Whenever I do these photo challenges I always look to my favorite subject. Nature. I can find magic every single day I step outside and look around. Sometimes, even in my house. The butterflies and…
Source: The Magic of Nature
Author: hummingsfromparadise
I am an American who moved to Colombia to find peace after the devastating loss of my daughter. I bought and renovated a Villa, am learning Spanish, and writing as catharsis. This blog will be like a book with chapters. Each blog will be about my life in Colombia and my adventures. I hope you will enjoy the many new discoveries I am making every day about myself and another culture.
The Magic of Nature
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/magic/
Whenever I do these photo challenges I always look to my favorite subject. Nature. I can find magic every single day I step outside and look around. Sometimes, even in my house. The butterflies and hummingbirds have free rein in my house. In Colombia we leave our doors open in the main areas off the balconies. They enter sometimes, and I rescue them. The cover photo is the Owl Butterfly of Colombia on a wall in my kitchen. This video shows the encounter which was magical. Colombia has a slogan Magical Realism. The photos I am sharing will show this to be true. It is magical to live in this beauty.
A full moon over the mountains is enchanting no matter where you live. But there is something mystical about this picture that is a bit eerie in a good way.
Finally this photo of me on a trip to Bogotá is spiritual in a way that brings to mind otherworldly images. It was taken without any filters, nor did I use any photo shop. It just is one of those photos that when you go through your images you do a double take.
Abandoned Chaos
I visited this old abandoned school here in Palmira, Colombia one day with my friend. He went to this school from elementary through middle school. This was a very long time ago and the school is n…
Source: Abandoned Chaos
Abandoned Chaos
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/chaos/
I visited this old abandoned school here in Palmira, Colombia one day with my friend. He went to this school from elementary through middle school. This was a very long time ago and the school is now just a storage place for whomever owns the property. The chaos has a certain beauty.
We were driving by one day and he pulled over and said “this was my old school before I moved to the United States, let’s see if we can get inside”. In the foyer the first thing I saw was this street dog and bike. The floor was tasteful in the way one might like with antiques. Old style but still pleasing to the eye. The walls chipped and peeling. I was intrigued. I took a bunch of photos as we wandered the abandoned property. It was eerie in a way that can only be shown through photos.
We walked out through the archways to what was once the physical education area.
After we wandered the outside we went to check out my friend’s old classroom. It was spooky in the way only abandoned buildings can be. I felt I was on a movie set for a thriller.
Finally we reach the classroom my friend remembers as his last year at this school.
To think that once a very long time ago this was a school thriving with children and happiness. Now just an old building filled with clutter and debris.
The Color of Colombia
I often say there is no other country as colorful as Colombia. I am an amateur photographer with a desire to photograph all that is colorful in my newly adopted place of living. As an expat in a co…
Source: The Color of Colombia
The Color of Colombia
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/discover-challenges/flaneur/
I often say there is no other country as colorful as Colombia. I am an amateur photographer with a desire to photograph all that is colorful in my newly adopted place of living. As an expat in a country that is full of joy and happiness I try to capture real life here in Colombia. I am a casual observer of all that is around me, camera ready always. Colombian people are found to be the happiest people in world online polls. I think you will see why in my series of photographs. Colombia was just named number two by Lonely Planet as one of the places to visit in 2017. Enjoy my photos, there are so many it was hard to choose them for this blog. Let me know what you think of my choices. Enjoy and come visit Colombia. A wonderful country full of culture and vibrancy. A country known for a dark past that it has overcome. A country of great history. A country I now call home.
The above images and the main cover were taken while watching a parade of horses ridden by their owners in Buga, Colombia. These parades can be found almost any weekend in most cities of Colombia. The horses are Paso Fino and very well-trained. The fun includes drinking aquardiente the Colombian drink done as a shot.
The Colombian pueblos are full of life and action. The area of Buenaventura, Colombia in the Valle del Cauca is a coastal seaport city. This is where the ships bring packages and cargo that are sent from other countries. The bustling life of this area is fascinating. Then there are areas that are far from the coastal town deep in the jungle.
The beauty of the Pacific coast of Colombia. Colombia has two coasts the Atlantic and the Pacific. I try to capture the subsistence of regular life in Colombia in my photos.
Reality is present in all of my photos. I am showing all of my blog followers how I live. It is always the present, I capture the essence of Colombia. I show how you can just buy fruit from a stand on the side of the street. I show how it is presented. How multicolored Colombia is. No matter where you visit. You will find such beauty. I always say Colombia is eye candy to those that enjoy life in the purest form.
Cali, Colombia is full of Salsa dancers. I was wandering the area of San Antonio barrio when I caught these photos on film. I always pinch myself when I enjoy a special moment in time. This was one of those times.
If you want to consider Colombia as a vacation, I have a Bed and Breakfast in the Valle del Cauca department. Consider staying with me at Villa Migelita.
The Brilliance of Nature
My cover image is an iguana that looks like it is an extension of a leaf from a plant. I believe it personifies how easily the light can change the way we see things. I only saw this iguana because…
Source: The Brilliance of Nature
The Brilliance of Nature
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/shine/
My cover image is an iguana that looks like it is an extension of a leaf from a plant. I believe it personifies how easily the light can change the way we see things. I only saw this iguana because my dog was barking. I went to look and there was this beautiful iguana.
When I hike the butterflies are everywhere. Sometimes you can miss them because they blend in with the nature around them.
A tree stump with the beautiful Blue Tanager of Colombia. The sun was setting and the flowers of Colombia are so brilliant, I could easily think this gorgeous bird was a bloom of a plant.
Then there are the actual flowers on my farm and bed and breakfast Villa Migelita. The way they grow so beautifully reaching towards the sun.
This photo of my dog Orion stretching is wonderful, you might focus on him and miss the landscape that is in the background, highlighted by the late afternoon sun.
Finally as the sun goes down at Villa Migelita itshines upon the ducklings, you have to look carefully or you could miss them in this picture of activity.
Local in Colombia, South America
All things local in my small pueblo involve nature, animals and sometimes a great party. When the two are combined it makes for a wonderful evening. Recently I went to a party at a farm in P…
Source: Local in Colombia, South America
Local in Colombia, South America
All things local in my small pueblo involve nature, animals and sometimes a great party. When the two are combined it makes for a wonderful evening. Recently I went to a party at a farm in Palmira, Valle del Cauca. It was a regular farm, nothing special. Kind of run down, but the people who attended were fabulous. The cows were there right where we were dancing. There was an improvised bar, and a lot of lovely local people having a private night out without restraint. My friend’s husband was singing, while guests were doing shots of aquardiente (the famous and very popular drink of Colombia) and whisky. I did a bit of drinking myself, because it is what you do at a fiesta in Colombia. I really had a wonderful time.
Then I took a bit of a rest with Monica, her husband is one of the best singers I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. I didn’t have a camera with me, these photos are all from her phone. They might not be the best quality, but they show the spirit of a local evening in Colombia. I always say I will remember times like these when I am 80 years old, while looking back at my life.
With that I tip my hat to a wonderful evening with friends.
