A Joyful Announcement!!

I received an Instagram message around mid-December from The Marina at Cherry Creek saying that they loved my photos, the Pelicans, to be specific, and that they would like to hang some of the pics in the Lake House event center. Well, earlier this week, I met with Erik Dyce, the CEO of Vencore Marine Group, and we have agreed to partner up. I am excited about this new adventure/venture and to see my photography being displayed (and sold) in such a beautiful venue. 

A statement from Erik:

'Pelican Bay at Cherry Creek in Cherry Creek State Park is delighted to partner with Amy Lilley – renowned photographer who has brought her unique talents to Colorado.  Her intimate relationship with the White Pelican, native to Cherry Creek Reservoir, is a stunning study in art and the science of this unique bird.  Pelican Bay is named for these magnificent creatures who feature wing spans up to six feet. At any given time you may see well over 100 Pelicans at The Marina at Pelican Bay, perched on the breakwater around the Marina, or out in the Stump Area on the South side of the Reservoir. Their sweet group behavior is something to witness.

Amy’s photos will be featured in and around Pelican Bay at Cherry Creek as well as for sale at certain select events.  We welcome these treasures and so should you!'

The Lake House and Marina...from the park side.

The Lake House from the kayak..

And from waaaay across the far side of the lake, looking toward the Rockies and the Marina...

Another shot from the park side.. 

Up close at The Marina..

Although it looks different now, this is where it all started for me, with a simple kayak rental..

Late December, The Marina..

Last Winter as a storm was getting ready to blow in..

The lovely entrance to The Lake House...taken today..

What is so amazing to me is that from a simple kayak rental 3 summers ago, to purchasing my own  Pelican kayak and spending so much time on the lake, doing what I love to do...not just taking pics of the Pelicans, Herons, the turtles, fish and other wildlife, but spending all that quiet time on the lake, the activity of paddling when the lake was smooth as glass or in some very challenging weather situations, to creating the Pelican calendar, and then having Erik look at me and say, 'I have never seen anything like your work before.' Is this not what, as artists (all inclusive, writers, poets, actors, dancers, etc.,) we dream of? I acknowledged that this is a gift, the eye which has been given to me. So, this is my joyful announcement. I look forward to sharing with all of you, over the next few months, as the Pelicans find their rightful place all over The Lake House!!

The morning after I met with Erik, I woke up, and the only thing I could think of was how much I wanted to call Mom, and I cried...

 'Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.'

James 1:17

Click here to link to The Marina at Pelican Bay

Summer Skies and Stuffs..

May 31

Late Spring. Summer into Autumn are the best times of the year for me. I have planted my garden, which is flourishing, I have built 4 Adirondack chairs, which now sit in the front of the house. I also built a new desk! I bought 4 chairs which had to be built from a kit we found at Home Depot. It took some figuring out with the first one as the instructions were hard to follow, but, I got it, and the next 3 chairs took about 1/3 of the time. Two coats of polyurethane on the natural wood, along with some felt pads on the bottoms of each leg finished them off really well. Thrilled, and, they're comfortable. They are not perfect, but, that works for me. I have been using our old dining room table as a desk since 2005 and I had been searching for a real desk for many months, it seems. We saw this one at The World Market, very utilitarian, I thought, it has drawers and some shelves. That might work. So, finally after much looking around, I decided to buy it, but, it too, had to be built. It weighed a ton and most thankfully, the Boys did the heavy lifting. After making the chairs, the desk was easy. Thrilled with the desk too, and yes, it is totally utilitarian!! The garden was planted the week after we said our goodbye's to The Girl, and it has really been so therapeutic, just to be able to take care of 'something', (still toying with fostering...) along with the great hope of watching it grow and having food with no question from whence it came. It has already exceeded my expectations! Cabbage, strawberries, curly kale, butternut squash, sweet peppers, eggplant and 4 or 5 varieties of tomatoes, along with (not shown) 5 varieties of basil, flat leaf parsley, cilantro, 3 varieties of thyme and lavender are growing beautifully as well! There will be a freezer full of pesto come harvest time, and I will share along the way! Swimming and kayaking are all on the table as well. These are all things I love doing, along with taking pics of the gorgeous Spring/Summer (for now) skies. So, again, for those of you not on social media, here is a snippet of my summer in Colorado, (not chronological...but, close enough!), and it's only July 13th!! The sun sets behind the 2 trees in Cherry Creek State Park, so, they are the subject of many of the summer pics!

June 22

June 26

June 11

The Marina, early evening drive around the lake, June 24

July 1

July 6

2 days ago!!!!!

Lined them up for the pic, 2 on either side...

Happy with the new desk, drawers and shelves..

June 3...to many sunbeams to possibly count..

June 5th... 

'Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.

 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.

The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high..' Psalm 113:2-5

The Lake

I am very fortunate to be able to go out on the lake during the week, when it is quiet vs. the weekends when most people take out their boats of all shapes and sizes, jet-ski's, inner tubes, etc. I am one of the few humans sharing space with the Pelicans, the Great Blue Herons, the ducks and her 'lings', the geese, with a very rare eagle siting, some giant fish, all of whom I have named 'Walter' (On Golden Pond) jumping out of the water...I would LOVE to capture Walter in a photo!  I have to immediately start paddling which I immediately love and then wonder, what will the day bring. I look over my shoulder and I can see the Rockies, still a wee bit snow capped, I look forward, and on the far side, I see a small line of white, which are the Pelicans. I paddle towards them. It is my goal to get to the far side of the lake each time. It takes me around 50 minutes. Sometimes I stop along the way, now that the Herons have returned, there might be an opportunity to take some pics. The Herons only let me get so close before they pull their long necks way down, and by some miracle take off. They are at least 4 feet tall, and very pre-historic looking, so, seeing them in flight is pretty amazing. This first pic of the Heron was truly a gift, as he, very out of character, gave me some time to not only get closer, but stay, and take this first pic along with about 20 more. I love love love paddling not far from the shore, as that is where most of the wildlife can be seen, except for Walter(s) who are in the deeper waters. The Pelicans let me get closer, (even tho, with both big birds, I am using my zoom), and they are great fun to photograph. On occasion I will meet other kayakers, and wave or stop for a chat in the middle of the lake, but for the most, it's just me. I treasure that time alone, having a purpose or, really, many, and remain ridiculously grateful to be healthy with camera in tow, ready for a new adventure!

Mr. Great Blue Heron!!

Fortunate to catch the flight, with a deer, geese, pelicans in the background..

The shallows...lots of action here!!

The ever photogenic Pelicans.. 

Mr. Pelican, fluffing it up a bit..

The serenity, around 4pm..

'For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. The fig tree has ripened its figs, And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance...'

                                                                                                        Song of Solomon 2:11-13

Playing Catch-up...

Translucent leaf, so pretty, floating in the shallows of the lake..

Alaskan geese taking a stroll on the frozen lake... 

Chubby, confused prairie dog....

Took the kayak out in the middle of March, twice!!!

On the lake in the kayak, like a mirror, so so so quiet...

Before the much needed rain as EVERYTHING is getting ready to burst with color...

Rains over the Rockies, headed east to us...much needed...

Daylight savings sunset...

After another round of precip...

It occurred to me, after seeing my cutback in blogging, that Instagram (amylikesjack) has become more of a daily log for hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Myself included. It is easy to get exposure globally, and instantly, and as a photographer, this form of social media, has proved/proven to be a worthy tool. It also occurred to me that many of you, who are on my mailing list, have absolutely no social media presence at all, which in this day and age, is almost more impressive. March blew in, we turned around, March blew out and here we are in April. The story here, in Colorado, has been the lack of any sort of moisture in the form of rain or snow, which, as I have stated many a time on my Instagram feed, it is 'scary, bone dry.' Having lived through 2 of Colorado's most destructive wild fires, it was abundantly clear, that the State could simply go up in flames with one careless move. So, we waited and waited and waited. We never really had a winter, and much to my surprise, with very mixed feelings, I was out on the lake (which should have been frozen) in the middle of March, twice. The Blue Herons are still gone, the Great White Pelicans are scant, forget about the Eagles altogether, they have eluded me, it has become personal! And then, finally after crazy warm temps, the rains, the much needed moisture started pouring down upon us. Gentle, sweet smelling rains. In other places around the state, massive amounts of snow, and more on the way, but, we welcome it! So, for those of you who (impressively) are not engaging on social media, this is a 'catch-up' post, so you can see, in part, some of the sites from the month of March!

'Drip down, O heavens, from above, And let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it.' Isaiah 45:8

Landscapes Art Exhibition, Special Merit...

'Lakeside in Colorado'

This pic of the gorgeous snow capped Rockies while standing at the lake in Cherry Creek State Park, was one of the first I took with the new camera. Still playing, allot, with the powerful zoom, I have been testing the waters, so to speak. I continue to enter on-line photo contests, and have started a gallery on the National Geographic "Your Shot' page, along with hundreds of thousands of other amazing photographers from around the globe. I have received notice from National Geographic, 2 times, of one of my pics 'trending'. Meaning it has received attention from the on-line community. This happens to hundreds of people, daily, on Nat. Geo, but, it happened to me...exciting!! I just received notice this morning that 'Lakeside in Colorado' received a Special Merit nod from the judges from the Light Space and Time On-Line Gallery! This is what was posted, for those who were awarded this recognition:

'The art which was selected for the Special Merit Category is any art from the various media categories that we believe could have also been placed in the top tier of the entries selected.  The only reason that this art was not selected for the top tier was due to the size constraints of this particular competition. Otherwise, the Special Merit art, in many cases, is interchangeable with any of the best art that we selected elsewhere.' 

This works for me and I am about to crown the new camera, my trustee little Sony. Below is one of the National Geographic pics which was trending, along with a week filled of birds. A Bald Eagle, a Hawk, with full zoom from the house, and two Pelicans. I was happy to be able to be closer to the Pelicans, as I was standing on the shore of the lake just yesterday at Cherry Creek State Park. Unfortunately, Mr. Eagle did not want to cooperate on the big screen...

April is upon us, and here, your can feel Spring literally ready to explode...more to come...

Reflection from early March sunset, using the Diptic app, trending on Nat. Geo...

Mr. Hawk...

American White Pelican...a very big bird..

....and two...

(links to pages highlighted)

“Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south? Does the eagle soar at your command and build its nest on high?  It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is its stronghold.  From there it looks for food; its eyes detect it from afar."

                                                                                                          Job 39:26-29

Good Grief...

Upper Rhoda Pond, or Lake Rhoda

I started this blog in 2008. I had recently opened one of my Etsy shops, and was inspired to start the blog by other Etsy sellers, basically, to sell my handmade jewelry. Over these 7 years the blog has taken its own twists and turns, as life has happened. Everything is well archived, and these days especially, I am most grateful to use those archives for reference. What year, month or day was that, or, I know I wrote about that, where is it. I have found that not only has the blog been an excellent personal resource, but it has given my voice a little volume. I enjoy sharing from my heart, even the really tough stuff which happens. It has been 2 1/2 years since Mom passed, and I have not cried. Any of you who know me, really, know that it is in my DNA, we cry. I just have not been able to get it out; the grief. There is never any right or wrong way to go about the process of losing a loved one, a parent, a Mom. I have talked to friends who have lost their Mom's and for some, like me now, it has taken years to get through the loss. One friend told me it took her a good 3 years, punctuated by, and we didn't even have a good relationship. As you know, Mom and I adored one another, so I am surprised, in a way, that I have just not fallen completely apart. On the other hand, not.

I sent an email to a dear friend who is going through chemo for leukemia. Thankfully, she is responding well, and has been giving us updates after each round. I know that she always wants to know how her friends are doing, really doing, and I told her the truth. After I read it back, I realized, that this is what I wanted to post, this is what I really wanted to say, but the words simply had not come up and out, until now. So, here is a portion of that email:

'For me, well, I did get in touch w/ a grief counselor, and I meet w/ her in Littleton on Tuesday...we spoke on the phone, and we had a good first chat...again, the grief is in my throat and ever ready to burst forth...here is an amazing thing...we have a very active camp wall on Facebook...we went to camp in the beautiful Berkshires for 12 summers, from the time I was 5 years old...loved every minute of it...Mom was the Arts & Crafts counselor, and so much more, to the hundreds who called her 'Aunt Bunny', Dad came up on weekends, friends and cousins spent many happy carefree summers on the lake...when Mom died, my brother and I batted around what we might do w/ Mom and Dad's ashes...the only place we could think of, which was the most meaningful, was the lake @ camp..well, lo and behold, one thing has led to an another, and a group of us have rented a big house right on our most beloved lake @ the end of June...we will be spreading Mom and Dad's ashes there...I am overwhelmed by the enormity of the act, and that it is actually coming to pass...those who have signed on so far to come in June, all adored Mom and Dad..it is beautiful, and a huge answer to prayer...so, I am on the right track...my body has been betraying me a bit, I am certain, from all that I am holding in...'

It is clear that I am making progress to understand the loss, to deal w/ how profound losing Mom is, along with having the opportunity to go back to a place, a tiny little town in upstate NY, which I (and so many...), hold so dear, to spread Mom and Dad's ashes on the lake as their final resting place.., well, now,  I am at a loss for words.

'To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;...'

Ecclesiastes 3:1-5