Big Sur Gifting

Poetry, like wine, tends to get better as time passes. Or at Least mine tends to. Enjoy Big Sur.

Leviathon’s Breathing

Big Sur greeting, Leviathon’s breathing, ocean’s edge is deck side seat.
Right out front, here and down-slope, we can feel her, ocean’s present.
In our night, perhaps she’ll wake us, sea-side, snoring.
Coast companions, whale in cove and us in cottage.
Morning light brings farewell sadness, out to sea she’s southwest bound
Gone from cove, perhaps she’s leading, pod is heading off for Mauii
Distant wuffs mark ocean pathway.


Morning Misting

Ocean morning, mist to shore
Upslope journey’s fog’s demise.
Ocean’s child was cold and humid
foster home is trees and ferns.
Ocean’s offering for whale and deer
Both kelp and pine tree, water’s children
Ocean’s border, lands is neighbor.


Wuffing Whale

Wuffing whale has come to greet us
Feeding, breathing in our cove.
First we heard him, then his spouting
Welcome gesture, down below.
Cliffside cottage, Big Sur deck
with pine trees gathering.
Off to china, whale starts journey
Alone at sea and gone, from us…


Nourishing Nothingness

Rising peace invades my being, sunlit courtyard is my place.
Nature’s noises keep the flowing, nourishment coming, fills my soul.
Cell-phone’s contrast, other’s problem, they brought city to this place.
Here is nature, here is natural, stress is absent, don’t come back.
I am home now, here I’m happy, I embrace this, here my peace.

Courtyard pleasures, clear display, rocks reflections in the water.
Sand is ordered by a rake, lines that follow, guided, teaming.
Flowers floating, wet, in redwood, water’s clear with dappled sunlight
Fond remembrance other’s joy, Big Sur moment, sun lit place.


Iron Grapevine

Grapevine racing over railing, iron frame-work, grape’s support.
Iron’s grey and strong and static, grapevine’s fast and green with fruit.
Wall-top couple, cliff-side partners, start the view to down below.
Grapevine’s seasons giving contrasts, rail’s monotony gives support
Life-long partners on the edge.

Land Rejecting

Ocean offers, land’s no taker, watery gift from far off shore.
Rise provides evaporation, embankment’s plants must grab or die.
Lower’s better for water drinkers, higher up means going dry.
Hill top’s desert ends the battle, elevation is gift’s demise.
Coast environs are reluctant takers, restricting zone is waters brakes.
Ocean’s gift was so far coming, mountain drain works all too well,
Nature’s conflict, on Big Sur coast .

Haiku 2

Ski Trail
Cross country ski trail
Groomed and ready, tracked or not
Pathway to heaven

High Country
High country coming
Mountain path, summer’s delight
Winter sustainment.

Tamarack track

The Tamarack Cross-country ski area at Mammoth Lakes, CA. is the most gorgeous winter recreation area I have ever skied in. This shot was an accident. I didn't know I had taken it, till I was looking at what I had. I enhanced it and here it is. Sometimes little accidents give birth to interesting works.

Previews of comming attractions

A collection of poetry from Big Sur

Milk Vetch in the Rain

Aren't macro lenses wonderful. No digital enhancement is necessary.

Rock Slide on the Oregon Side

and this was only part of the problem

Clear Weather Near Syskiyou Summit

And this was heading south!

Getting to Ashland, Oregon

You want to know about adventure??!!??
In heading from Redding in Northern California to Ashland, Oregon, in a three car caravan, we took Interstate 5 North of Mt Shasta, where the California Highway Patrol warned us to go back. When we got to Weed, CA ( yes it really is called Weed), I5 was shut down completely, so we pulled off for lunch. I had to get out and put gas in the car in 35 mph wind and horizontal rain turning to snow. After a terrible lunch, we got back on 5 headed South and noticed that the freeway was open to the North once more. We were all in cell phone communication and made a group decision to head North again for Ashland. We went over a 4,000 ft pass in a snow storm and headed out of California into the Cold Frozen North. By that time, the South bound lanes were starting to open up for a few cars. As we approached Ashland, we could see the largest mudslide I have ever seen on the other side of the freeway, the one that had closed the freeway both ways an hour before. The Oregon Highway people had cleared a lane. We were really glad to see our house in downtown Asland. We heard the next day that I5 was shut down again, North Bound, a couple of hours after we got through, due to an even larger mudslide.

Lithia Creek, Ashland, Oregon,2006

This 'creek' is just across the street from us. And there's a BIG storm on the way tonight

Digi-tazz

Razzi has a new image

And a good time was had by all!!!

Ashland in the storms. 2006