Contemplating.

Contemplating.
Wayzata, Minnesota

Monday, January 9, 2017

Scene and Story

Good morning all!
This is my first posting for 

Brought to us by
Sarah at
Paisley Rain Boots

Afternoon Flashback

"Only by going alone in silence, can one truly 
get into the heart of the wilderness.
All other travel is mere dust and hotels
and baggage and chatter."
John Muir





There's always more to every picture, and I still hold dear everything about this afternoon in Cannon Falls. Of course it's my own private baggage that I carry through life and it defines special moments, between letting it sit idle or bringing things out.  Imagine, an afternoon in our own space in time, that's only ours. For me, nature has a way of putting pause to my baggage and simply allows the moment to take lead. 

Here's what you can't see in these photos.


Far away, a hawk turned its head,
distracted by a rusty, hinge cry from something wild,
while a flock of migratory birds flapped towards the horizon.
Nearby street noise and church bells announced their existence.
A father and his two boys laughing,
 tossing bread crumbs to ducks.
Splashes! Sweet little ducklings stumbled over one another
in search of food or another hapless insect.
You'll never know by this photo, but off in the distance the twitter of other birds could be heard.
Graceful trumpeter swans, white, grey, wild, long necked, soft feathered beauty upon the water, 
all feathered friends rejoicing with each new breath.







Thanks for stopping in!
Enjoy your own afternoon!





22 comments:

Sarah Huizenga said...

Wonderful immersive writing Karen. So happy you have joined us for Scene & Story - a place to build community and share stories, as well as, our lives. I can almost hear all those delightful birds.

Unknown said...

What an amazing place to take pause and forget the baggage we all tend to carry.

Hootin Anni said...

Awesome, Karen!!

The photos, your narration [and the first two lines of the Muir quote at the top is ME lol]

Rachel Weishaar said...

Your photo reminds me of a time I visited a Riparian Preserve when my kids were little. I needed to get them out of the house. When we arrived, it was almost as if I opened my eyes a little wider. I thought, "Oh ya, Nature!" Loved your description, as well.

Cloudia said...

What a lovely experience, Karen

sage said...

I have never read (that I recalled) that Muir quote, but it does express my life and my desire to travel-often alone-in the wilderness.

Sandra said...

I like all the things you spoke about which can't be seen in your photo. A beautiful swan gliding in deep blue water and reflections.

Karen Lakis said...

I love the contrast between the nearly empty pond and your descriptions of the sounds of nearby birds - you set the scene wonderfully!

Debbie said...

the muir quote is wonderful, for us nature lovers. i'm not sure what i enjoyed more - the images or what you didn't capture in an image. my imagination was heightened by the story!!

Elephant's Child said...

Love those scenes, and the snippets of back story your words gave us. Thank you.

Nancy said...

I love hearing the sounds of the story along with the photos. It gave so much meaning that would have been missed otherwise....

orchid0324 said...

Dearest Karen; BEAUTIFUL post and I loved reading your English (narration) as well♪
Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*

Viv@Thoughts from the Desktop said...

Beautiful words I love your descriptive writing .

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

kilroy



:)

seabluelee said...

This was lovely! My baggage seems to get left behind when I go out into nature, too. I often wish I could record the sounds and the scents to complete the scene of a photograph, but you did that beautifully with your words. Thanks for joining our Scene & Story link-up!

eileeninmd said...

Hello, I love your story and the images. I can almost hear the child laughing over the piggy duck antics. The Muir quote is a favorite too.
I love the swan photo. Happy Tuesday, enjoy your day!

Anonymous said...

Oh, Karen, such a well done and beautifully written piece. I felt like I could see it all. Thank you.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Oh yes indeed Karen, there's always a bigger picture!

Cathy H. said...

Your scene is lovely and peaceful. I love that we have the choice of what we want to include in our photos. It makes me smile that so much else was going on!

Donna Hopkins said...

Off in the distance, the twitter of other birds . . . words that reveal how deeply you lived in that moment. Thank you for sharing your recollection - nature notes.

CatieAn said...

your descriptive narrative really brought the scene to life...I could feel myself right there feeling the chill and hearing all the sounds.

Anonymous said...

Baggage? Or complexity a better word. Something to adore, or at least admire.