Saturday, October 24, 2009

On my way to where I was going

I left my house early this morning, headed toward Gerrie's where the Oregon Fiber Artists' Critique group was meeting today. I had to get gas, buy something to take for my lunch and mail a letter along the way, so I allowed plenty of time. Gerrie lives quite a ways from me. My route is slow and indirect, but the only way to get there. Saturday morning, chilly and quiet. I was nearly to Gerrie's, quite a bit early, when I saw, ahead of me, Westmoreland Park with a layer of mist spreading out from the little lake and creeping into the surrounding neighborhood, creating ghostly silhouettes of trees, people, ducks . . .
I parked my car, and with my camera and my Starbucks, I walked for a ways along the lake.



I watched a runner emerge from the mist and disappear again, then a boy on stilts.

Down toward the end of the lake a man was flinging some kind of grain into the air as ducks and geese dove and flapped around him, honking and squawking. When his bag was empty, he too disappeared into the mist, leaving the birds to fight over the food.

It seems like I am so often running late to wherever I'm going. I am tense and anxious, creeping through traffic or frantically searching for a better, faster route. How many beautiful sights and lovely moments have I missed in my distracted hurry? How many times have I arrived breathless and flustered? Not today. I got to enjoy a few minutes of misty morning in Westmoreland Park.

And I arrived at Gerrie's right on time.

9 comments:

  1. Susan LT5:17 AM

    Loved your post and the pix. My favorite is the guy on stilts. Pretty surrealistic. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Love the fog and the images. Westmoreland was one of my favorite spots to drive around.

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  3. Viva la wandering! Good job - I wanted to get out and take some pictures of this fog too...but my "to do" list got the better of me. These are beautiful - thanks so much for sharing (and reminding) us all to SLOW DOWN!!!

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  4. Oh my! There is nothing like seeing the beauty around us through the eye of an exceptional artist. Thank you!

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  5. Great inspiration, Terry. And, thanks so much for the lovely coaster. It was wonderful to be the recipient of your artful generosity, and your packing was supurb too - I'm going to remember that trick with the foam board. Best wishes, Connie

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  6. Emily Grant Molina6:56 PM

    Your photos, especially the first one, are really beautiful!

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  7. Beautiful in every way.

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  8. I'm so familiar with that area, but it's totally transformed in the fog. Lovely shots, Terry.

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  9. You're so right, we need to slow down and look at the view more often.

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