Old Sol sinks slowly behind the mountain turning the waters of the lake to liquid bronze. The night birds begin their lullaby from unseen perches and all that’s missing is the dancing lights of fireflies along the shore. The cool May air is still in the fading light. The ancients spoke of twilight as the meeting of two worlds. The waking world needs no explanation but the dream world that lives under the cover of the velvety night sky is a place of wonder. Time loses all meaning here and the memories of the lake come forth to blend into the now. As I gaze across the water I see the time when a large log had beached itself beneath the cliff in the distance and I with a group of friends all managed to balance ourselves on the log and row it around the lake like a giant canoe. There was at least a dozen of us all moving in sync. I can’t speak for the others but I had Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant song running through my head the whole time. I thought that the movement of our arms resembled the oars of a ship as we slipped the log through the water. It may or may not have been against the rules to leap from the cliff in those days. But we did it anyway. I spent a lot of time climbing the rocks and cliffs around the farm. I figured I’d be good at it since I had a little Native American in my ancestry and was quite confident on the narrow ledges but that confidence evaporated the first time I jumped in the lake. I knew there were rocks beneath the water because even though I could see where they were in winter we swam around and double checked before jumping. We climbed up to trail and decided to jump but when my turn came around my legs got all wobbly and that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you look down from a high place begin to grow. Climbing a rock or walking around the edges was a lot different than purposefully flinging yourself into the air. But on the third attempt I managed to override my instincts and leave the earth behind. A jump from a high rock into a deep lake is nothing like the high dive at a pool. You have more time to absorb the feel of gravity pulling you into the void of space. For a moment I begin to wonder if somehow I’d broken gravity as I continued to fall. Things would be flying off into space and it would be all my fault because my large frame was just too much for the laws of physics. But then I finally hit the water and began to sink. I thought, “Aw man! And I was just getting the hang of flying too.” At first the water was warm from the sun but it got colder and I realized that the fall had plunged me deeper than I expected. I couldn’t just float to the top likeat thepool. I’d have to pull myself up. Which wasn’t really all that hard and before I knew it I was on the surface.
Such jumps are definitely illegal now. Some people have pushed the envelope too far and become injured and a few have died from jumping into the wrong spot or from too high and not understanding that above a certain point hitting the water is like hitting cement. But the experience taught me that a calculated risk has its rewards and I jumped from that spot every chance I had. It became a personal victory for me that in later years enabled me to take more calculated risks when playing it safe would have held me back from the reward.
Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.
Announcement 2.0
For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.
We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.
I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup
Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc
Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!
To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.
If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.
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Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?
I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.
LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 