A friend just asked me if I feel settled in West Virginia yet. The short answer: No. The longer answer is that I don’t think I will, as I believe I will be traveling more than ever and therefore unable to nest properly. I’ll be testing my ability to feel at home in the world. The future holds travel for months on end in vastly different locations.
I am on the cusp of what could be a defining moment. The lead up has been exciting, excruciating, full of twists, with a few disappointments, but the forward momentum has held. As this has been a protracted process I have had plenty of time to consider the nuance and flow of this period. The moments that stick with me are the moments that I have been able to stop and make a photograph. I don’t mean click the shutter, I mean stop and see something that may have lasting value as a photograph. These are the nuances that give fullness to this experience of waiting, of being on the verge. It’s a prickly spot for me to endure as I am generally fond of action and clicking off items on the agenda. Yes, I often procrastinate, horribly, but once in motion I can be tough to rein in. So this limbo experience is uncomfortable and forces me to look to things that make it less so.
I’ve chosen these images for two reasons: they have all been made since I have been in West Virginia these last four weeks, and they speak to me of waiting with a feeling of motion, transition or impermance in the waiting. The train is moving in the shot, the rain drops are falling, I am still for 5 minutes. The snow has fallen in the river scene, lightly, ice remains on the sycamores to highlight its structure. But the river moves, unceasing, and the ice will melt to become the river. The apples have fallen, defiantly holding their cheeky color in the face of decay and blanketing snow. The tumbling weed is still, for a moment, in a landscape that has changed greatly in the years I have been away. The snow creates a quiet resting place, a backdrop of calm and quiet. It is, in fact, an intersection leading to a fast food restaurant.
In this flow…in all this motion, change, and possibility, I am still, Keron.
Hi Keron – Like your sycamores. See some in my recent work too. Mark
Hi Mark! I did see them….very nice. In fact, I was out the exact same morning. We were less than a mile from each other, as the crow flies. Thanks for checking the blog. Let’s hope for some more snow and fog and go shoot??? Keron
What beautiful trees..and such a wonderful meditation in mindfulness and the power and strength in cultivating the awareness of presence. Thank-you for this.
Dear Marcie,
Thanks so much for this. Happy New Year to you and continued success with your blog and your inspiring work. : ) Keron
Keron,
An interesting introspective. I really like the images. The sycamores and the apple are my favs. The apples speak of change, potential for decay and growth, a re-birth.
Happy New Year and all the best for 2011.
Wil
Sooooo Trixie, I can’t stand waiting for surprises…..what’s the scoop?
I can’t stand waiting for trains either.
A guy I lease my plane to totaled it on laning. I will now have lots more time
for photography. I will look to your work for inspiration.
Hope the new year is going well for you.
Gus