Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Rita Island, Lake Okeechobee

In the apple blossom trees, I thought I could hear ancient voices telling of Florida's history. I was amazed by the thick clusters of roots all around. That and the numerous spiders. The crazy part of Lake Okeechobee's history is that each of the three islands, on the southern rim, were settled with working communities. Rita Island is the first of the islands that I have seen. Only rows of banana trees bare witness to a passer by; the water levels are a little too high for much to be seen. My two guides told me that in the height of the drought they walked where we had to use an air boat to explore.

Little remains telling the story of Lake Okeechobee and her history. Perhaps, we should do as the Seminole tribe and speak nothing of those past. For now, my choice is to meditate in the tree hammocks trying to figure out how my history and the Lake and my photography all meld together. Maybe I go there to escape, maybe I go in search of some truths or enlightenment; maybe I go for curiosity. I will share the epiphany when revealed to me. Until then, I am busy working on images and creating the story of this part of the Glades.



Monday, September 1, 2008

Thinking more about meditation

I am always pausing to breathe. This is an absolute must as I conquer the day like a storm. Usually, I am up and going by 6:30am: breakfast, coffee, school clothes, dishes from last night, more coffee, clean up some accidental mess made to remind me to stop and breathe. I have to microwave my coffee. Out the door by 8am and at my computer by 8:30 ready to microwave my coffee, again. 

The pause is my solace. During an interview for the wetland bird project, I had one of those great Epiphanies. The natural ebb and flow of Florida's water cycles, the sever drought, severe rains bring continual variations that make predictions sometimes more dependable on patterns than singular events. History seems a vital piece of this equation. The other piece is how we as individuals and as a community choose to understand the variations in Florida's weather and in our own lives. We control the action and records in history; we can not control the events.