The road ahead stretches on.
The sky is full of clouds that are smiling down.
The sun warm and friendly.
And the wind, … the wind whispers ever so softly. “Chosen”.
I grip and twist the accelerator and answer the call with a grin.
The deep growl of raw horsepower surges over my body as I catch up with the wind.
Two wheels, one headlight and an open road.
Some days, the adventure chooses you.
Sometimes I just like to look at clouds and let my mind wander. The weather has cooperated lately and provided just the right cloud/blue sky mix for infrared black and white photos to bring out the contrast. I kinda like the Zen feeling and simplicity of this one. I hope you enjoy it as well. 😁
I have taken a lot of pictures from this spot in Glen Ferris West Virginia. It’s not really an island but the Kanawha River makes it look like one. In my imagination the mountain becomes the mythical Avalon. Perhaps if I wandered down into water’s edge I would notice the glint of steel beneath the surface. I reach down to lift the magnificent blade from the murky water. The hilt is exquisite. The sword feels like an extension of my body. I look up to her. Dressed all in white and standing on the other side of the lake. She doesn’t speak. She simply acknowledges the fact that she knows I’ve seen her and she begins to ascend up path into forest. She doesn’t bid me to follow, she dares me to. As I ponder the choice a boat glides silently to my side. The bearded old man in the stern gestures for me to take my place in the bow. I climbed and took a long look back at real world as it faded away into the mists. Perhaps there’s time to slay one last dragon before dinner. Perhaps … just maybe, the real secret to eternal youth is to never pass on a chance to dream.
Living close to nature means interesting neighbors. They are generally good natured and tend to keep to themselves. Oh sure there’s the occasional dispute over who owns the garden but for the most part they don’t bother anyone. Being the outgoing personality that I am, I decided to walk over and check on her after a long hard winter. However, she didn’t seem to be happy that I interrupted her breakfast. In fact, she looked downright stressed that I was there. “Hello, how’s it going?” I spoke in a nice soft tone. She refused to answer. Once more I tried to start a pleasant conversation. “I see you made it through the winter ok.” Can you believe that she just stomped her foot and snorted off? How rude was that? But in her defense I was there unannounced and she probably hadn’t had her morning coffee 😉
I stumbled across this cairn last year. I knew that people would stack up rocks as a way of marking that they had been there but I didn’t know that it was called a cairn. I had always thought that a cairn a Celtic tomb. It’s a much nicer way to leave you mark than tagging. I guess it’s human nature to want a marker to say “I have been here. ” I was at the end of the Kilroy fad. I never knew why we did it and the origin of the mark is… well, “lost to urban legend “. I just knew that he was a funny little guy with a big nose and he likes to peak over the walls. Below is a poorly scrawled example. ( There’s a reason why I do photography instead of drawing )
No matter if it’s a stack of rocks or a poorly scrawled cartoon we seem to want to be remembered. Even if it’s anonymous. We have an instinct to not be forgotten. I have also picked up a small stone from my land and made a mark on it to leave behind on a trail.
(One of my abstract marks . It’s a stylized representation of my initials)
I wouldn’t recommend defacing public or private property thought. But, if you leave something that’s not litter and just enough to make someone curious I consider it a gray area. There’s a local group who paints stones and leaves them where it’s not obvious but it can still be found. If you write a word of encouragement on the stone it might be found by the right person at the right time to change their day. And wouldn’t that be a good way to leave your mark on the world? Not written in stone but transferred to a heart through the stone.
Warm weather is upon us and people will be out enjoying the fresh air. If you can do so without breaking any laws or damaging property let me encourage you to find a way to anonymously leave something behind to make someone smile.
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