Swimming ScallopBay Scallop. Gulf of Mexico

The Swimming Scallop (above) is part of a new exhibit called "Life at the Limits" now showing at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.   I am of course deeply honored to have my photo in one of New York's most outstanding museums.   The special exhibit will be in NY until January 2016, after which it will go on world tour.  If you happen to be in New York in the coming months, I hope you have a chance to see it.  It is very cool. The scallop in the exhibit is about amazing eyes (of which the scallop has 100!) 

Exhibit_for_blog

Starting with those beautiful blue-eyed bay scallops, I've pulled out my photos of other faces whose lovely eyes are worth a deep look into.

Blue EyesBay Scallop. Gulf of Mexico

For those of us blessed with eyesight, our perception of our world is based largely on what we see. Think about it:  all the raw data that enter our eyes are simply shapes of lightness and darkness and color.  With that data, our minds create the world as we know it. Our other senses corroborate and flesh out what we see, but all together the sound, taste, touch, and smell account for only about a tenth of what we interpret as "the world".  In one sense, these "sensory doors" are our only "connections" to all that lies beyond our bodies, and yet, as each of us is a small cog in this grand universe, we are intricately connected with everything and everyone - one magnificent tapestry.  

So, at least for these moments -- while browsing my photos, and experiencing the feelings and stories they evoke -- consider your own mind's eye with wonder and gratitude, and our interconnectedness with these creatures, each other, and beyond.

Bald Eagle Portrait Monkey Man Oak SnakeAKA, Gray Rat Snake. Very camouflaged, and by holding very still (Yay!), figured I couldn't see him/her. Yelloweye SnapperJust caught. Waving Mantis Burrowing Owl Eyes Octopus Aswim Icelandic Sheep Portrait Young Denizen 2 Great Egret Chick Manatee Profile Box TurtleWakulla Co. FL BeachedAll my life, I've loved beachcombing to see the interesting flotsam deposited ashore by the sea. As a kid, I hauled stuff home to add to my "collection". Now I look for compositions and take home only photographs. Well, mostly. Ocellated FrogfishA homely looking face, but look at that star-of-an-eye. Gull Face Florida PantherMale panther stalking ME! ...behind a fence. (captive) Floating Eyes BurrfishAlso known as Spiny Boxfish. Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, FL Hoverflyaka Detective Bee, this fly hovers mid-air. Wakulla Co, FL Great Egret PortraitSometimes at fish-cleaning docks, one can get really close to wild birds. Barn Owlet Lookin Atcha Four-eyed Butterflyfish Bobkitty End of the RoadA tiny Fakahatchee treesnail reaches to tip of the stick. Black VultureWith stomachs of iron, vultures make up the cleanup crews that help prevent the spread of disease from carrion. Rattlesnake FaceDiamondback Rattlesnake Portrait Reddish Egret Circle of Life RealitiesThe old loggerhead must have lived a pretty full life (given its size and the barnacles on its head), especially compared to the vast majority of baby sea turtles who find themselves in the bellies of a whole host of predators within their first year. Hood Spider & the Golden EggI spied this enormous spider with her egg case on the hood of the car in my driveway and knew I had to drop everything and make a photo.Fishing Spider, Dolomedes sp. Great Horned Owl Giant Hermit CrabBelize Hornbill Makeup Master of DisguiseBelize. Scorpionfish. Pelican Portrait 2 Key DeerBig Pine Key, FL Scarlet Kingsnake Head On FisheyeLichens on stone are among the myriad of Mother Nature's amazing paintbrushes. Ghost Crab ReflectingMashes Sands, FL Smiling GatorAmerican Alligator portrait in Fakahatchee Strand. Red Fox Kit Baby HumpbackYoung and playful, this humpback whale calf came close enough to us to kick a camera with its tail. Mama was watching from just below. Dominican Republic. Tri-colored Heron Puffer

in the blink of an eye, eagle eyes, red eye, bird's eye view, hawkeye, gleam in the eye, eye for an eye, evil eye, glassy-eyed, snake eyes, eye opener, eyes in the back of one's head, feast your eyes, eye popper, four eyes, in the twinkle of an eye, mind's eye, starry eyed, private eye, keep an eye out, eye candy...

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