I took this photo of the Washington Monument at dusk a couple of years ago from the steps surrounding our nation’s Capitol. Traffic jammed the streets, workers hurried home along the sidewalks, and tourists stopped to listen to their guide. I’ve always liked reflection shots. Reflections reveal a whole other world that is upside down from ours–a mirror world where bad can become good, war can give way to peace, anger can turn to love, pride can dissipate into humility, and selfishness can be replaced by compassionate giving. I pray for a nation where the monuments we treasure are not the evils that are so prevalent; rather they are the mirrors of those evils I believe exist in the depths of our being.
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I wouldn’t mind walking to work even in the cold if I could enjoy this beautiful park along the way every morning. However, I know that even if this were my route, before long I would stop noticing its charm. My mind would turn to the work ahead of me, and I would miss the shadows, the natural canopy, and the way the morning light reflects off the snow. Although this is not the sidewalk I take to work, I do have my personal routes. Perhaps if I took the time to open my eyes I might find beauty on my morning commutes as well. Unique and wonderful beauty is always around me. Open my eyes and behold.
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I realize it’s August and many of us are dealing with extreme heat. What better time to post a picture of a snow covered park bench? I continue to be amazed at the vast variety of weather on this planet we call earth. This year I’ve experienced snow, hail, sleet, mist, rainstorms, windstorms, lightning, and more. The only things I can think of I have not experienced are tornadoes or hurricanes. Since I live in Oklahoma, hurricanes are out. However, our state has had its share of tornadoes. I know that weather is often destructive (just this year, I had over $17,000 in hail damage to my home and car). However, given the option of no weather or weather with all its destructive and beautiful variations, I’ll choose weather. I love the snow covered park benches, the ice cycles clinging to the branches, the dark rolling thunder clouds, the summer rain that makes the overheated streets steam, and the swirling wind that carries away the fall leaves. I love it all.
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Just a few miles from the Ohio River close to the Southern border of Indiana, is the quaint town of Corydon. From 1813 to 1825, prior to the Capital of Indiana being moved to Indianapolis, it was located in this small “southern” town. The original Capitol building still remains and is open for viewing. Unfortunately, according to the guide that graciously told me the history, only a few of the original pieces of furniture remain. The story goes that when they moved the governmental center north to Indianapolis they auctioned all the furniture from the old building for a whopping $52. Still, they have adorned the old building with exact replicas from that period. Here I found a simple quill sitting on a desk like one that may have been used to draft the first constitution for the state of Indiana in 1816.
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Although I currently live in Oklahoma, my heart still resides in Kentucky where I grew up. This photo shows one of the reasons I’m so fond of my home state. I took this picture recently while on a trip “home.” I decided to get off the four-lane highway and drove Old Frankfort Pike that runs along the stone fences beneath a canopy of trees from Frankfort to Lexington. Beyond the trees and fences, the stunning thoroughbreds of the local horse farms grazed in the fields. How could anyone not love this?
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