Tib's Room

True silence really means going deep within yourself to that place
where nothing is happening, where you transcend time and space.
You go into a brand new dimension of nothingness. That's where
all the power is. That's your real home. That's where you really
belong, in deep Silence where there is no good or bad, no one
trying to achieve anything. Just being, pure being. . . . Silence is the ultimate reality.

Robert Adams

Tib's Gallery of Pics - Old and New

Come on into my room and sit for a while. I hope you're enjoying my site! It has been a labor of love since it's conception in 1999. This site represents all the things I value most in myself - photography, writing, art, poetry, nature sounds and links with creative people. I guess you could say it's my "book." You know, the book you want to write, but probably never will. Over the last twelve years, I've heard from people from all over the world and appreciate their emails and comments. Making connections with people who I would never meet otherwise is very special and one of the main reasons for this site. I am dedicating this site to my mother, Betty Connor Dozier and my dear father, James Charles Dozier, who were my guiding lights and encouragement all my life. Thank you both for believing in me! We lost our sweet mother on February 22, 2008 and our beloved father July 13, 1990, but they live forever in our hearts.

As you can see from the photos on the "About Us" page, my husband, Homer, and I live with our dog, Dottie and lots of wild critters in Western North Carolina. As of November, 2011, we also live with seven feral cats. You can read about that ongoing experience HERE. Both of us grew up in South Carolina and enjoyed observing the assortment of wildlife on the land we owned in Columbia where we both worked. Our land and house was an inheritance from my grandparents and we were lucky to live there with the possum, raccoons, owls, hawks, bats, birds, squirrels, frogs and tons of insects that shared our natural nook. We enjoyed having such a diverse slice of wildlife so close to the city. However, the legendary heat and rising crime rate of Columbia forced us to the mountains of North Carolina where we have a whole new assortment of wildlife to observe. Since moving here in May of 2004, we have taken thousands of photos and recorded hours of nature sounds including three Great Horned Owls, two Screech Owls calling to each other, crickets, coyotes, foxes, tree frogs, underwater audio and more. We've seen and heard a long-tailed weasel, foxes, a black bear, river otters, beavers, muskrats, hedgehogs, deer, raccoons, possum, and the list continues to grow. We've been able to enjoy a different selection of birds, including my favorite, the Wood Thrush. We've gone totally berserk in this beautiful place. Expect new photos, audio and possibly video in the coming months! We still love South Carolina, especially the swamps of the lowcountry where Homer grew up, but the mountains are home to us in all ways.

You can also visit my new site TibArt Audio and hear recordings I've made in the mountains of Western North Carolina and along the coast of South Carolina. It's a growing project and one that has brought me great excitement and new friendships.

I've loved photography and audio recording for most of my life. The fact that an image or sound can be frozen in time is miraculous to me. All photos, whether they are family snapshots, a torn faded photograph from the past, historical prints, or prize-winning photojournalism, are fascinating. For me, however, the many faces of nature are the images that have the most appeal. Patterns of light reflected on water, clouds captured in a moment's glory, the sudden rush of birds in flight, the path of a comet - these are the patterns and visions I look to capture and share. It's the life force I want to capture - something that is sometimes difficult to see through a camera's lens since much of what I "see" is actually what I feel. It's one of those things that is hard to put into words...I guess it's what we refer to as intuition. The key is letting go - releasing control and allowing this force to enter your heart. When this happens there is a feeling of total connection to all things and this is the feeling that I trust more than any other in my life.

Spirituality means a lot to me. It is my connection to the Universe, to the Divine, to all things that guides my every moment. I feel this connection in nature and try to capture it on film, however, it is elusive - sometimes just out of reach. However, with time and experience, I've learned to listen to the inner voice that guides me. As long as I stay connected to the Universe, doors open and magic comes my way - hopefully some of the magic is captured on film. The next step - sharing the magic. What's the point of being a witness to beauty if you try to keep it to yourself. Pass it on, share it and the beauty grows.

I'm rather obsessed with recording daily life! From putting the video camera on a rock in a creek or edge of a mountain stream and leaving it on for hours to capture a shot of one bird drinking from the water; to making audio recordings of birdsong and crickets, to recording the events of the day in a daily journal, it seems that all I do is record and document. However, after years of doing this, I do have quite a collection of video and audio tapes and can chart patterns of migration and, unfortunately, urban development that had taken over around our home in South Carolina. However, where we live now, we can sit on the porch in the evening and instead of hearing ambulances and police cars, we hear cows and roosters. We love it!!

Please stop by TibArt Images often. There will be new photos added, new gardening projects, poetry, stories and new links. Again, I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me at tibart@mindspring.com and Homer at swamp_fox@earthlink.net . Also, please visit Homer's incredible site on his experiences in Vietnam at http://www.swampfox.info. Thanks for visiting!

Tib

They walk with me
encircling my sleeping place
as I dream and journey
into other worlds. TDS

In honor of "Lady" - my Wolf-Guardian Spirit.