautiful, fleeting moment of peace.
Today’s photo selections are of the place my father lives in Oregon called Little Whale Cove. It’s a hidden and magical gem we feel incredibly grateful to visit each summer. I hope you enjoy them!
Stay tuned: Next week I’ll be sharing photos of our visit to the West Coast Game Park Safari.
Bridgette Tales 