In The Balance

This turtle seemed to want to remind us of how precariously we are balanced. It is now our actions that determine the fate of life on this planet.

Some creatures strike a chord in hearts...

...and make us fiercely protective.

Some strike a more humorous note.

Some more common creatures we take for granted and generally just ignore them. Can you guess what bird this is?

If we stop and pay attention we see that even the common creatures can have moments of beauty and elegance. Life is beauty. I would guess that ninety five percent of art attempts to reflect the beauty of life.

The last two photos were a Canada Goose and an American Coot. Honestly, I seldom take a second look at either one. But when the sun came out on Monday both birds took the opportunity to preen a bit and they each had some moments.

As the coot stretched not only was it elegantly balanced...

...but you could also see that its foot is lobed instead of webbed.

Here are a couple more shots of the coot.

But it is was the Canada Geese that were truly the "Bathing Beauties".

Twisting and turning they churned up the water. 

They even turned themselves upside down (or downside up) while attempting to clean all the right spots.

(This photo provides an easy view of how a webbed foot is different from the lobbed foot of the coot.)

While the splashing and thrashing was fun it was actually the drying of the wings that showed off the majesty of the Canada Geese..

This goose looks a bit like it is conducting a symphony, don't you think?

Particularly in the dark days of November appreciating the beauty of life should help inspire us to protect and nurture. Someday our children will thank us for the life and beauty we save.

Larry

PS: My friend Laurence took some interesting goose photos while in Kauai. If you would like to compare the Canada Goose to the Hawaiian Nene, Click Here.