Today is dreary day in the mountains of Appalachia. There’s been heavy rain and gray skies all day. By morning the ice and snow is supposed to return. On days like today I like to look at the summer images that I’ve taken. It makes me feel like I’m sitting by one of our rivers with a Zebco 33 and one of my favorite lures. The simple repetitive action of casting and slowly drawing the line back in has a meditative quality for me. I don’t even really care if anything bites. Like Zen archery ( or at least my understanding of it ) it’s all about clearing the mind and regaining focus. The image above was taken on the Meadow River during one of these trips. The spot is known mostly to locals and I’m sworn to secrecy as to the exact spot. Behind me a small campfire crackles softly making just enough smoke to keep mosquitoes away. It didn’t seem to bother the butterflies that danced and played on the buttonbush. I made one last cast into the river and slowly retrieve. There’s a tug on the other end of line. But, I let him go. Sometimes is not about the fish, it’s about the fishing and memories that are made.
Tag: featured art
Taking a walk 1.11.18
I had an opportunity to venture out beyond my normal routine today. As I walked along the trail at Salmon Run I found this natural threshold. There was a homestead close by at one time but the mountains are quick to reclaim anything that isn’t maintained. Perhaps the threshold here is a warning. “Beyond this point you must leave the outside world behind”. As I walked on a little further the forest began to strip away the domesticated part of my spirit. My feral nature returned. I could smell the wood and stone. I could hear the scampering of small feet just out of sight. The birds are chirping but something caught my attention. There was a hole in the noise. If one stays very still and listens the forest will tell you what is happening around you. As I tracked the silence a jogger came down the path. Once he and his dog passed the noise came back.
It was good to get out of the house even if only for a few minutes. Today was a good day.
Pretending
Today circumstances colluded to prevent me from participating in the corporate Monday. (I’ll try to hide my disappointment 😁) My moment of freedom allowed the opportunity to drop by Cathedral Falls and catch an image of the frozen waterfall. The winter scene awakened the child in me and soon I could imagine myself as some Paleolithic hunter tracking a woolly mammoth on the ice. Never lose your ability to pretend. Adulthood doesn’t always mean that can’t play hooky and have an adventure.
Cultivate Life
This old barn near Summerville West Virginia always seems to have something to offer my lens. I was raised in agriculture. I look at the old barns and think about the life that was housed there. Not just grain, hay and farming supplies but the people who worked the land. I can hear the ghostly echoes of conversations about life and love, business and pleasure. I can hear the footsteps of young people who think that they’re up to mischief but really are just learning about life. People who share work are investing in each other. Work parties often ended in generations of close friends. You may not have barns where you live but odds are that you do have people. I want to encourage you to reach out to a neighbor and offer to share in some work. You’ll be surprised to see how large your family really is.
Escaping From Winter
Free me from this frozen prison!
Loose theses bindings layers of wool and down.
Let me feel the warmth of the Sun in place of icy winds.
Show me green leaves and let me breathe in the scent of rose.
Kindle a fire deep in my soul and set this prisoner free.
LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 