04.22.07
Looking Deeper At The Ordinary
I went to a city park last night an hour or so before sunset, set up a lawn chair and just watched. The last two hours, or so, of the day is my favorite time. At this time things take on a glow and the angle of the sun creates shadows, for instance in the ridges of the tree bark, giving much depth to everything. This is in contrast to the flat lighting of 2PM.
I walk through this park often but sitting and doing nothing I was amazed at how much I saw besides the usual song birds:
- Across a small stream I saw two deer that stayed within view the entire hour I was there.
- Nearby was a Beaver, not in the water but moving in and out of the ground cover.
- A pair of Wood Ducks landed in the stream. After a while the male flew out and circled the park before returning to the water.
- At least 30 feet up in a tree four very small, young squirrels, apparently too young to stray far from the nest, none the less seemed to have a great time climbing around the branches up to 10 feet away, sometimes chasing each other, sometimes hanging upside down under a branch.
- Several adult, or at least adult sized, squirrels foraging on the ground.
- Birds that I don’t usually see in town. Couldn’t identify most but I think one was a Phoebe.
- On top of all that the Cottonwood trees were starting to leaf out, the first tree leaves I’ve seen this year.
There were a lot of people around engaged in various activities. None seemed to notice all the activity I saw.
It’s amazing what you can find when you just stop and notice. “Being” rather than doing.
Just be.
