New Year back in my home town:
Per aspera ad astra; through adversity to the stars, I read at school in my Latin class.
Denn irdendwo ist ein alte Feindschaft zwischen dem Leben und der grossen Arbeit; literally: because somewhere there is an ancient enmity between life and grand work, wrote Rilke, a German poet of a bygone era.
Recycling of scrap metal.
Progress and magic.
What is your line of thinking?
Birgit,
“Per aspera ad astra; through adversity to the stars” is the Kansas State motto. I just thought you ought to know. The peek at the houses through the trunks of the grand old trees is wonderful, and I’m a sucker for crow photos, even when they are supervising crane operators. What a delight these photos are. Thanks.
Birgit:
Your waterfront shots bear an Erie resemblance. I agree with June about the second photograph. From a bird watcher’s perspective I do wonder how often one sees crows and cranes together as such.
June,
Troels says that Kansas is very pretty with its green hills. I have never been there.
June and Jay,
The houses reminded me of Kimberly’s house post because all three are exactly the same. It is fun how they poke through the naked wood.
The ravens presage the future of this town. It is about to wake up from its sleepiness.
Happy New Year!
Birgit,
These are all nice photographs. I especially like the framing and caption of the crows vs. cranes image. The crows are bound to win in the long run, though I’m not so sure about the trees in the short term.
Steve,
It took me a week to find the meaning of the third picture regarding my past. Now, I think that it stands for making peace with the two earlier attitudes, a recycling of what is not longer fit.
My initial caption for the last picture was ‘reconciliation of progress and magic’. Troels urged me to omit ‘reconciliation’. I am glad I did. Both you and he were wiser than I. I only arrived at your ‘line of thinking’ after reading about dreams in the letters and diaries of Paula Modersohn-Becker.
I like the Rilke quote, which reminded me of an Emily Dickinson quote:
“To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.”
Of the photos,I especially like the stillness of the first and third, where man clearly has been so active, but now only the moon moves.
Martha,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on stillness.