Adventure in an Antique Mode

Hot Air Balloon

Adventure in an Antique Mode ©2012 Bo Mackison

Like a shamanistic language, flight speaks in different idioms. We can blast rockets to the stars. We can race across the sky on fixed wings. Ballooning appeals because it is more languorous and low-tech; it’s adventure in an antique mood. What a treat to stroll through the veils of twilight, to float across the sky like a slowly forming thought. Flying an airplane, one usually travels the shortest distance between two points. Balloonists can dawdle, lollygag, cast their fate to the wind and become part of the ebb and flow of nature, part of the sky itself, held aloft like any bird, leaf or spore. In that silent realm, far from the mischief and toil of society, all one hears is the urgent breathing of the wind and, now and then, an inspiring gasp of hot air.  ~ Diane Ackerman, ‘Traveling Light,’  New York Times, 11 January 1997.

There are so many phrases in this quote by Diane Ackerman. I want to just pick them out of their sentences and fling them about, see if, perhaps, they will soar as they have my mind soaring.

“stroll through the veils of twilight” – rather like the slowing down part of the day, the time when you sit in the comfy chair near the fireplace and rest your head on its high back, and close your eyes so that you can take a short mind-travel of the day’s events.

“float…like a slowly forming thought” – I have more and more of those. The kinds of thoughts that if I hurry along, force out into the open, well, they are lost forever. I need to nudge those thoughts forward a bit, those thoughts that linger on the edge of consciousness, and then I let them rest awhile. I pretend I am only vaguely interested, and move on to a project that is more busyness than business. More often than not, that elusive thought gradually moves closer, until it is close enough that I can see more than just the edges. I capture a glimpse of the idea. The glimpse is enough. A little more time and the glimpse becomes the thought I once wanted to capture. It has come to me of its own accord.

“become part of the ebb and flow of nature” – well, yes. That is often my intent. I am happiest trekking through the wilder lands than walking along a paved sidewalk or doing business in a building where I feel cut off from the natural world. But the next part speaks even more loudly to me.

“become…part of the sky itself, held aloft” – What would that feel like? The experience of flying, of soaring, or circling the earth below, all the world held at a distance while I took enough time to gather my thoughts. And being held aloft? On what? Gentle air currents, pockets of weightlessness, invisible threads held by unseen angels. Oh, sometimes it is fun to let my mind just take off, and I follow along to see where it will take me.

“far from the mischief and toil of society” – Yes, some days I do dream of escape, of tucking a heap of insulation around me and resting, far from the mischief and from society’s expectations. At one time in my life, I was a phenomenal mind-escape artist. I’ve learned it’s more advantageous, more acceptable too, to take only a bit of a time out – perhaps a walk around the pond – not a long escape, but I still find myself dreaming of the quiet.

“all one hears is the urgent breathing of the wind” – Yes, in the sky, I would expect to hear the urgent breathing of the wind. Here, land-bound, I seem to hear the urgent breathing of the earth. How does one calm the earth’s breathing, soothe its shuddering inhalations and exhalations? How does one help the earth slow its breathing, how does one touch the earth?

——————

Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.Occasionally, she veers off course and takes a look at the world through a somewhat poetic view.

This is my October Photo-Heart Connection contribution. When a photo (and the accompanying quote) move me to consider my place in the universe, it is a truly heart connection combination.

Blogging and The Land of Enchantment

Hot Air Balloon over Albuquerque

Hot Air Balloon over Albuquerque ©2008 Bo Mackison

There are many reasons to keep a blog. When I started this blog just over a year ago, my goals were straight-forward. I wanted to practice my photography, a brand new skill then, and commit to a daily practice of posting a photograph. Simple enough.

In a matter of a few weeks, the blogging grew into a habit I enjoyed. Not only did my photos improve, but after many months they began to attract some attention on their own. Some people asked to buy copies; a couple of non-profits asked permission to use a photo or two in their various organizations. The exposure also led to a writing gig for a Wisconsin Travel blog. And I developed a core of readers who visited regularly, left comments, and whom I visited in return. And so I thought that is what blogging accomplished and I was quite pleased with the results. Little did I realize there would be more.

Last spring, I discovered a writers’ blog, red Ravine, and submitted a couple of writing pieces to the site. They were published and I found I enjoyed that experience. I also enjoyed the red Ravine community and began reading the blog regularly and commenting. I exchanged a few e-mails with one of rR’s founders, ybonesy. Ybonesy often writes about place on her blog. In her case, place is New Mexico.

When I began making plans to travel in the Southwest, I dropped ybonesy a note, telling her I would be in her neighborhood, in person.  Was she interested in meeting for coffee or lunch?  She responded enthusiastically and so we began our planning.

Last week, I arrived on her doorstep with my spouse and camper in tow. We explored her awesome piece of land, I met the snake and the turkeys and the dogs she so often blogs about. Her husband Jim greeted us as well, and shared his enthusiasm for the wide open spaces in New Mexico.  Then we went to the perfect local restaurant, Perea’s Tijuana Bar, where we indulged in carne adovada and tamales. It was a truly delightful experience – great food plus face-to-face conversation with a “blogger friend”.  I’m a self-avowed introvert and this was a remarkable feat for me. I had a great visit and I felt like I had rediscovered a long-gone friend.

When we all blog together, we do get to know a lot about each other, but the connection isn’t quite complete. It is very nice to actually meet someone from the virtual world in the real world. Very nice, indeed.

I hope, ybonesy, if you or another frequent visitor at the Seeded Earth ever visit Wisconsin, you’ll drop me a note. I’d love to share my part of the country in the same manner you shared your part of the country with me.

Blogging has a lot of benefits. Exposure, a bit of profit, new gigs, virtual friendships all around the world. Now I can add another plus – new friends to meet in new places. Wow! This is pretty awesome stuff.

Thanks, ybonesy, for the wonderful visit. It was great meeting you after learning so much about you from your writing and art. This kind of connection really makes blogging come alive.