Hiding in plain sight

Trees reflect in a pool of rainwater as the setting sun illuminates the scene. The sun angle splashes reds and yellows on the background and throws a shadow on the foreground.

See the "x" trees at a nearby creek.

Mother Nature in her contrariness puts a lot of stuff out there for us to see. Much of it, like the imagery above, is fleeting. It its entirety, it is temporary at best and is never the same from day to day. The differences may be subtle, but they are there.  And she hides stuff. This time it was on Monticello Road, which runs north from Junet, off  U.S. HIghway 270. Google maps calls Monticello Road County Road 75, if you clicked on the Junet link.

This story actually started a mile or so down the road from this scene and on the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot-com. Check out the start of the story and picture of the “X” trees on this same road. Click here to go there. We’ll wait here.

On the image above, the light will be different tomorrow. The water level will likely drop. Or if it rains, the water level will go up, all depending on circumstances and control far above our collective pay grades. So what we are seeing today is unique, never to be exactly duplicated. If you miss it, you miss it forever. Barring natural or man-made catastrophes or modification, you will see something similar again, but not this exact scene.

Being a stern parent, Mother Nature could be sending us a message. We’ve all heard it before. Live life like this is your last day. Dance like it is your last dance. Hug like it is your last hug, you get the drift. She hides the things of value and changes them daily, sights, sounds, smells, wind, water, and light. Like the rest of life, it is our bounden calling to seek out the good stuff and enjoy what we find.

The light was nearly perfect for this old barn on Monticello Road not far from the trees you see above. It is the real thing, in use as, well, a barn.

For dessert, the old barn came into view. I visited with the owner and his dogs. The barn was there when he bought the place in 1963. He figures it was built sometime after World War II. He has maintained the barn and it is being put to its highest and best use −  as a barn. This trip gives us pause to think: What we miss today is gone forever. It will not be the same tomorrow. But never fear, it could be better.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE

Weekly Grist Gallery

Every week, we publish a gallery of our photos of the week, some of which did not appear on Corndancer or Weekly Grist. These pictures are larger and generally will reveal more detail than what you see on this blog. There are only five shots this week. My sojurn in the boondocks was shortened by my participation in my spousal unit’s surprise birthday party.

Had to get my priorities in order.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind

http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

UPDATE: One week later, same place, earlier in the day

One week later (Jan. 29, 2011), the scene is completely different earlier in the afternoon. It's the same place with different makeup. Now sunny, formerly sultry.

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