Hawks, Orioles, Turtles in the Swimming Pool, Blooming Irises, Mountain Biking through Mustard Fields, Putting the New Photo Printer to Work, A New Phase in my Yoga Life

A couple of weeks in Photos

To say that the last five weeks has been turbulent is a bit of an understatement. But, oftentimes, the times which try us the most provide the most soil for growth. And, in the steady background, nature continues on. Hawks mate. Mustard fields explode with profusions of yellow blooms. And we carry on with life.

Those of you who read my “week in photos” series regularly will recall that we had a close family member who had gone “off the ranch” — and I mean this literally — we couldn’t catch her long enough for her to get any sort of treatment — with a bout of psychosis while we were all on vacation in Maui. Bipolar Disorder I was the diagnosis.

And things are looking a bit better. But we are all changed by times like these. And it has been quite interesting to me to witness how my body has reacted to some old traumas which this event stirred up. I, literally, thought that I had Giardia — something I did, in fact, have several years ago after a yoga retreat in Mexico. But, no, after a myriad of tests came back negative, my doctor pronounced, “stress.”

Well, in my experience, there is no better way to combat stress than spending time in nature.

I’ve had my eyes on a pair of Cooper’s Hawks who have been mating in the tree canopy on the hill behind my house. Those trees are so tall though that it’s been hard to get a good look at them. They have the uncanny ability to just disappear into the foliage. I’ve nicknamed them “Elena” and “Antonio.” I was certain that they were Red-Shouldered Hawks until I noticed their red eyes. I believe that the top photo is of Elena. The girls are about thirty percent larger than the boys. They both seem pretty young though. I think that this is probably their first year of mating.

And the Orioles are back. You can read about them (and see some photos) here. This is actually a photo from last year because, while the male has been chirping away quite audibly from the treetops, the female is a little more shy. She’s also a lot paler than her nearly-fluorescent partner, and is a bit harder to spot.

The big excitement around the house has been the redoing of the pool. It was probably first built in the early 70s. We re-did it (it has a coating of fiberglass — like on a boat) about twenty years ago, but when we started to find little shards of fiberglass in our skin, we knew it was beyond time to do it again.

As you may know, Maui is one of my favorite places on the planet. I just love swimming with the sea turtles there. So, we decided to add in some turtles to the pool this time around.

I have been envisioning swimming with these lovely creatures in my very own pool — not quite the same thing, I know, but it does make me smile.

We added in some babies here and there.

And also a school of fish….

And the irises are up! Every year I add in some more varieties of Irises and just wait to see what re-emerges from years past.

I, quite honestly, am not even sure what this flower is. I pass this tree on my neighborhood walk and I always think of it as a “Flame Tree” because of these flowers, which look so prehistoric.

I’ve been out on the bike a lot lately and the fields are beginning to explode with wild mustard. Eventually, the mustard will be taller than me. But it is just getting started now. It’s been so dry this year that I am wondering how long this display will last.

These little purple lupines are also starting to dot the trailside.

Last year, I bought a very fancy photo printer — which I was eternally frustrated with because of the clunky interface with the computer. After a couple of months of not being able to print anything (and knowing that I owed some people photos — and I thank them for their patience) I broke down and bought a new Epson professional printer.

I’m donating the old printer to the local high school — where I am hopeful that the tech savvy kids will put it to good use.

Life always comes in phases, doesn’t it? After two decades of teaching yoga (both physical yoga and yoga “philosophy), I stopped teaching during the pandemic. Although it was a bit traumatic at first to let go of something I had worked so hard at (and had gone back to graduate school for — I was teaching the philosophy part for Loyola Marymount University and for a variety of teacher training programs and workshops), I love my current life and my ability to pursue my creative endeavors.

I kept looking at a file drawer which has been filling up with poems and stories, but which was packed with two decades of āsana workshop files. It was time to let those old workshops go. I can’t tell you how liberating it was to toss them into the trash bin.

The kitties have been enjoying their garden. There are so many birds to watch and flowers to smell.

I’ll leave you with a snap of Bisou lounging near the Pink Milkweed.

I hope you have all had lovely weeks.

Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).

As always, I thank you Dennett for creating this “week in photos” challenge.

It’s so fun to share about the week and to read about so many other photographers’ weeks around the world.

You might want to check out a few of the others who participate:

Dennett /Anne Bonfert /Eileen Vorbach /Lisa Bolin /Tracy Aston /David Wade Chambers/Kim Zuch /Barbara Radisavljevic /LensAfield /Barbara Dalton /Sasha Meyer /Susan Alison /Diana Lotti /Barbara Dalton /K. Barrett /June Nguyen /Juan O. Aguilera /Ellie Jacobson /Shruthi Sundaram/ Pene Hodge /Tracy Aston/ Sandra Barrett/Jillian Amatt — Artistic Voyages

You might also enjoy a poem about something very near and dear to my heart — dance:

Or this mama and baby Humpback Whale:

Photos and story ©Erika Burkhalter. All rights reserved.

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Photos and story ©Erika Burkhalter. All rights reserved.