Camperduin, where I made lots of my sand photos

Camperduin is a small beach resort on the coast of the North Sea. It is a very special place because on the left side there are dunes and wide sand beaches, and on the right side there is a very wide asphalt dike, going for miles and miles to the north. Between the asphalt and the sea lay big black basalt stones for extra protection. Many many men have worked on it, and it gives a spectacular view. This photo which I made in 2003, gives you an impression of the atmosphere.

An angel for every time of the day

Austrian-born Brother David Steindl-Rast, O.S.B., is a senior member of Mount Savior Benedictine monastery in New York State. After years of monastic training, Brother David was sent by his abbot to participate in Buddhist-Christian dialogue. Together with Thomas Merton, Brother David contributed to the renewal of religious life, especially through the House of Prayer movement. Brother David is the author of A Listening Heart, Gratefulness, and Belonging to the Universe, which he co-wrote with Fritjof Capra. At present, Brother David is concentrating his efforts on a truly wonderful interactive website, www.gratefulness.org. (Visit and light a candle.) Henry Stark, a frequent contributor to SACRED JOURNEY recently interviewed Brother David about his most recent book, Music of Silence: A Sacred Journey through the Hours of the Day, co-written with Sharon Lebell.

In the monastic tradition every day unfolds during eight "hours" or public services of prayer and chanting. "Vigils," the early morning hour is when mystery and darkness reign. "Lauds" acknowledges the coming of the light. "Prime" is the time to deliberately take up the day's labors. "Terce" is a short mid-morning break where spiritual blessings provide the energy to reawaken. "Sext" is in the middle of everything when the sun is at its peak and life is often frenzied. This is the moment to think about peace and offer service to another. "None" acknowledges the lengthening shadows and fading of the day. "Vespers" celebrates the lighting of the lamps as darkness descends and the contradictions of the day are examined, reconciled, and replaced with serenity. "Compline" brings completion to the day. This final prayer for the day begins, "A peaceful night and perfect end grant us. " Thus, the circle of each day is drawn.

Flowing

This is a text from my heart, and there are also fine small photos of water to be seen.

Click here to see what shape the moon is in

Very nice (and simple!) tool to see what the moon looks like on a certain date. As we say in Dutch: A child can do the laundry!

My blog in Poland

This blog is also found in Poland now, thanks to my link of the recipe site in Polish, with a steak on it, which is 'stek' in Polish, just like my last name. Since Poland is one of the 10 new countries of Europe, it does seem appropriate and I welcome our Polish friends, especially the ones that are interested in artphotography.

It is interesting though that my last name means 'steak' in Polish. It reminds me of a poem I wrote (again!!! something is triggering my memory tonight!) many many years ago. I wrote it in Dutch and it went like this:

Ik ben een sinaasappel...
Pel m'n schil
Oranje met gaatjes
Trek me open
Proef m'n sappen
en kauw m'n vlees fijn.

Translation:

I am an orange
Peel me off
Orange with little holes
Tear me open
Taste my juices
and chew my flesh.

It would be quite easy to replace the orange with a steak, the only thing that would seem strange, would be the orange part with the little holes. You would really wonder whether the steak was still up to date, but for the rest...

Well, anyway... Who knows what other poems will come along memory lane these days... Just wait and see...

See the full moon

I see the full moon
peeping through my upper little window
a bright light spot without my contacts in
I just woke up, it's 3 am
and I think about you
far away overseas
at least you're seeing the same moon as I do


I wrote this poem a couple of years ago and thought about it again when I posted the site about the eclipse of the moon.

Various images of the eclipse

Yesterday was a full moon and a lunar eclipse, but there were too many clouds here in Alkmaar, we couldn't see any moon at all. Luckily in other parts of the world people made beautiful photographs. Just click on the title above and you will see them.