Trails: Water Vapor or Chemicals?

                                  March morning (2026) the sky above me 

                                       crisscrossed with trails. 

                              Everyone (it seems) has an opinion.

                                               Sometimes the photographer's job 

                                                     is to just capture an  image.

 

HUMANITY BEFORE WAR & POLITICS

 (Thank you to Fred B. for sharing the following with me.)

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, 

every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft

from those who hunger and are not fed, those who

are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms

is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat

of its scientists, the hopes of its children . . ."

                                                        -Dwight Eisenhower, 1953

Patroness of the Americas

We celebrate the mother of Jesus on December 12th.

Five hundred years ago in 1531 

Our Lady of Guadalupe  appeared to Saint Juan Diego. 

The account is a fascinating story and worthy of your time--even if you are not a Christian/Catholic.

The cloak with this image has survived. 

                   It can be viewed at the Basilica in Mexico City.

                                                                            

 

HBAC And The Art Of Poetry

On Tuesday night (Dec. 9th) "Bright as Life: Southern California Poets" opened at the Huntington Beach Art Center. Nineteen poems were chosen by OC Poet Laureate Gustave Hernandez. 

Gustave Hernandez welcoming many poets who had come 

to the Open Mic portion of the evening.

Yours truly is honored and humbled to be included in this show.

The Art of The Written Word . . .
Alive and Growing

Pick up your pen and begin.

Words do matter.

 

Somewhere Out There - Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram(with lyrics)

Little Normal Days . . .

 can become extraordinary with just a touch from nature.

A peanut worth of time 

can give us a smile for the entire day.

And a few words from Dylan Thomas

(the Welsh poet born on this day in 1914).

Love is the last light spoken. Oh

Count my blessings aloud

From my collection of cento poems: 

Putting Words Next To Silence

. . . and before this day ends sweet birthday greetings 

     to Linda in Montreal, Canada.

A GIFT BASKET OF FRIENDS . . .

                                    For All Of You Who Share With Me

                                            Your OCTOBER Birthday:

                                                   Fred C. -- Oct. 2

                                                   Zachary H. -- Oct. 3

                                                   Nick D. -- Oct. 10

                                                   Judith K. -- Oct. 12

                                                   Jackie C. -- Oct. 12

                                                   Mike M. -- Oct. 15

                                                   Teresa G. -- Oct. 21

                                                   Dave F. -- Oct. 24

                                                   Brooke D. -- Oct. 29

                                                   Susan S. -- Oct. 30

             

                            Wherever you are remember:

                              The first person to celebrate

                              your Birth Day should be YOU!

                                             

                              Always With Love & Peace

       

                                                                                                                         

AIRPORTS: CONVERSATION, CLOUDS

 . . . NO 

                                          Just returned from an adventure into 

                                  what airports and plane travel feel like in 2025. 

                                                   

                                                                     Meet Chrissy

                        This beautiful Golden Retriever is commonly known as 

                                                                  Therapy Dog.

                              She and her trainer/volunteer from OC Animal Allies

                               help bring a smile and calm to children and adults

                               who may be anxious about flying on a plane 

                                with over 100 strangers . . .  I use the word strangers

                                       because after hours of travel, it's very likely 

                                  that person next to you will still be someone who 

                                    has not shared one word of conversation with you.

                                                                        WHY?

                                             They have headphones or earbuds on 

                                               with a laptop or cell phone in their lap --

                                                             they never heard your 

                                                 greetings or few words of small talk.

                                       I really don't believe that these people intend to be rude. 

                                                       The new norm has been set and this is it.

                                                                        

How about Clouds as companions?

They talk to us as they change every few minutes;

however, in a plane we won't see them

because we are asked (kindly) 

to keep the windows down.

Perhaps I am the only person who misses

the idea of meeting others on the journey.

       I welcome your thoughts💁

Safe travels.

                                                            

                                                                    

Decisions, decisions?

Kathleen Gunton 

August 2025

Those of you who post anything on the Internet know

becoming a digital citizen can be complicated:

Maybe you just want to share and receive comment;

Maybe you just need to get your work out there.

As a writer/photographer I am being asked

more and more by editors to name 

the platforms I am on?

So today, I am doing a bit of updating . . .

(This is not the face that launched a thousand ships)

I have been working in literary waters

for over thirty years now--

and hope to continue.

May every person who

takes that brave step into

the world of creativity know 

there is a reason:

you were called!

Enjoy!

"Hope always catches us by surprise.

                                     -Anne Lamott

   

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD . . .

. . .  and this passenger/photographer is so grateful for the generous driver.

 Camera is clicking. So much to try and capture in the San Jacinto Mts.

 Oh, did I mention--car was moving at normal speed for all photos except

 the chipmunk (who scampered along at his own speed).

                        

  

                                

                                           At 3,000 feet overlooking Riverside, CA

        

                                                            

                                     May you be blessed

                                              with a driver who knows you

                                                        and the road you are traveling.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY!

 To HFL:

  May you enjoy the rewards that a life of dedication brings.

  I am forever grateful.

  

National Photography Day -- August 19th

 To all who carry a camera and believe in the power and joy

of taking/making photos--

especially on National Photography Day--

Happy review of all your captured images!

This photographer spent two amazing early hours with a congregation of egrets. 

Daily I am rewarded on the path along Santiago creek

near my home--but never so many birds at one time. 

 

                              

   

Recalling the advice of poet Rainer Maria Rilke:

. . . attach yourself to Nature, the simple and small . . .        (Letters, 1903)

GLORIA (R.I.P.)

       My Dear Sister Gloria,

       Gone from our world--two years now--we speak love to you and about you.

       Remembering with grateful hearts your generosity in all ways. 

       Your journey is ended; our journey continues.

       Love and Peace from all your family & friends.

            

                                                  

Remembering the Veteran

                                   With Love

Jane Kenyon

            As promised a little moment from my cento collection:  

 

                 The poet Jane Kenyon was born on this day in 1947. 

                                     She died of leukemia in 1995.

                           Her beloved husband was Donald Hall

                                                              

                                                             

                                            Beautiful Poet

                                                                           Rest in Peace

                                                

                     

                           

Book Of Cento Poems--Gunton

              

          Putting Words Next To Silence

          Dear Friends,

          With joy and gratitude I share with you the publication

           of my collection of cento poems by SpecialBooks.com

           Royalties from this book will go to The Eudist Servants

           of the 11th Hour (an Order of Religious Women) founded

           by Mother Antonia Brenner--known lovingly as the "Prison

           Angel." 

           

                                        

                I look forward to sharing more about this book with you, especially as we

              continue to celebrate National Poetry Month. 

                     I hope you will take a minute to check out the publisher's website.

                                      Blessings as we move into Holy Week.

Begin Again . . .with "A Prayer"

 Dear Friends, 

 Because of my absence from this space for so long, I thought

 it might be nice to put a song in your heart. Here is one that

 never fails to move me. 

 https://youtu.be/DbviXG_56ss

And during these April Days of Poetry--

may we find the right words 

to express our sadness and hope for the world around us. 

 

MARVIN BELL (Poet)

                                      

                               Marvin Bell was born August 3, 1937. 

                       He died in 2020 after publishing over 20 books.

                      The first Poet Laureate of Iowa gave me a cento 

                                            through lines appearing

                                              in his 1984 collection: 

 Drawn by Stones, by Earth, by Things that Have Been in the Fire.

(Antheneum, New York)

        The Literary journal Vita Poetica recently published my Marvin Bell poem

                               "Putting Words Next to Silence."

                    You may read/listen to this cento poem at 

          https://www.vitapoetica.org/poetry/putting-words-next-to-silence

                                    (With thanks to all at Vita Poetica.)  

        "Being a grownup means knowing that things end."

                                                                                                               -Marvin Bell

                                                                (2018 Interview The Rumpus)

                                                  

E. B. White

 On this day in 1899  E. B. White was born.

In a letter to the poet Philip Booth, Mr. White said that a good poem is

like an anchovy: it makes you want another right away and pretty soon

the tin is empty and you have a bellyache or a small bone caught in your

throat or both.

Makes me smile! (and if you're a poet) you wish you might be as true 

and clever and original as Mr. White.

        Now why place an Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) right in the middle
       of good stuff about E. B. White. Well, our sidewalks are leaning with
       an abundance of these flowers  and one can hardly get by without
       knocking the neck out of them. And I have another little story about
       our New Yorker essayist, which has to do with sidewalks and a comment
       from one of his friends.

               I trust that you will spare the reading public 

          your little adventures in sidewalk contentment. 

       With deep gratitude to E.B. White for all his stories.

         

                                             

Missed moments

On this special day . . . 

             I greet you once again with an image and a thought. 

                                   Do you see what I see?

Last night I captured this moment in a firework display. When it

came out of the camera, I saw our flag. I'm wondering if any of

my neighbors saw it for that instant in the sky. 

How many of us miss "moments" because we are looking for the

next big event in our life?

Blessings of Liberty and Justice 

                   for All 

     on this day of celebration!