“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” Henry David Thoreau
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“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” Henry David Thoreau
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“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” Christopher Mc Candless
“If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”
St. Francis of Assisi
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“Earth Laughs in Flowers.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
cindyknoke.com 
Thank you for all these beautiful photographs.
Ranu
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You are such a joy Ranu! Thank you~
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What awesome nature pics!!!
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Mil grazi!
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Beautiful pictures!
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Thank you my thoughtful friend~
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lovely photos, amiga! i blinked and looked twice, as this past week found me photographing the same subjects.. gardenias, hummingbirds and butterflies! my photos are still in the camera, so thanks for the sneak peek!!!!
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Oooooh. Synchronicity! I want to see them~
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Absolutely stunning! and I love the quotes in the middle! Super!
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So glad! Thank you and cheers to you~
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I do believe you’ve found your retirement niche! These pictures and quotes are inspiring.
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That makes me happy! Thank you Linda & hugs to you~
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“Earth Laughs in Flowers.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Love Ralph, I got this tattooed on me when I was 50. I know weird, just wanted a little bit of Ralph with me always. 🙂
Great pics once again Cindy.
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I think it is incredible that you did that! Kudos~
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Wonderful – a world my eyes can scarcely get to the edge of on their own…
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It is so big, and yet so small. Thank you~
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Gorgeous photos Cindy! I love the St. Francis of Assisi quote best. He is my favorite saint even though I’m not Catholic. I always marvel at his all abiding love for all creatures and his dedication to living stripped of his wealth.
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I feel just the same. He was remarkable~
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This is perfection. Thank you! 🙂
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Awww. Thank you my friend~
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Gorgeous selection of beauties, thank you!
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So grateful for your appreciation!
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🙂
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A tapestry of nature’s wonders–oh, hummingbirds dressed in all their jewels. Are they the same species–male and female or different ones? They mesmerize me.
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Both males, two different types. I obviously agree with you. I simply adore hummingbirds. They have so much personality and are so non-fearful. I swear one day they will land on me!! Thank you so much. Much appreciated~
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Wonderful post!
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Mil grazi Eunice!
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🙂
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Your close-ups are phenomenal! 🙂
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Oh so glad you think so!!
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Astounding pics 🙂
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Mil grazi~
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as always your photos are beautiful…but the first one,the white flower is absolutely stunning!!!
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I have a soft spot for Gardenias. The one I photographed is here on my desk. Making the whole room smell divine. Wonderful flowers~
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Superb compositions; amazing clarity. Is the first picture a Gardenia flower?
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“God, when you patterned a bird song,
Flung on a silver string,
How did you know the ecstasy
That crystal call would bring?
How did you think of a bubbling throat
And a darling speckled wing?”
Excerpt from “God the Artist” by Angela Morgan
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Yes it is Russel! Oh I love it when you do this. You really ought to be supplying the poetry for my photos. You do it so beautifully. I hope you saw your reblog. You are brilliant my friend~
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I did see the reblog, Cindy. I am deeply honoured and I feel very humbled. You have brought many readers to my site. Thank you. Some of them will hopefully return to read and then share my poetry.
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Wonderful! This makes me very happy~
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Great pictures & quotes!
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Very kind of you Bette as usual!
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God’s creatures are so pure and represent the good in the world.
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I agree! I hope you and your hubby are doing well…..
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Hey, Cuz,
Today I was greeted by a hummer at the new house. Metallic green, ruby throat, white underside…, absolutely beautiful. Had to hurry to get my hummer feeder out. Your pics are, as always, beautiful.
Paul
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Oh good!! Can’t wait to read your poems and see some shots. Hang it above the bird bath????
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Cindy your efforts are so beautiful…the humming birds!!! Wow!!!
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I get a little better with the hummingbirds by increments with practice. Everyonce in awhile, I look at them without a zoom lens and get shocked at how small they are. Thank you so much Gary. It is almost a year now since I started my blog and I remember clearly how you supported me in those early days. Cheers to you~
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What a rich visual treat you have offered me here. Thank you!
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So very glad! This is why I blog after all! Thank you~
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Thank you Cindy for a lovely beginning to the week! Your amazing pictures and wisely-selected quotes have prompted me to reread Thoreau under a canopy of sky. 🙂
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Yes I just restarted Walden! All is good if it caused you and I to both reread Thoreau! Thank you~
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The quote from Christopher McCandless is what I think of as my philosophy on life. “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences” Thank you Cindy for that and the beautiful photos.
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Yes indeed! We share this my friend. Christopher was an amazing person. Love of nature, joy of travel and new learning, I suspect these are things that mean a great deal to both you and I. It is almost a year since I started blogging and I met you soon after. I am so grateful to have met you my like-minded friend. Cheers to you and Jack in gorgeous Tassie!
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Have you read the biography of his life? “Into the wild” a film was also made of his life. Such a tragic story.
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Yes I read the bio. I am a serious Jon Krakauer fan (the author) and Chris’s life and story are quite remarkable. He made a hugely powerful impact in a tragically curtailed life. Very sad. But also admirable. Thoreau was a course one of Chris’s role models.
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The film was very well done to portray his life. I found the ending to be so tragic. Certainly a man that lived by his convictions
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The book ending was so hard. His mother woke hearing him cry out in a nighmare right about the time he died. Truly heartbreaking. He was planning to go home, and the river was too fast to cross. Refering to his medicinal plants book, he mistakenly ate poison berries. Would that he had lived~
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Reblogged this on Deo Optimo Maximo and commented:
Thank you Cindy, for an amazing post with absolutely fabulous photographs- as always!
Readers & Followers: It is my great pleasure to re-blog this post, and nominate Cindy, unconditionally, for the prestigious Inner Peace Award, which truly well-earned and well-deserved. Thanks.
The details of this award are at: http://deodatusblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/nominating-top-ten-awesome-bloggers-for-prestigious-inner-peace-award/
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Deo. I am honored and humbled. Your consistent kindess is quite remarkable and deeply appreciated. Thank you my friend!
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Thanks Cindy. It’s my pleasure indeed. Your latest posts are simply superb. The photographs are so beautiful. Are you planning to publish it in a book format (either e-book or hard copy) some time? They are absolutely amazing. Thanks again.
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“Man plans and God laughs.” So no plans. Meeting people like you Deo is the reason I find blogging so rewarding. A thousand thank yous~
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These picture of the butterfly on that gorgeous flowers and the drinking bird…………………….stunning !
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I am so glad you liked them! Thank you and cheers to you~
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you have some gorgeous shot Cindy…I am one of your big fan now 🙂
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How wonderful! Welcome! And thank you for your kind words. They are most appreciated~
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Pingback: Christmas in July | Shainbird
You are remarkable! Here’s to you, my fellow lover of Thoreau~
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You are an inspiration to many…While I have been trying to play catch up I come to your lovely post in this round about way…
http://shainbird.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/christmas-in-july/
I adore the Emerson qoute.
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You know, wordpress bloggers have to be the kindest and most creative people I have spent time with. What a wonderful wordpress world!
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I think you might be able to keep a binder filled with wimsy from your wordpress friends.
When you have visitors you can say;…”While I’m preping dinner perhaps you can enjoy a little armchair travel from blogland.” 🙂
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That would be so great!
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Superb close up detail, and the quote by McCandless reaeaeaeaLLLLy struck a chord.
His name reminds me instantly of a someone without candles, and yet this axiom is full of enlightenment. Great post. Food for the soul great.
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The associations that words trigger with you are fascinating. What a gift~
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Butterflies are a weakness. Yellow and Black. exceptional. Hummingbirds are the butterfly of birds with such beauty but opposite in vibration. Jk
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How perfectly phrased and what lovely observations~
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Great pics, and a wonderful Shakespeare quotation!
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Thank you and he was so remarkable!
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