French Door Details

Keep knocking and the joy inside will eventually open a window and look out to see who’s there. ~Rumi


I am fascinated with the beautiful doors and windows of southern France, this series is focused on the door hardware. I can just imagine the many hands that have touched these knockers and handles over the hundreds of years.

In French a door knocker is “les heurtoirs.” The first knockers were small hammers hanging outside the closed front door. A visitor would use the hammer and bang it against the door. 

The hand door knocker is either in cast iron or brass, painted or unpainted, each one holding a ball, this design might have come from the Middle East. There are two legends about the “five fingers and hand.” One is that it represents the hand of Fatima (daughter of the Prophet Muhammad), and is an Islamic symbol to ward off the “evil eye.” It is believed by some she had anti-evil magical powers. The Jewish legend on this is that the hand of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, who also has anti-evil powers. Both legends regard the hand and five fingers to have powers to “keep evil away.”

All of the following images were captured with the iPhone 5. The camera you have with you is always the best camera. Please enjoy!

les heurtoirs, door knocker

les heurtoirs, door knocker

les heurtoirs, door knocker - this is also the door handle - lift and turn sideways it will unlatch the door bolt

les heurtoirs, door knocker

les heurtoirs, door knocker, "The Hand of Fatima"

les heurtoirs, door knocker, "The Hand of Fatima"

les heurtoirs, door knocker, "The Hand of Fatima"

les heurtoirs, door knocker, "The Hand of Fatima"

les heurtoirs, door knocker, "The Hand of Fatima"

les heurtoirs, door knocker

Door locks and knocker

Door locks and knocker

les heurtoirs, door knocker

 

Door locks and knocker

Serpent Door Knocker

les heurtoirs, ornate door knocker

Swan door knocker

Serpent Swallowing its Tail and Lion door knocker

Photography by Terry Rowe. 

Your visit & comments are appreciated. 

You can see my art work or photographs at www.terryrowe.photography, any photographs in my blog are also available for purchase.

A French Interlude

I returned to France this September. I stayed in the small but lovely village of Durfort in southern France in a house called La Cascade - named for the waterfall just across the river from the back garden.

Durfort is located between Revel and Sorèze. It borders the shores of the Sor river, which leads to Montagne Noir (the Black Mountain). It is nicknamed Cité du Cuivre (the copper city), for the prosperous copper artisan trade that exists there, in addition to artisan trades in leather, glass, basket-making and jewelry.

Durfort is home to Musée du Cuivre (the copper museum), established in 1986, to document five centuries of the local copper craft.

Following is a small assortment of photographs from my trip - all of these were taken with the iPhone 5. The camera you have with you is always the best camera.

Toulouse

Revel, Market Square

Revel, Market Square

Window sign, pastry shop

Window sign, pastry shop

Cafe, Montolieu, the Book Village

Montolieu, the Book Village

Radishes, Revel Farmer's Market

Garlic bouquet, Revel, Farmer's Market

Bread for sale, Revel, Farmer's Market

Durfort

La Cascade, Durfort

Durfort

Waterfall, La Cascade

The spirit of La Cascade

Photography by Terry Rowe. 

Your visit & comments are appreciated.

You can see my art work or photographs at www.terryrowe.photography, any photographs in my blog are available for purchase.

Santa Fe Impressions

My soul needs to breathe the air of my heart, so a visit to New Mexico is required. There is much to love here, and as I roam a small part of the state I am reminded of what love is, how it transforms even as it burns away the unimportant, leaving the raw essence of what matters.

A short visit yields photographic impressions, shared here with you, there will be more to follow.

Santa Fe Garden

It may be a requirement to grow sunflowers in New Mexico.

Hollyhocks

Pretty in pink

Purple thistle and a red door

Door, house for lease

Garden gate

Street door leading to the garden and the house

Shutter details

 Shutters as wall art





Photography & prose by Terry Rowe. 

Your visit & comments are appreciated.

You can see my art work or photographs at www.terryrowe.photography, any photographs in my blog are available for purchase.

If Only I Had Known

If only I had known that day

was the last day

with you.

 

I would have paid

more attention.

 

I would have kissed

you longer.

 

Held you closer.

 

And I would 

have never

ever

let you go.

 

 

Photography & prose by Terry Rowe. 

Your visit & comments are appreciated.

You can see my art work or photographs at www.terryrowe.photography, any photographs in my blog are available for purchase.

 

Have Courage

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” ~Anais Nin

She stood alone, watching the clouds move across the sky,

Glorying in the feel of the wind in her hair, the sun on her face.

A trio of ravens flew by, their ink darkness, a contrasting punctuation in the light.



The path beyond the gate stretched ahead of her, calling her to explore.

A breath, almost a sigh, blew past her lips.

Words and thoughts crowding into her throat and stuck by the lack of someone to speak the words to.

Live a life dictated and confined by your fears and you will find you have a life that is small in scope, lacking in joy. It may be a fine life, it may even be satisfying, but it will not be large.

Our time on earth is so short, barely a moment – that to spend it locked into a small box with our fears seems to be such a sad waste.

Sometimes we must do the hardest thing, defy the rules, break the bonds of our tribe to find joy and happiness, to live the fullest life. 



Your visit & comments are appreciated.

Photography & prose by Terry Rowe.

You can see my art work or photographs at www.terryrowe.photography, any photographs in my bog are available for purchase.

A Watery World (Lilypons Water Gardens)

Lilypons Water Gardens History

In 1917 G. Leicester Thomas, Sr., a Frederick county landowner and entrepreneur, turned his goldfish and waterlily hobby into a business, Three Springs Fisheries. The business successful and in 1925 Leicester expanded and purchased the current 250-acre tract of land that is Lilypons Water Gardens.

Five years later, the first Three Springs Fisheries catalog was mailed with great success. By 1935, the U.S. Postal Service decided that a post office must be established to handle the mail order parcels...and the post office needed a name.

Leicester's favorite operatic diva, Lily Pons, was then at the height of her career. So a place full of lily ponds was named after Lily Pons, the graceful opera star. Lily's publicity staff agreed, but the U.S. Postal Services wanted one word-thus Lilypons, Maryland became the new post office. On June 20, 1936, the post office was dedicated to Lily Pons. Miss Pons was present for the event, which was celebrated with much pomp and circumstance.

In 1978, Charles B. Thomas, as president, changed the name of the company to Lilypons Water Gardens, reflecting a focus on water gardening. In 1997, Charles' four daughters became the fourth generation of Thomas' to own Lilypons Water Gardens. Margaret Thomas Koogle, Charles' oldest daughter presides as president, continuing Lilypons' mission to be the source for water gardening.
~Source: http://www.lilypons.com/history


The lotus flower grows in muddy water, rising and blooming above the murk to achieve to beauty, symbolizing enlightenment.

Lotus Bud. The stage of growth the lotus flower is in represents a different stage of enlightenment. A closed lotus flower represents the time before enlightenment.

 Lotus flower, fully open. A lotus flower fully bloomed and open represents full enlightenment and self-awareness.

Photographs by Terry Rowe.

Your visit and comments are appreciated.

You can see my art work or photographs at www.terryrowe.photography, any photographs in my bog are available for purchase.

Two Prayers for Sunday

Divine Beloved. Please change me into someone who trusts
that the best outcome to this situation is already chosen. 

Change me into someone who relaxes and lets go.

 

 

Change me, Divine Beloved, into One who wishes to genuinely
let You take the lead. 

Let me know true surrender, openness, and acceptance. 

Take over my actions, so I know when to act, and when to pause.

 

Prayers courtesy of Tosha Silver, from the book "Change Me Prayers." Photograph, "God's Light," by Terry Rowe.

Your visit and comments are appreciated.

You can see my art work or photographs at www.terryrowe.photography, any photographs in my bog are available for purchase.

Reality

 

The roses are spent, the petals dry and brittle. 

 

Even so, I keep them. 

 

Roses may die, but feelings and dreams do not. The roses are a reminder of beauty that was, a dream still wished for.

 

The cost of not following your heart, is spending the rest of your life wishing you had.

Your visit and comments are appreciated.

You can see my art work or photographs at www.terryrowe.photography, any photographs in my bog are available for purchase.

Make a Wish

Make a wish,

Whisper it to the wind,

Dare to dream.

When I was a child one of my friends told me that if I wished really hard, and blew the seeds off a dandelion, that those seeds would carry my wish to faeries who would work very hard to make my wish come true.

Make a wish,

Breathe your heart's desire to a thousand faery wings.

I have to confess that I still, all grown-up and seemingly learned, make wishes, and still blow those dandelion seeds into the wind.

Make a wish,

Send it flying,

Twirling with your breath into the blue beyond.

Most wishes eventually come true, the ones that haven't come true just haven't come true yet. The Universe doesn't always deliver on demand.


I do believe, still believe, that wishes can come true. And sometimes, that belief, is big enough for me to rise up and face another day when nothing seems to quite be going my way.

What do you wish for?





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You can see my art work or photographs at www.terryrowe.photography. I hope you will consider acquiring one of my photographs for your personal enjoyment or as a gift. 

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Your visit and comments are appreciated.