Monday, October 28, 2013

That Confinement Box


Black-crowned Night Heron

I could write about the details.  Become mired in the facts. I learned early on while blogging that I didn't enjoy such things.  I figure I do enough of it every day.  The artist inside wants his blog to capture the magic of our world because quite frankly, the experiences are magical.

Pike's Peak

Everything is explained.  Everything needs an answer.  Everything must fit with this or that.  There is no in between. I get into a car and drive away from people and society.  The further I get, the more my mind relaxes and opens up to the possibilities.

Ladderback Woodpecker

I imagine standing in the grand vistas of the world.  The sunny bright arctic circle.  The snowy dark forests of Canada.  The Egyptian deserts. The Himalayan mountains. The Congolese rain forest.

Vermilion Flycatcher

I imagine that there are people wanting to be standing where I naturally explore. For them, it is also foreign. My foreign.  My familiar.  As a boy, I dreamed of these things.  In my twenties, everyday was different and crazy.  In my thirties, I paid for those twenties.  In my forties, I am alive again. I began to realize that there aren't as many days ahead of me as there are behind.  So I wake up every day with a quick pace similar to that of my youth. However....coffee first:)

Northern Waterthrush-Life bird!

National Geographic magazines exposed me, as a kid, to the world at large.  I read my Ranger Ricks, Arizona Highways, and National Geographics the minute they arrived in the mail.  I built a wooden airplane with my neighbor friend.  We knew it would fly and take us to foreign places.  I sat in the cockpit and imagined flying out of snow covered Wisconsin pastures over tropical waters watching whales breach the waves below.  Maybe I would discover the last dinosaur on Earth.  It was in Brazil hiding within the unexplored Amazon rain forest! (or so the article in my Ranger Rick stated)

Northern Mockingbird

I wanted to escape my hometown as a child.  My 8th grade year, I babysat for my cousins in Flagstaff, AZ.  I left the lakeshores of Wisconsin and discovered the mountains of Arizona. And I knew that I wanted to see the world.  But I had to follow the details.  Study. Work.  Earn my right to dream.

Verdin

Today I still have to study, work and earn my right to dream.  But it has become so much easier.  And it is reality.  I live a life of adventure.  There isn't a formula for this.  I had to feel it inside. And it took me over a decade to discover my inner child again. There is nothing worse than feeling dead from within. That feeling of mundane. What is that?  That's not life and it's certainly not how I want to live.


Head down I-10, take the exit to Tubac and turn right.....blah blah blah.  Boring. Instead, I think, "Head to the open air, away from society onto that beautiful river along the historical DeAnza trail. Follow history.  Follow your heart."   And discover what lies ahead.


18 comments:

  1. love that night-heron shot! the mockingbird in mid-hop flight is great, too!

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  2. Nicely written Chris. I recognise those vibes you have for the great oudoors. Lovely pics to go with your imaginative words too.

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  3. To dobrze, że wróciłeś do swoich marzeń i przeżyć, bo teraz wiesz, że żyjesz. Poznajesz cudowną przyrodę i ptaki, które kochasz. Robisz też wspaniale zdjęcia. Pozdrawiam serdecznie.
    It's good to have you back to your dreams and experience, because now you know you're alive. Recognize the wonderful wildlife and birds that you love. You're doing a great picture. Yours sincerely.

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  4. A wonderful post Chris, written from the heart. Your photos are magic as always!

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  5. I love your header.. Beautiful post. Lovely birds. Cheers..

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  6. Chris, I was old before I was young, life experiences made me an old soul and it took me until my 40's to find that inner child again too.

    Wander through life with that inner child and rejoice in the air on your skin, the smell of the earth and with eyes wide open to take it all in.

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  7. I enjoyed this post, Chris! Awesome birds and photos. Congrats on your lifer! I agree with Mia's last sentence. Have a happy week!

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  8. Pretty profound thoughts. It is a struggle to live in a happy place. So easy to get caught in the depressing grind.
    Your night Heron looks looks prehistoric. What a wonderful shot!
    All the pictures are great.

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  9. I think most of us who love to be out in the natural world share these feelings. I really like the Pike's Peak image with it's real sense of mood.

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  10. Love the mocker in flight... Neat!!!! AND the Night Heron is a great shot also....

    There's just so much to see and do in this life and NEVER enough time. Right???

    I'm one who loves to read your explanations in addition to see the photos...Thanks!
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  11. Hello Chris, thanks for notifying me about your post. You always have wonderful photos to show. Your first and second pictures are amazing! Kids nowadays just like to surf the Internet only. No more reading magazine I think. Btw it is morning here and I had sipped my coffee haha... can't start the day without one :-)

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  12. Your heron seems to be coming from another planet or another era!

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  13. wonderful post Chris - aptly illustrated by amazing photos especially the one of the night heron. That last para "Head to the open air'' etc. would make a great song. Living our dreams isn't so hard if we keep in touch with our inner child. I can't understand it when some people say they get bored.

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  14. Beautifully written post Chris with some stunning photos.

    Curiosity in the natural world and love of adventures so keeps the inner child within us all alive.

    Follow your dreams Chris and thanks for sharing :)

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  15. There you go! Now you've got it! You have gained wisdom!

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