Dragons, Rocks and Gold

In July me and my family took a trip to Lapland. We stayed in Kuusamo and one day we went down to see the Kiutaköngas rapid in the Oulanka National Park.  The Rapid was so powerful, it was an incredible experience. However, what I was especially drawn to was the rock an the formations in the rocks that the rapid and erosion had formed.I was overwhelmed by this figure that to me looks just like a dragon! With this idea I then I looked at the place with completely different mindset.

On the way there we found these rocks that had golden sparkles on them, and they were incredibly beautiful. These stones were just gravel that had been transported there from elsewhere, but still it felt very magical!

 These three stones in the middle of the rapid felt special to me, the flowing water made beautiful patters around it. 

 In the pictures above I see several faces in the rocks. Some of them are huge, some of them are smaller... but so intriguing! These stones captured my imagination since I saw them, and I am still very curious about this place and its history.

This last picture is a "Hiidenkirnu" or a "Giants Kettle". There was several on the site by the running water, I saw four really close by to where I took all of these pictures. Giants kettle's are formations created during the ice age, they say. I think I will look more in depth into them now... :) 

Saarioisjärvi Forest in August

Below I would like to share with you a poem by Hortensia Pineda. She was inspired to write this beautiful piece after viewing the picture above.... Nature can speak to us in so many ways, it is so incredibly touching and beautiful. Thank you Hortensia, for this shared experience!

My branches reach towards the sun,

My roots attach to Mother Earth,

I AM in transition now,

preparing to support the birth,

A new Earth of love and peace, this is an invitation to join me!

Let us come from a place of pure love, where life is respected,freed, and pure as a dove

I accept you as you are and you accept me , together we will heal our Earth

Together we will sing in joy,

Together we will bring the unconditional love, for every girl and boy.

We will sing the melody of a harmonious choir and our voices will be heard throughout beautiful Gaia. We uplift, heal, and support each other as our new Earth begins its ascension.

It is a joyous occasion,

this time we will not fail,

We know we are each others mirror,

and turning back is to no avail.

So join us on this odyssey,

of freedom, truth and light,

So we can sing together, and together shine bright!

We are each others keeper

So our hearts beat as ONE

There's no more separation,

The battle will and IS won!

 Here are some pictures I took on a little trip to our local nature reserve called Saarioisjärvi. I really love this place and I have been going there since I was a little girl with my dad and my uncle on their bird watching trips. There is a really beautiful path trough the forest to the small lake where all the beautiful birds can be spotted.

Below you can see the pictures I took by the lake. We saw two Western Marsh Harriers (Ruskosuohaukka) and we were able to spot their nest on top of this tree on the other side of the lake as well. There were some crows and other birds disturbing the nest so the birds were chasing one another in the evening sky.

Super Moon August 2014

Here is some of the pictures I took of the Super moon in August 2014. The photos were taken on the 11th August, so it was actually the night after of the actual Super moon, since we had too many clouds the night before. The Moon light was so incredibly beautiful and strong, I was, again completely amazed by it. I can't wait for the next Super Moon on the 8/9th of September!

Super Moon July 11th 2014

Here are some of the pictures I took of the super moon on July 11th 2014. The Moon was mesmerizing! I love the moon light, it is so incredibly beautiful and powerful. The atmosphere that I was able to capture in these pictures is what I love about Finnish summer the most.

European goldfinch

I took a bike ride with my parents last week and we happened to see this little beauty! I have not seen this bird before in my life! It is called Europen goldfinch or goldfinch, Tikli in Finnish. I am sure if I tried to pronounce this name it would come out as European Goldfish...!

We do not have very colorful birds in Finland so seeing a bird this colorful was very striking. (also my dad was a little envious that I happened to have my camera with me and he did not! Since this bird is relatively rare around here...)

I was trying to figure out what seeds the bird was eating, but I did not yet solve that mystery...

Rough-legged buzzard

 Last weekend my dad noticed a hawk flying above my parents house and I of course ran and grabbed my camera. My dad is into bird watching, so with his help its always so much fun to try to recognize the birds we see. I remember going on bird watching trips with him since I was a little girl, so getting more into it now has opened up a whole new world for me.

This bird of prey is called a Rough-legged buzzard or Rough-legged hawk or piekana in Finnish. My dad pointed out that this species should not be in our area in the middle of the summer, they only pass by in the spring or in the autumn, so this one must have just decided to hang around for some reason...

Moss and Gentle Forest Flowers

 

It has been a while since I last posted pictures on my blog. I have been finishing my summer studies for the past couple of weeks in a mad rush!

 Here are some more pictures from the Seitseminen national park where we visited a few weeks back.  What amazes me in the forests is the diversity and the ever changing landscape. You could visit a forest a hundred times and you would still find things you have never seen there before.