Monday, February 8, 2010

walking home in the evening


through the wintertime
when i'm not riding my bike
i walk home.

eight kilometres -
it takes about an hour and a quarter.

sometimes it's really windy and cold.
sometimes it's snowy or freezing rain.

so even though i love the chance
to walk and clear my mind
i really love getting home.
(as you know)

if i see the sun setting
especially nicely
i move a little quicker
to get to the edge of the farmer's fields
and this is what i get to see.


and these trees
holding hands like lovers
walking through the sunset fields


and most especially this
tree's gleeful branch and twig dance
to the tangerine music
of the last
shimmer of daylight

33 comments:

Dan Gurney said...

Many people imagine that living car-free is like living television-free, namely two forms of deprivation.

Exactly the opposite is true, in both cases, cars and TV.

Live without these two is enriched in so many ways. This post shows how much richer your life is because of your walks (or bike rides) home.

Lovely sunsets through the trees!

Kathleen said...

I love we get to see trees holding hands in the winter. Beautiful beautiful beautiful, Steven! I admire you for walking gently on this earth.

Linda Sue said...

Thats about five miles? Wow you are going to live till you die! The last photo is truly stunning. What a lovely walk to sort out the day!

Jenny Stevning said...

Lovely!!! And that last photo is awesome!

Penny said...

Beautiful photos.
I would hope we all love coming home, but I suppose there are thse who dont.Unimaginable.

Pauline said...

pure poetry!

steven said...

dan it's one of those things that i've learned to live without and my friends and family have filled int he gaps whenever necessary. i never ask for rides. i prefer to be asked. otherwise, there's a walk, a bike ride, or a bus ride. no big deal. the walks are good for my body and my mind. the bike rides also. i see the world at a much slower pace and see it in greater detail. the weather? well there are periods of time on some walks where it is hard to take but for the most part, i dress for it and so it's not really a problem. there's my sales pitch!!! steven

steven said...

kathleen thankyou for your thoughtful comments. i see lots of gorgeous scenes and little moments on my walks - some of them involve fellow pedestrians, and drivers. some of them are brief moments that nature has provided. have a lovely day. steven

steven said...

linda sue - good math!! it's a good walk and it unravels so quickly i barely notice it. i have lots to think about - i just let the noise of the day subside so that none of those voices come into my home when i finally get there!!! have a lovely day. steven

Dave King said...

Superb post, even if it does make me as jealous as hell! Keep 'em coming!

steven said...

thanks very much jenny. steven

steven said...

hi penny, i know that there are people who don't like coming home. it's sad. it should be the place to wish for no matter what. have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

thankyou pauline. steven

NanU said...

I should really walk home more often. It's that first minute stepping outside into the cold that usually makes me turn left to the bus stop instead of right to the footpath that makes the difference. But you're so right. Even in the cold, the walk is time to unwind, appreciate the air, stretch those legs...

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Your photos soothe my soul.

ellen abbott said...

Your pictures remind me of the Japanese prints you post so often.

Golden West said...

8 km in just over an hour is good time, Steven. Your photographs are outstanding, with the trees silhouetted sharply against the soft sky. Very dreamlike.

Meri said...

I imagine puffs of clouds being exhaled, red cheeks, a runny nose, and a feeling of unparalleled awe.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I love those dancing twigs steven. What a good idea to unwind with that wonderful walk home.

Friko said...

It is worth going to work if the way home inspires such beauty of thought and vision.

steven said...

hi nanu - it's funny but the days i find hardest to go out and walk on are saturday and sunday! the weekdays i love it - it's an escape, a really good feeling, and there's that feeling of accomplishment at te end of it all. plus warmth!!! steven

steven said...

hi bonnie - they do much the same for me. i'm constantly surprised that people like the words and pictures here. constantly grateful. steven

steven said...

golden west i love to walk and i am a fast walker. one hour and a quarter to one hour and a half. i get home completely soaked in sweat - yes that's right! even if it's twenty eight below windchill i work up a big sweat. that's the workout factor!!! i am so glad you like these photos. they are from the same source as the header photo. one hundred metres from here. steven

steven said...

hello meri - you have everything right there!!! on the really cold days there's frost on my face and a ring of frost around my hat! i am always looking and trying to see what's there. a different route . . . a look in a different direction. what might i see?!! steven

steven said...

weaver you know the value of walks. i could wish to be deeper in the countryside but i am not so i make of my area what i can. i'm so very lucky to have what i have and to be able to see and share what i do!! thanks so much for visiting. steven

steven said...

friko i am glad you reminded me of that!!! i never regret the walk unless it means i miss something. but usually there is something along the way - even a giant rusty bolt (!) that makes me think and even photograph it just because i can see something in it. then my life is richer for that moment. steven

BT said...

I can understand absolutely why you choose to walk Steven. Then you know I love my lakeside walks. It doesn't matter how many times I walk the same route, there is always, always something new to look at. It's a world of awe and wonder and your photographs capture that to a 't'. Beautiful.

R. Burnett Baker said...

Beautiful post!

This photographic poetry encourages us to open our eyes and cast aside thoughts of the mundane...to look at what we think of as mundane in a profound way.

Thank you!

Rick

steven said...

hi bt - first of all thanks for all the comments you left on this blog's last handful of entries!!! i'm grateful for your thoughts. i love your lakeside walks - they are absolutely gorgeous!!! i hope other visitors here make a visit your way! see you soon. steven

steven said...

hi rick and welcome! thanks for your thoughtful comment. i like that this blog makes me think and see and then in the sharing of it i help other people to see what they are seeing. have a peaceful evening. steven

Delwyn said...

HI Steven

you are a tough wonder!

But we are glad you make the effort and provide us with these stunning photos...and I imagine you love the quiet time to clear your head after a day in school...

Happy days

steven said...

hello delwyn, bless you for that!!!! good times!!!! steven

Moira said...

How beautiful, how wonderful that you truly truly appreciate it.