I hate to get all American Beauty on you guys, but...
A strange thing happened on the way in to work. I got on the offramp and as it was turning, I could see in the empty lane next to me something that amazed me.
It was windy today, and the lane had a bunch of round, flat leaves on it. The wind caught the leaves, and caused them to roll along the lane on their sides. Most seemed to have their stems, and caused them to hop up as they rolled. The sun was barely off to the side, so when the leaves rolled vertically they were black, and randomly flashed orange as they caught the sun. The wind shifted as I drove by and they all changed direction slightly at the same time, like a school of fish, or a group of sparrows.
I had the camera in the car, but there was no way I was going to reach for it, turn it on, take the picture, while the offramp straightened out of the turn. And even if I did; I wouldn't expect it to come out at all. So I just watched the leaves for what seemed like 4 seconds (thinking about it now, there was no way it was 4 seconds; it would have had to be about 2 seconds or less. Though when I replay the scene in my head; it takes 4 seconds)
So as I drove by, in the lane next to me a herd of black and orange dots galloped along the asphalt, and turned away slightly as I drove by.
Thinking about it now, it seems very strange. But at the time; it seemed very magical.
All right, that's enough of that; lets talk about guns, and explosives, and... er... cars!
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2 comments:
Draw it and then paint it, ET. One of my best buddies in Halifax, NS, (who is an astonishingly talented artist) told me once that the picture will always exist in the "mind's eye".
It was the day after I had missed a classic and cherished scenic picture from atop a sand dune in the Arabian desert, at 2AM alone under a full moon. There were camels strewn about below and multiple oil wells with burning flames above their off gas vents. I had just succeeded in sticking a Range Rover on its' frame with all four wheels dangling in air on the pinnacle of the lengthy, highest dune for many miles around. I carefully put the camera on a tripod with the truck in the foreground and used a flash to light the vehicle, then left the lens open for extended, bracketed exposure times to pick up the golden expansive background.
The next day, I learned with great disappointment that there was no film in the camera. How I wish I could paint that. I left the area very soon after, before another full moon and perhaps an opportunity to redeem myself. I have since located the exact (it is very large and distinct) dune using Google Earth, but I know I will never return. So it is mine to keep, but not share.
Use your God given talents to create and share your view with others, my friend. You were permitted the view for a purpose.
Please see my response here:
http://tinyurl.com/yy7wda
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