Lone Pine In Red Clay, Clarks Hill Lake, Georgia, July 2008, photo © 2008 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
roots of dry summer
where lake water kissed burnt sand
lone pine in red clay
-posted on red Ravine, Thursday, August 21st, 2008
-related to post: haiku (one-a-day)
Gorgeous.
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jo, thank you. Kind of a silent, midnight post. After a long, long day. I’m always struck by all the memories that flood back to me with photographs. I always remember exactly what was going on around me when I took it. Such a sensory experience for me.
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Very texture-y photo. Maybe that’s not a word, but that’s how I see it. I can almost feel it. Very nice.
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Both haiku and photo are very expressive and complement each other beautifully.
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Bo, texture-y’s a great word. Yes, I love the texture and feel of things. I sometimes forget that until someone points it out to me.
Thank you, lirone. Much appreciated. I almost missed this little pine when we were walking on the banks of Clarks Hill Lake one of our last afternoons before Liz flew back to Minneapolis from Georgia. It was Liz who pointed it out to me. She was walking toward the neighbor’s dock and we were talking about the peacocks. 8)
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Wow – quoinmonkey – this is a gorgeous combination of image and poem it prompted – i like the austerity of both! G
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G., thanks so much. My favorite part is the little prickly shadow of the pine needles. That shadow somehow seems to balance out all that starkness for me. I have no idea why.
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QM, How sweet…makes me want to say,
“Come on, little guy, you can do it!”
I am always amazed at where pine trees can grow! There is one by the road leading to Yellowstone that often gets its picture taken, as it literally grew around a big boulder! Glad you pointed outr the shadows of the needles, as they emphasize the reach towards the sun.
Beautiful photo AND haiku!!
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oliverowl, me, too. Can’t believe the places that pines can grow. It always astounds me how many of them there are along the roads and lakes and backwoods of Georgia and South Carolina. They are a symbol to me of childhood years.
I was telling Liz when we were walking from my uncles’s house down to the lake and stepping over soft brown pine needles that cover the ground — when I was a young kid I used to make play houses with the pine needles.
Rows of brown needles would make the boundaries between the different rooms of the home. And I’d sweep the sand “floor” clear in each room with a pine bough. Sap often stuck to my hands. I love the smell of real pine after a rainstorm.
Also, when you see mulch there, it’s often the deep red-brown of pine needle mulch. You just don’t see that up here in Minnesota.
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What a great photo! This guy is a survivor & a testament that nature can overcome great odds. D
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diddy, yes a survivor! That’s a good way to put it. Growing out of the center of emptiness. I thought of you and J. this weekend when Liz stumbled on some video of the Outer Banks. And I was thinking about your cabin on the Susquehanna. I bet you miss it this summer. Great to hear from you. 8)
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QM, We hope to make it to camp this week-end, but all depends on a captain for our boat. J is not up to it yet. He is doing much better, though I think he might be overdoing it a little. Yes, we miss camp & the peacefulness of the Susquehanna. I’m still hoping for an Outer Banks trip, if not this fall, then in the spring.
This was a great photo & the haiku was perfect! I’m glad you pointed out the shadows! D
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diddy, yes, I am sure you will make it back to the Outer Banks. It’s a long trip though. And yes, best to take it easy this summer. Don’t want to over-do! Hope you are both taking it easy. I’m enjoying your haiku about the birds and wildlife at your home. It’s very peaceful there.
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QM, I made similar houses under the pines, though not in that red dirt of the south, I played in rich black soil. Did you make little people out of the pine cones? I used the cones for people bodies, added acorns for the heads – scratched faces into the acorn and tried not to loosen the cap from the head.
Oh, you are really knocking the memories off the tree today, QM. Have given up on all housework (yeah!) and I am writing bits and pieces so I can remember everything. Thank you. I guess I needed a day traipsing on memory lane.
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Bo, that’s pretty creative with the pine cone bodies and acorn heads. Love the part about scratching in the faces and not knocking their caps off. A great childhood memory for you. I don’t remember doing that. But I do remember Mom used to make all kinds of home decorations with pine cones around the Holidays. They were always just a step out the door away.
I’m glad you traded housework today for your creative life. Some days we just need that kind of time to rejuvenate and rustle around inside with the Muse. Good for you! Yes, keep writing everything down. You never know where it will land in your writing or your photography. And thanks for all of your kind comments today. It feels good to inspire others in some way. It’s a mutual feeling. And one of the giant reasons ybonesy and I do all this. Keep us posted on what you end up doing for your postcard project. 8)
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