Fog

After almost a week of rain, it finally stopped today and the sun came out for a while around noon. By the time I stepped out, however, the weather had already changed---not unusual by the sea here on the East End.

As I walked down the block toward the bay, I felt the moisture in the air and saw that the fog had started to descend. "Wonderful," I thought, "it would be nice to feel the warmth of the sun on my face, but fog is much more interesting."

Then, I started to wonder why. Is it the mystery it evokes? The blur in the distance? A sense of wonder?

Sure, it's all those things. But looking at this image, I realized that what fog does best is bring our attention to what's right in front of us since there's not much more to distract us.

Here, mounds of sea grass stretch into the water like fingers testing the temperature. I had never noticed that before...

Peace

Amid all the recent reminders of September 11th and the talk of nuclear threats since the killing of Bin Laden and the tsunami in Japan, I keep summoning up this image. Taken early on a May morning several years ago less than a mile from my house, it calms me.

I wish I could replace all the pictures of barbed-wire compounds and bloody floors streaming across the media with images like this. I can't help but think that our minds are in drastic need of rewiring.

After all, violence provokes more violence, therefore, wouldn't peace provoke more peace?

Lime

Lime, it's the hallmark of spring. That fresh green color that sprouts from the branches and pops up in the garden. All that grey and suddenly, almost overnight lime takes over the landscape.

Late yesterday afternoon, I was looking out a second floor window of my home and found myself staring at the blossoms blanketing the maple tree in my front yard. At first I tried to take a photograph from the window, but the image in my mind's eye did not translate through the camera lens as often happens when shooting from afar.

So I decided to step outside and move closer. I had never stopped to examine an individual maple blossom before. What I discovered was quite beautiful and much more complex than I expected.