Tuesday, April 12, 2011

ocean's edge (i)

the terms of agreement that apply to the meeting place of a body of land and a large body of water
are very similar almost every where i visit.

there shall be a row of trees


then there shall be hummocks covered with windblown plants, some of which shall be grasses


then there shall be ground hugging growth that has obviously weathered much more in its
brief life than i have, or would wish to and yet which somehow holds on so very tightly to its own beauty



and then there will be a breathtaking expanse


oh yes, breathtaking

25 comments:

Radcliffe said...

Thank you for bringing a little bit of beauty to my day - I wish I was nearer to the ocean.

Acornmoon said...

I have just been watching a TV program about research into light, it has been proved that blue light helps us to wake up and concentrate. There is certainly something very invigorating about the light in this photo. I would love to walk there now!

steven said...

hello radcliffe! i share the same wish! visiting makes for a rich albeit brief experience that echoes for some time afterwards. steven

steven said...

valerie the quality of light by the ocean varies according to the sky, the water, and of course the air. this is the atlantic and it's hard to imagine that the grey-browns of the eastern seaboard of canada are part of the same ocean! steven

Pauline said...

such a beautiful description of a beautiful world - aren't you just overcome with joy at times!

Ruth said...

And there shall be beauty. As only a golden fish can feel it.

I can almost touch and feel the fine white sand on the bottom of my feet, that is very like our own "third coast" of Michigan. Ah, that last photo especially is breathtaking.

Elisabeth said...

You've taken us from the heights to the lows, Steven, in a stunning landscape. As ever thanks.

OceanoAzul.Sonhos said...

Good morning steven. It's a pleasure to come here and dream of the sea with blue sky... rapturous beauty. We feel like we were in paradise. If I could let all and go to see the ocean...
Have a good day.
oa.s

Reya Mellicker said...

I love this! The layers that lead to the sea. Indeed there are layers - all of them beautiful and breathtaking. Very cool.

ellen abbott said...

oh yes. water and land. I love the ocean and the goat's foot morning glories that cover the dunes. how do they survive in sand?

Joanna said...

It's almost like being there Steven, reading your words and seeing the photographs. That is a breathtaking expanse of water and sky. A nice way for me to start this cloudy day.

Jo said...

I've taken a nearly identical series of photos as the pine forest leads to the ocean...in Maine!

It truly is as if there were a legal document drawn up between the elements ceding territory to each other in the process. I guess they're filed withing the Laws of the Universe.

Beautiful thought, Steven. Thank you.

Dan Gurney said...

We have here on the Pacific Coast of Northern California very similar agreements between land and water. We sometimes, though, have mountains with their feet in the sea. So beautiful, steven.

steven said...

pauline - really i am! there's a boy in me who looks out through my fifty three year old eyes and he reminds me of the extraordinary fortune of my life. steven

steven said...

ruth - i love being by water - from oceans to the tiniest rivulet dribbling off the roof of my home. i' really admire what water can do and i especially like the sounds and tastes and smells that go with it. strangely, i am not a swimmer. steven

steven said...

be patient elisabeth - the journey of my journey is almost over!! steven

steven said...

hello oa.s, i would very much love to live by the ocean for a time. not necessarily the caribbean but even a coastline. something foggy and damp and roaring for a while. steven

steven said...

reya - as you know there's also a letting go of layers of yourself that accompanies the passage of the layers of approaching the ocean. i shied away from writing about that. hmmmmm. steven

steven said...

ellen when i see plants of any kind in sand i look at them and take note about the ability of something to live in an alien harsh environment and remind myself that that is what i do almost all the time. more miracle me!!! steven

steven said...

joanna revisiting the simple joy of a physical expanse painted in colours that evoke nothing but softness wonder and joy. well it's a small miracle. i'm glad you are along for the journey. steven

steven said...

jo i think that nature is filled with all sorts of agreements that carry the special sort of weight that makes for things to work. somewhere out in the deep field of space there's some sort of filing cabinet bulging with all sorts of these agreements. when i fly away i hope i don't get that file clerk's job! steven

steven said...

dan i know that i will be there someday to see what you have shown and written and meditated on. steven

hope said...

The last two photos are the most beautiful shades of blue and green! I swear I can hear the ocean and smell salt air while I look at them. :)

steven said...

hope . . . i embedded little soundbites and smellophonic grabs in each pixel!!! i'm grateful for straight up sun and ten celsius on my face as i bicycle up the hills and home but the memories of this incredibly beautiful land are fresh with me and i am thrilled that they translate through the binary code of this simple interface!! steven

Margot said...

Are these all your photos? They are lovely!