Photography

The Emerging of Dreams

by Ingrid
orange and yellow sunrise over a reflective lake

With the emerging of a new day or even a new season, there is a sense of hope and the embracing of dreams. I love spring. It’s my favorite time of year. Watching the dormant winter landscape awaken with the budding of emerging vegetation and colorful blooms lends itself to a feeling of new life.

tiny yellow flowers growing out of lava rock

I think we can all agree, it has been a challenging year. A year filled with uncertainty. A year filled with a roller coaster of emotions. And just like the tiny plant that has the strength to break through rock crevices and thrive, we too shall emerge from the past years’ challenges stronger and maybe even wiser.

small plant with yellow flowers growing in lava rock

Perhaps our socially distanced year has enlightened us in new ways. Perhaps, we have discovered new hobbies or developed a better understanding of ourselves. As we emerge from the stressful year, it’s time to think about our dreams. For me, that means I’m knee-deep in travel planning and excited to get our RV wheels rolling again soon.

I’m emerging from my cocoon with a new spring in my step and can’t wait to frolic in the beauty of nature!

silhouette of a saguaro cactus as the sun rises behind the trunk of the cactus
a bee on a purple flower
time plant with yellow flowers growing out of rock
yellow and purple wildflowers among a rocky landcape
thistles

Photo Challenges: For Lens-Artist photo challenge #143, Amy invites us to share images showcasing “Colorful April”. And for the Sunday Stills photo challenge, we’re asked to share photographs of emerging. Feel free to join in on these photo challenges. We’d love to see your images.

75 thoughts on “The Emerging of Dreams”

  3. Spring has always been my favorite season, especially when we lived in New England, where I always enjoyed the first tiny plants pushing their way through the snow. Make the most of every beautiful day.

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  4. Pingback: Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: Views in #Violet – Second Wind Leisure Perspectives

  5. Wonderful to see the desert coming to life. Here the snow is just finally disappeared and the grass is contemplating becoming green again. I agree that over this past year it has given time to try different things and for me to come to see what truly is important. Enjoy spring!

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    1. I do enjoy this time of year and love all the colorful blooms. I’m sure you’re enjoying the melting of snow and looking forward to summer activities. Hopefully, we’ll be able to travel somewhat normally soon!

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    1. I too have stopped watching the news regularly. I feel they sensationalize everything adding undue stress. Right now, I’m focused on the beauty of spring and gearing up for our summer travels.😀

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  8. A lovely post – and the little flowers coming up through the hard ground soil…that is just the way it feels. Well done.

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  9. Hi, Ingrid. Lovely, hopeful images. I love the 3 isolated flowers against the rocky soil. It resonates with me and my mood during these times!! I agree with your hope that we emerge wiser and stronger from our experience.

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    1. Thank you Patti. That particular image resonates with me as well. Those tiny wildflowers were a special treat to behold while visiting Craters of the Moon National Monument.

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    1. Thank you. The tiny flowers were photographed at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho and I’m not sure what they are called. The thistle was photographed in Iowa. I’m hoping to get in a lot more wildflower photography soon.

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  11. We are still on a short leash, but it is getting longer! Like your positive thoughts, Ingrid. Spring indeed is a time for hope, and wandering! Well, any time is good for wandering. Grin. Fun photos. –Curt

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    1. Fingers crossed that each day we regain a little more freedom. Arizona was never locked down to the same degree that CA was and life is starting to feel a bit more normal. We’ll be hitting the road in about 4 weeks and I’m hoping to dust the cobwebs off my camera then.

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      1. Given that our RV is our home away from home, Ingrid, Peggy and I never did stay quite at our house home. In fact we managed about 8,000 miles of RV travel over the past year. We were just paranoid and didn’t behave any differently than if we were isolated at home. One of the big advantages of RVing! 🙂

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    1. Totally agree that spring is a photographer’s dream. Although, fall comes in at a close second. I’m lucky I get to enjoy spring in Arizona and a second spring in northern Wisconsin. Hopefully, I can keep the camera batteries charged. 😁

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  13. Interesting reading your text about spring for us who love the winter. Well, we are from Scandinavia and the most beautiful time of the year is winter for us. We rather find blue skies and sunshine boring if it lasts.
    All the best.
    Have a happy week
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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    1. When I was younger, I enjoyed winters but not so much now. Spring has always been my favorite time of year when the landscape is dotted with colorful wildflowers. Thanks for dropping by. 😀

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    1. I made a bunch of reservations for this summer which is so not like me, but I learned my lesson last summer when everything was booked. Cheers to fun travels!

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  18. I’m hoping that the appearance of this post means your dry eye flare up is over and you’re much more comfortable. Gorgeous pics, as usual, Ingrid! Starting my day off with a dose of your photos never fails to make it a good one – glad you found these old memories to share. Safe travels to you and Al!

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    1. Thanks Mary. My eyes are still irritated but not nearly as bad as they were a couple of weeks ago. I still need to limit my screen time but at least I’m feeling hopeful. I have a bunch of reservations made for the summer and hope to give my neglected camera a good workout.😊

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    1. Yes, I do wish the world comes out of lockdown and stays that way. It has been a rough year filled with a gamut of emotions. Cheers to life returning to some semblance of normalcy soon.😊

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  21. A wonderful post, Ingrid! Positive, philosophical, inspiring and sprinkled with beautiful images. Enjoy spring – around you and in your step. I hope your eye is better and that the summer planning is fun!

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    1. Thank you Liesbet. The eyes are doing better, but I still need to limit my screen time. I’m hoping the humidity in the Midwest will make them feel even better. Fingers crossed all my travel plans go off without a hitch.

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  23. Wonderful images Ingrid and I so share your enthusiasm about being able to get back out into nature. Loved the little flowers in your opening images. So sweet and delicate.

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  24. The emergence of Spring flowers does offer a perfect metaphor for this period of time. I just hope this is really Spring and not one of those phony springs where it keeps getting cold again. Hell, I’m ready for Summer! Beautiful photos, Ingrid!

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    1. Thank you, Laura. Haha! I hear ya on the weather front. We went straight from cold to hot … no in-between this year in Phoenix. As much as we may complain about the heat arriving too soon, as soon as we hit the road northeast bound, we’ll complain about that weather 😆 Hope you have some fun travel plans for the summer. I was smart this year and made a bunch of reservations. Fingers crossed they don’t get derailed.

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    1. Thanks Nancy! Life’s getting a little crazy around here as we try to finish up projects so we can hit the road as well as helping out family. I’ll keep ya posted 😀

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    1. Thank you, Kirstin. It is amazing to see different vegetation across the country and the various growing conditions. I was particularly awed by the delicate wildflowers growing at Craters of the Moon National Monument.

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  30. Beautifully expressed through your lens and words, Ingrid. Yes, this spring we want to think of our dreams for traveling. “Our socially distanced year has enlightened us in new ways…” Well said. Thank you for sharing with us. 🙂

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    1. Hi Amy, after seeing your post sharing all the beautiful wildflowers, I felt inspired. There’s something special and fresh about a field full of colorful flowers. I have some fun travel plans scheduled for this summer. Fingers crossed my plans don’t get thwarted. 🤞

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    1. Thank you Suzanne. I think many of us are feeling the same and can’t wait to emerge from the past years’ challenges. Yep, I’m hoping our travel plans don’t get derailed.🤞 My poor camera has sat in its bag for the entire winter and needs a workout. 😀

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  32. I’m happy to see you emerging from your cocoon! I love all the images but I think the close up of the flowers sprouting up from the ground is my favorite. Here’s hoping your dreams come true and your travel plans work out the way you want. Hope those wheels start turning soon!

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    1. Before hitting the road, I like to make sure my computer and all my images are backed up on a couple of hard drives and then I leave the drives behind. So, while going through a bunch of files, I came across our visit to Craters of the Moon NP during wildflower season. I had so much fun photographing the delicate blooms and a couple of those ground pics are some of my favorites as well.

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  33. Ingrid,
    We’ve all been in a cocoon for two long, and I’m ready to take wing. Tuesday will mark two weeks since the second COVID vaccination. I’ve said that I’m not going to go wild, but I am going out to dinner. Love your images–especially the bumblebee. Take care, Joe

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    1. It has been a very strange winter and I’m beyond ready for some normalcy. We’re busy completing some little RV fixes and the F-250 is ready after some major work. So we should be ready to roll in a few weeks. I’m excited about our plans for this summer and happy I booked a bunch of reservations. Glad you enjoy the photos. I’m hoping we won’t have any major projects to tackle up in WI and I’ll be able to focus on photography and fun this year.

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  34. Such beautiful images you have created Ingrid, both in your writing and through the camera lens. Sadly, we are back in lockdown mode here which is so, so frustrating. Fingers crossed this is the last one!

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    1. Thank you, Lynn, and grr, I’m so sorry to hear you are back in lockdown. That has to be frustrating. I do hope this will be the last time and that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Life is starting to feel a little more normal here in Arizona, but we remain cautious. 🙂

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  35. Hi Ingrid, I’m so glad you reconnected with Sunday Stills this week. I love your emerging images and your description of the cocoon from which we hopefully all emerge! I’m emerging from endless boxes and dealing with no internet still but despite this I will be back next week for Sunday Stills. Have a great week!

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    1. Thanks Terri. The word ’emerging’ seems to capture my current mood perfectly. And I do love this time of year. Hope you get your internet installed and get all settled in in your new home soon.

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  37. Wow, these are very beautiful photos, Ingrid! The saguaro looks fantastic with the sun behind it. So many lovely colors, and a bee too. 😎 😍

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    1. Awe, thank you John. I was in the midst of going through photos to make sure I had everything backed up ‘twice’ when I came across some of these photographs from the past. I’ve been less than inspired to get out shooting this winter and hope my creative juices start flowing again when I get up north. It was fun rediscovering these images.

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            1. Yep, your home state. I have reservations at Fayette Historic State Park and the Straits State Park and even a night at a B&B on Mackinac Island. Straits and Mackinac are repeats. Love it there!

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              1. This soounds great, enjoy! I’ve been on the island just once, good memory. Been across Big Mac many times, she’s a beautiful old bridge from the late 50s I think.

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