Hello Fall!

Fire, Water, Light and Life

Lyn Swett Miller

Sep 11, 2025

Hello my friends!

I’ve missed you and hope you are well.

Goose at Sunrise Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

The summer has flown by…a flurry of family, friends,

A diptych. On the left, a jelly-fish illuminated by the sun lies next to strands of seaweed; On the right, ripples of greens, blues, yellows and browns - rocks reflected on the water. — Illuminated Jellyfish & Water Swirls Photos by Lyn Swett Miller

and photographs exploring the fiery force that is light…from the sun,

A diptych. On left, a young person is embroidered swinging on a swing, surrounded by multi-colored embroidered leaves and a bird; On the right, a reflection of a person on a wet beach, their reflected arms raised, merging with bubble covered seaweed. — Lyn on Swing & Morning Beach Reflection Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

and from within. Motivated by my facilitation of Objects Embodied: Portals, Memory and Meaning, I’ve been exploring the element of fire and feeling its power as I experiment with woven fibers and the play of light on water.1

Diptych. On the left, silky fabric that is embroidered with a multi-colored garden is submerged in and reflected by water; On the right: A quadrant is created by shimmering lines, some dark, some light of water and sand. — Wedding Dress, Sunrise Reflection & Beach, Double Exposure Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

I’ve also been pondering:

How does a person remain grounded when there are forces (internal and external, natural and human-created) seeking to destabilize us?

Diptych: On the left - Textured olive green seaweed emerges. In the background dark green water with ripples of sand; On the right: A child is embroidered on a tree branch in the upper left quadrant; to her right, rows of buttons emerge, looking like seaweed or grass. — Seascape Greens & Lyn in a Tree Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

If you’ve been here for a while, you know that for me, it’s about showing up, again and again, to the all of it, and letting myself, and you, lean into the magic that is this many layered life.

Diptych: On the left, a hand holds a pencil between the fronds of a green fern emerging from the bottom; On the right, a foot walks on hair-like green seaweed. — Tracing a Fern & Slippery When Wet Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

Along the way, objects, like my wedding dress and a fern, or like a red leaf and a stump, offer entry-points for something else - a new perspective, or an invitation to slow down, especially when it’s hot.

Diptych: Left - tufts of seaweed on an 'island' surrounded by sand and water; Right: A multiple exposure of a red leaf in the center surrounded by a stump and strands of grass weave them together. — Micro-world & Centered Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

The heat felt oppressive this summer, but when walking on a shaded path in the woods or letting my feet settle into cold sand, balance returned and I could breathe again.

Diptych: Left - Delicate plant with small red leaves casts a shadow on rippled sand; An orange and black monarch butterfly rests on one of four pinky-flowers of a Joe Pye Weed. — Beach Shadow & Monarch in Vermont Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

There were photo shoots of nieces wearing my wedding dress (it didn’t actually fit anyone) and reflections on the spirit of me…as revealed not just in my new logo and color scheme…2

Diptych: Left - The off-white skirt of a satin wedding dress billows as someone runs - we just see the bottom of a person's foot; Right: Top quarter: rocky coast in morning light & bottom three quarters sand. On the far right - long shadow of a person. — Wedding Dress, Beach Day 2a & Long Shadow Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

…but also in my renewed clarity of purpose.

Double Exposure, Sunrise on Water Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

With help from the Hydrate marketing team and Chat GPT, I’ve been exploring who might care about what I have to say and, more importantly, what is it, exactly, that I offer, besides cool photographs of compost?

Compost, Summer 2025 Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

These are the kinds of questions I will share in the coming weeks. For example, what do you think of this sentence to describe what goes on here at 13 Tons of Love?

13 Tons of Love offers a gathering place for composters of memory, cartographers of grief, and alchemists of the in-between?3

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Diptych: Left - Cliff scene with layers of water, light green seaweed, dark green seaweed, yellowish barnacles and rocks; Right: Embroidered layers of stitches at different angles with knots between that create layers - in the lower right, six round buttons. — Layers & Embroidering Compost Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

Meanwhile, I embroider layers of compost beneath a forest of trees on my wedding dress and go for walks with Lilly to the Ottauquechee River, across the street from our house.

Thank you, as always, for sharing your time and this space with Lilly and me!

With cheers and gratitude,

Lyn

Compost, September 3, 2025 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

Yes, I love the fall, and I love the color of red onion peels…where do you see it in this post? It’s now part of my official ‘brand’ color scheme. So fun!!

As an active participant in the Kinship Photography Collective, I regularly explore particular themes and ideas with a small group of fellow photographers. This year, we are exploring the elements - - air in spring and fire this past summer. This fall, we transition to water.

Throughout this time the interaction between the elements has resonated with my affection for layers and diversity. A compost pile is, after all, all about the interaction between air, heat, water and the earth herself.

I have had the best time collaborating with Hydrate, a marketing group located in Lebanon, NH and Portland, ME (my states…and if you merge with my new state, Vermont, you get May-New-Mont - - My daughter came up with that moniker!). They’ve been helping me think about who I am, what colors work for me (based on some of my favorite compost photographs), and how to articulate my vision. More on all that soon!

OK - - So this came from ChatGPT, which has been incredibly helpful in helping me re-imagine the words I use. This feels a bit much, but maybe not? Composting, cartography and alchemy are all pretty cool. Please comment and let me know what you think. Truly, this is a work in progress.