Mist rises from the pond as does the sun on the horizon.
There is peace in the moment, a calming scene
reminding us a place can be found that is devoid of the world’s chaos.
See you on the highway.
Brent
Doorway to 2016
The last days of 2015 are filled with thoughts of the new year: changes, goals, new beginnings. No resolutions, though. Resolutions just don’t work for me.
The sun finally shows itself and spreads some light on January 1, like a light shining on the new day, the doorway to 2016.
Will 2016 be just as bright as this New Year’s Day?
See you on the highway.
Brent
The foggy path
Sometimes, life is like the foggy path.
You can only see what is in front of you.
Distant things take more time.
See you on the highway.
Brent
Evolution of a river bank
The rains came frequently last year,
producing a record year of precipitation
nearly twice the annual average.
Flood warnings and watches were the norm
every time a storm rolled up the Ohio River Valley
flashing lightning and pouring rain into the watersheds.
Water ran off the fields into the streams and creeks
and eventually made its way to the tributaries and rivers
which themselves empty into the mighty Ohio.
As the rivers rise and fall, the precious banks
that define a river, come under forces that only
nature can deliver—real hydro power to cut and dig.
Earlier this winter, while crossing our local bridge over the Little Miami River,
I looked up river as I usually do and saw the most massive tree
laying on its side, stretching out nearly to the middle of the river.
The flood waters took its toll and undercut the tree from its foundation.
Where once it held the river bank in check, it is now an obstacle
for canoeists and kayakers, and shelter for the fish.
Brent
Magnificence of Solitude
The highway disappears over the horizon in the desert.
Someone built this highway, but there are no houses along its path.
No other vehicles are visible, nor have been for some time.
Mountains in the distance. Sagebrush and cactus along the road.
A summer thunderstorm refreshes the earth to the west.
The rains wash off the dust and release the aroma of the desert.
The solitude is magnified, magnificent and spiritual.
Not only am I traveling alone. I am alone on the highway filled with euphoria.
My peace and well-being conjoins with the smallness of my existence.
See you on the highway.
Brent