Melodies of Fall

There is a way that life's lessons slowly sink into me.
Maybe that is the only way they can get past my stubborn outer shell.

I find hints and gentle reminders that start waving at me from all sorts of places. I feel their tug and then they are gone. Their echo remains softly in my mind reminding me of their purpose.

Behind these blue eyes I have wondered about a lot of things. Among my wonders are echoes of anticipating Fall. These thoughts reverberate in my shallow mind reminding me that there is a lesson there. I have tasted it a number of times and I allow its flavor to register with a certain understanding. I glance over the segments that are as clear to me as a foliage map that show Fall colors ranging from "before peak" to peak to "past peak"... Then these thoughts are scattered many times by raindrops of everyday concerns. Life's lessons being allowed to brew within my soul.

I have a camera obsession. Fall is an explosion of opportunities for such an obsession. I live in an area that is simply perfect. Maples that turn gorgeous yellows and oranges. Oaks that have the most vibrant reds. Birches that are simply stunning with their white trunks and neon covers. Place them near one of the hundreds of streams or lakes... Aahh... Its enough to make you drool with anticipation. I do every year.

I have always been at ready. Camera in hand scanning the landscapes waiting for that perfect moment of color. Waiting for that perfect scene that embodies the gorgeous nature of Fall in the northeast. Waiting... And then suddenly the moments past and I am empty handed. No perfect photos once again. The colors turning brown and falling across the meadow...

Somehow I once again failed to learn the simply lesson life has been teaching. It echoes in my mind as more raindrops of everyday needs fill my horizon. Until another moment where I begin to wonder. The wind blowing from a different front. This time my thoughts turn to...

How thoughts are like music... how they play in all sorts of melodies.

Music...
What a wonderful thing. To truly enjoy music you need to surf the wave of the melody. You can't reminiscence or the song crashes through you and leaves you in that pool of thought that you have chosen. You can't dream of those notes still to come or you are forever left waiting for the ride...

How simple a thing NOW is and yet how difficult it is for us to stand in it. Could I think that maybe I could slow time down by holding onto the past? Or race to those moments that I anticipate simply because I desire?

I wonder... no I think... these life lessons will continue to echo for quite a while. In the meantime I'll try to appreciate the beauty of even past peak scenes in the wonderful Fall northeast...

Obsessions

I carry a camera with me... always. It's not a great camera but it is one that stays true and near. I have taken over 12,000 pictures with it and during that time I have learned that it needs a bit of extra help to produce a good image. It is at its best when there is sufficient light, a steady hand and a subject that is close at hand. I wonder how it feels as I hold it in my hands and point it at the world like I am behind the lens of a big boy camera? What does it think as I dwarf it on a large tripod pointing it towards a subject well out of its range?

Obsessions can drive you.

The question is where they take you. Is that where you want to be?

I have cautiously taken a ride with this one. I have watched as it has driven me past the laughter of family. I know at times I am the butt of the joke but I am OK with that. There is endearment in the laughter. Hopefully it doesn't bring too much embarrassment. There is that fine line I wonder about.

Like my oldest son's graduation.
A crowning moment for him.
A proud moment for me.
A fabulous opportunity for this obsession...

Sitting in the front row of the standing room only hall filled with friends and family was my oldest son's father. Perched in front of him was a tiny silver camera sitting on top of a huge tripod. 300 pictures were taken with it as real photographers scooted around the obstruction being careful not to block the view of that tiny lens. When it was all said and done most of those images were unusable. The image that got the most comment in fact was not even taken by that camera. It was one that was posted on the school's website. It was an image taken by not a pretend camera. It was an image of a proud dad sitting in front of a huge tripod viewing a display as he snapped picture after picture of the graduation...

So... I am cautious of the ride. Content to hold onto my play toy pretending to allow the obsession to drive. Content to wait for an opportunity for a real camera. Content to realize that there are more important things in life.

Yes... I am cautious.
I don't want to have tunnel vision...




This image was taken walking that line...
I took my youngest son up the stairs of a monument... 155 feet tall. We shared that experience and the camera went along with us. It will help us relive the moment but it was the moment that meant the world. It was the feeling that washed over me as I watched him grip his fear of heights and climb those stairs to the very top...

and yes... there are some obsessions that will always drive me and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Behind Blue Eyes

Look me in the eyes and tell me no lies.
Lenses of truth and beacons of life.
Beholders of beauty and our connection to the world.

Eyes...
Known as the windows of the soul.

What lurks behind these blue eyes?
What sights do they see?

I am a watcher... I am a dreamer...
I am the man behind these blues eyes.
I am blue eyed Mike.

Scattered around my mind and strewn lazily around this blog are some thoughts and sights that sometimes pass through these blue eyes.