Seldom Seen
Outer Banks
Snow event
Sorcery
Infrequent atmospheric episodes stimulate creativity.
“The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands.” – Leonardo da Vinci
Perseverance
Night descends
Sandstone formations
Monument canyon adventure
On a cool and windy evening, John and I ventured out to a prime Monument Canyon overlook to work with time.
“I came here last year and found these canyons, and they feel like the heart of the world to me. I’m going to stay and build trails and promote this place, because it should be a national park.” – John Otto
Time Would Tell
Rugged cliffs
Scenic splendor
Imbue with meaning
Scanning an immense landscape for essential details involves serious contemplation over a tranquil duration.
“My mind wandered above its monitoring function into the fields of memory.” – Neil Peart
Petroglyph
Distant past
Surface incising
Rock art
At the top of my first western slope hike was an ancient message.
“Symbols they were of an era that had gone into the dim past, leaving only these marks, forever unintelligible; yet while they stood, century after century, ineffaceable, reminders of the glory, the mystery, the sadness of life.” – Zane Grey
Between Instants
Serial character
Temporal relations
Thoughts succeeding
Capturing action at the apex of development, an actual state nature can never return.
“Each instant is irrevocable.” – Alfred North Whitehead
Vital Order
Infinitely complex
Movement spontaneity
Attention thrust
Every trip to the Currituck Heritage Park on the sound side of the Banks is visually rewarding, especially late in the day.
“We are not the vital current itself; we are this current already loaded with matter, that is, with congealed parts of its own substance which it carries along its course.” – Henri Bergson
Later than Now
Perspectival facts
Occurrence events
Reflexive expression
The Outer Banks is a photographer’s paradise offering endless aesthetic opportunities. This dynamic string of peninsulas and barrier islands separating the Atlantic Ocean from the mainland is unique geographically and ecologically. Experiencing seasonal change is a significant gift.
“Only a primary picture with its explicit now makes clear the nonfictional character of the statement, its rootedness in the real-life activities of observation and inference.” – Wilfrid Sellars
The Metropolis
On the shoreline
From the other side
Know the way
Old wooden shipwrecks embedded in the sand on the Outer Banks beaches appear, disappear, then reappear with the vicissitudes of storm and tide.
“Everything from just the backbone of the wreck to the frames of the ship have broken through the sand over the years, giving onlookers a glimpse of the past.” – Michelle Wagner
Causal Nexus
Primary character
Derived sequence
Immediate presentations
Certain points of interest along the way emerge and recede in the process flow.
“Thus organic bodies have their parts coordinated by a peculiar vividness in their mutual inheritance.” – Alfred North Whitehead
Uncompromising
Wistful tinge
Tarnished joy
Intention to enjoy
Leaving old and familiar landmarks behind, new destinations appear across novel landscapes. Memories of other occasions are something to hold onto, but the past must also be released for positive forward momentum.
“Driving down the razor’s edge between past and future.” – Neil Peart