I was not aware of this celebration until I played Spark, a phone app I recently downloaded. It is a series of little games related to a daily theme. Today was dedicated to World Photography Day. This unofficial global event originated in India in the 20th century as mostly in-person events. The Internet helped it spread and eventually settled in as an annual event. The holiday recognizes the invention of the daguerreotype by Louis Daguerre in 1837. This process was the genesis of photography. The French government gifted the process to the world for free on August 19th, 1839.
Choosing a favorite photograph is a challenge so I decided to browse my Flickr photo stream and choose the first one that spoke to me. This photograph depicts the James River Footbridge near Snowden, Virginia. It is part of the Appalachian Trail. We visited in October 2025.
Once upon a time, in Williamsburg, Virginia, there was an attraction called Presidents Park. It featured 15 foot busts of the Presidents of the United States along with interpretive signs and, I’m sure, a gift shop. It only lasted for six years before going bankrupt. The land eventually sold, the sculptures had to be demolished, but the owner of the demolition company couldn’t do it so he moved them to his property on the other side of town. The Presidents Heads have been there for more than a decade, with nature taking its toll. The property is open a few times a years for visitors and may itself soon be sold. So, when I saw tickets available, I jumped at the chance to get access to this very unusual attraction. I had never visited the original attraction.
The tour guide shared lots of information and stories, but the real fun was wandering amongst these decaying colossi.
I am participating in Blaugust 2026 and determined to post every day even if it is past my bedtime.
I spend a good part of most days in my studio making some kind of art or craft. For the past few days, I have been working on a flip book. When I start a project, my workspace is open and clean, but over time, the materials and tools related to the project begin to pile up. I call it productive chaos because I generally know where everything: there really is some method to the madness. I have been working in the studio for several years now and each time I do a reorganization, I get more organized. Tools I use regularly are within arms’ reach; current paper choices get stacked nearby.
This book is mostly done so the papers and tools have been tucked away once again. I just have to decide what to add to the back. Then I plan to do a video walkthrough, something I have not attempted before. All thanks to Blaugust 2026!
You probably know Beatrix Potter from her children’s books that feature animals such as The Tales of Peter Rabbit. But, Potter had many other interests and talents including gardening. I was thoroughly entranced by Linda Lear‘s biography of Potter. While obviously having affection for this extraordinary woman, Lear wasn’t above describing her occasional rudeness or imperiousness. She also deftly connects the three periods of Potter’s life: her work in natural science, her work as a writer, and, finally, her work as a farmer and conservationist. Throughout it all, she found Potter found inspiration and personal peace in the country, amongst the animals and their keepers. Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature is a wonderful tribute to this amazing woman.
I followed up with Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life by Marta McDowell. The first half of the book provides biographical detail related to Potter’s purchase of Hill Top Farm and other properties in the Lake District along with her preservation work. The second half moves into the garden and the life of its caretaker as we move through the circle of seasons. I was reading the book in October when I had just finished covering my mop head hydrangeas in hopes of blooms next year and felt an instant connection to Potter, a kindred spirit who loved nothing better than gardening and reading and wasn’t concerned about a solitary life in the country.
Even in the winter, Potter found beauty and satisfaction in the natural world around her. She encourages a young protegee to take time to look at the trees in the winter when we are able to see their underlying structure, how the trunk and branches interact to shape the tree. She writes:
We can tell every tree in winter without reference to foliage by its mode of growth. So study them in some spare moments…they will repay–they are in the right place as beautiful as rocks. They have a nobility of growth which is usually entirely overlooked (p. 154).
Since some of the trees in my front yard keep their leaves, it can, as Potter suggests, be easy to overlook those who spend the season with bare branches stretching skyward, casting shadows in the winter sunset.
