spring 2010 "Quiet Time, My Sanctuary"

Upon encountering this swath of lupine, I wondered if they were bleached or if they were truly white, almost albino like. From all I have read, they are indeed white. Three weeks earlier, I photographed deep blue lupine from this same location, thus the reason for my wonder. My first post from this particular morning was a stitched pano, but I think the single frame comp brings the viewer closer to the flowers and changes the subject matter somewhat. This was a special morning because of the wonderful cloud formations and intense color. While taking this, I knew that the summer dry season was closing in. Over a month later (this was taken on May 12th) and I have seen only a few days with clouds. All the other days have been clear and sunny. Good weather for some, but I much prefer days with at least some clouds and I am especially fond of stormy looking spring days. This seems to be a common lament among all landscape photographers; we need clouds like we need air to breath. Until late fall when the cloudier days return, I will be gasping for breath!

Thanks for your observations

"My Sanctuary"

So close and yet, so deceptively elusive

Easy for the soul, so difficult to justify

I found it by chance then stayed awhile

I won’t forget this place under cirrus streaked sky

When will I return, when will I redeem

When will I escape the claw of reality’s curse

The future is uncertain and blindly obscure

but I feel my resolve will shape its course

Desire to be whole in this heavenly spot

Soften and cleanse my heart of stained glass

The window is dressed with azure skies

The sill is a verdant field of emerald grass

To the distant snowy mountains

The opening is inviting my deliverance

My sanctuary awaits while I toil

in this world of boxed existence

I look outside from behind the window

and see the outdoors as my grand plan

Looking outward is my obsession of choice

All the while my sanctuary resides within

Ahhh, splendid; both the image and the verse.  I'll trade you some of our clouds for your sparkling clear air.  The summer months down South bring on gorgeous clouds, but our humidity creates a haze layer too.  Thanks for sharing, this is great... Mike

Thanks Monte and Mike! Humididty? What's that Mike? We certainly don't have any steamy days out here. Come winter, however, the tule fog comes in from the coast. It can be downright gloomy. Right now it's a balmless 100 degrees. Stand in the shade and you can bear it, but if you are in the sun, you feel like you are under a giant magnifying glass. We can get to 115 during the height of summer, but typically we are between 105 and 110 during the hotter spells. Heading to the coast can offer a welcome respite. It may be 110 here but by the time you get to the coast, the high may be only 70 degrees. Thanks again!

Mark,

Hey they're squiggly white ones!  Just like dancing snakes, how unique! 

SS

Very interesting colours and the tonality of this photograph, of especially the background, Mark! 

Thanks Steve and Artur! Yes Steve, unique is a description I like. These flowers add alot to an already colorful scene, yet they lack almost any color themselves, save for the one at LR and the one in the middle. 

Those white lupins drag you into the image. They are quite compelling, and the rest of the scene is magnificent. I always think of a sanctuary as a more intimate place but there is no denying the tranquillity and beauty of this place - magnificent and beautifully captured.

Thanks Jeff for the inspiring comment. Your right, sanctuary would normally be more closed in, such as a tropical garden. For some, the sanctuary is the church. This is my church, but in a wide open space, a wonderful place to worship!

Gorgeous!  The image mates so very well with the poem too.  Beautiful balance among the elements, and the color palette is awesome.

Your poem is truly beautiful too, Mark.  Lovely meter and imagery.

Well done!  A true Renaissance Man you've become.

Cheers!  The Bear

Thanks Chris and Leo!! I think of my poetry as something similar to easy listening music. You have classical music and then you have new age classical; you have progressive jazz and then you have smooth jazz. While I, like many, can appreciate some verse from masters of poetry, many times I am not sure of the meaning and often don't associate with many of the words or wording. What I write in no way compares. I am sure, however, that my meanings are not obscured to readers of most levels; easier to comprehend. I get lost when listening to progressive jazz, but I get absorbed in Pat Metheny. It's just less complicated music with more identifiable chord structures. I hope my writings are similar to that genre!