Island Summer

22 05 2012

Like a long stretch of beach, the solitude of summer beckons  me.  I know from experience that the grains of minutes will go by too quickly, that my plans for relaxation and creative expression will bud, blossom and fade with the August doldrums.  Still, my excitement builds.  So many choices unfold.  Will I slip out of bed early for a sunrise stroll, or laze sleepily on soft sheets while the whirring ceiling fan stirs my dreams?  Will the sparkle  blue of the pool draw me in for some lap swimming,  or will I drag my bike down the stairs and pedal off to look for feeding eagle rays beneath the seven mile bridge?  Perhaps my kayak will invite me for a paddle among the mangroves where I’ll listen for the huffing breaths of manatees and see snowy white herons feeding in the shallows.  Hubby and I will spend weekends on photo adventures or snorkeling in clear ocean depths.  The joy of summer lies in the breadth of choices or the option of doing nothing;  in the grains of minutes that trickle and then cascade, that roil in the gentle surf, and finally come to rest on a long stretch of beach.

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Solitude

12 05 2012

When I walk into my bedroom at night, close the door and absorb the silence, I feel enveloped in the positive space of solitude.  The world is at bay, the television  a muffled, distant drone.  I float through currents of cool air, as the ceiling fan blades quietly whir, carrying me to the king-sized expanse of crisp sheets and soft pillows.  I give prayerful thanks for the peace and comfort of my home, and this sanctuary for sleep.  Most  nights, the whispering palm fronds sway, or even whip, in the ocean breezes outside my windows.  Some nights, the glow of my Nook illuminates my face, while the words I read (hopefully!) are illuminating my mind; or at least lulling me into the softness of sleep.  Other nights, the dark silence is all I crave, lying there with my thoughts soaring, crashing, sparking odd connections and finally drifting into sleepy peacefulness.  Solitude is both a necessity and a pleasure, a thing I occasionally  seek and sometimes stumble upon, but always relish.





Ephemeris

6 05 2012

I’m heading out with my new camera to photograph the rise of the “super” moon over Sombrero Lighthouse.  Hubby and I  used the web page Photographer’s Ephemeris to see exactly where the moon will be coming up.  It’s a great sight for planning photo shoots.  The word ephemeris interests me tonight, perhaps even inspires me.  It is such a left-brain construct of data and tables, a surprising definition for a word so much like ephemeral which means  something brief or fleeting.  Like the creative functions of the right-brain, those elusive connections and ideas, the celestial bodies are fleeting in their positions at any given time, although predictable in general; enough so that ephemeris can be created!