Six Word Saturday

We drove six hundred miles yesterday

Transforming Friday with Nature's Wonders

Jumping off a mountain.

Long day in the saddle - 611 miles covered today from south-east Pennsylvania to south-east Michigan.

But we did encounter one semi-interesting point along the way.

 ~~::~~

Just today I drove over
The highest point on I-80
[East of the Mississippi]
One hundred eleven miles from Ohio.

Twenty-two hundred and fifty feet
above the level of the rising sea.

You are not impressed.

There is no sheer drop off
No three foot wide path
perched on a wind-swept ridge.

No.

Instead, four lanes of asphalt
With a grassy median
Surrounded by gently rolling hills
And trees; a dense infinity of trees.

Home to deer and foxes
Slinking in the underbrush
Rabbits, song birds, voles
All avoiding the keen eyes of hawks

Who soar at heights unattainable
Unimaginable and undesired
By timid flat-landers pretending
To fly in their four wheeled metal boxes.

~~::~~

 
reduced to a quasi-haiku

one more road wrinkle
in the pennsylvania flounce
asphalt furbelow

Indian Head Point

Indian Head Point 

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Near Munising, MI along Lake Superior

Photo by me

His jaw is along the water

The outcropping is his nose

The shadow defines his profile

The trees along the top are his head dress

~~::~~

o great father

what joy and sorrow you've seen

over the long years

~~::~~

 that challenge of life
to live long enough to know
the wisdom of stone

 ~~::~~

Six Words:
The Great Face Faces The West 

 ~~::~~

Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Carpe Diem #367, Kirov

We continue our journey through the novel ALEPH, and thus along the Trans-Siberian Railway, arriving at the ancient city of Kirov. 

This time I was intrigued by: "Paulo looks deep into the eyes of Hilal and enters the 'Aleph'."  Part of this experience is described as "feelings that simultaneously exalt and suffocate."  According to Wikipedia, the aleph is "a point where everything, the whole universe is contained."

Well, this is deep, and has nothing at all to do with the city of Kirov - except to the extent that the Aleph contains it, as well.

moment of aleph

eyes meet and we merge as one

sweet suffocation

I know phrase and fragment structure should have 1 caesura, never 2; but I couldn't bring it together that way.

moment of aleph

contains all of us ~ even

moose goose and spider

That one is a stretch, even for the all-containing aleph.  But - since we're all together here - why not?

Carpe Diem #367

 

Carpe Diem #366, Volga River

In Kristjaan's write-up, this line captured my imagination: "maybe they did saw it reflecting the lights of the TSR or the moon."  So I followed it to the surface of the water.

from the train's windows

starlight glints on dark waters

volga reflections

~~:~~

train passes at night
moose looks up from foraging

goose honks at its horn

~~:~~

the train flies by night
orb weaver knows her job is
keep it free from flies

~~:~~

I avoid reading Kristjaan's haiku before writing mine, to try to stay original.   Still, my first is quite similar to his first, and I find the imagery pleasing in both verses.

And then, I welcome back my old friends.

Update: At Pea's suggestion, one I left in her comments.

random ebbs and flows
with now and then an eddy
so goes the current

~~:~~

Carpe Diem #366

 

Carpe Diem #365, Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl 

just a station to pass through

on our journey

~::~

is it the journey

or the destination

what are we seeking

~::~

yet another life
will this time be the right time
for love to endure

~::~

Carpe Diem #365, Yaroslavl

Tornado

We were visiting relatives in Florida last week, and drove home over the week end.  Sunday was a bad weather day, and we stayed ahead of the worst of it for most of our trip. In the afternoon, we stopped in Toledo to see my mom.  That's when the bad weather hit, and we decided to wait it out, rather then drive through it.

Then this happened, as we found out yesterday.

Picture Source

The picture, from yesterday's [Tuesday, 11/19/13] Toledo Blade, shows the path of a tornado that swept across the area on Sunday. I've added a red bull's eye, showing the approximate location of my mother's MOBILE HOME, where mom, my sister, my lovely wife and I were when the tornado came through.

The tornado literally leap-frogged two adjacent mobile home parks at approx. 5:45 p.m. and passed right over our heads. We didn't even know it had happened.

We had already driven about 450 miles that day, only to come to rest in the path of a destructive twister.

On a more positive note, Sis made us a nice chicken paprikas.

Carpe Deim Special #14 - Ancient Road

ANCIENT ROAD

I

Where will it take you -
The road goes ever on and
Will it lead back home?

II

It starts at my door -

Flowing off like a river

 Where does this road lead?

III

The road carries me

On to my destination

Will you come along?

IV

Wherever we go

We wander without a map

On the road of life

V

There is no escape

I travel far down this road

And still find myself

Carpe Diem Special #14

Shadow Shot Sunday - Mellow Yellow Monday

When we went to Black Lake in July, Nate and his dad went salmon fishing in the Straights of  Mackinac.

Nate caught this one

Back on shore - I think dad got this one

A summer highlight

Remembered now and for life:

A boy and his fish.

Link to SSS II

Shadow Shot Sunday

A distant pink cloud

Reflects the setting sun back

To the shadowed lake

SSS II

Mellow Yellow Monday

Concert Amphitheater, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp

Dressed in all colors

We gather to hear the fine

Summer music sounds.

Our two oldest grandsons spent 10 days there in July.

Shadow Shot Sunday / Mellow Yellow Monday

SWAN 

The White Swan of Black

Lake pauses, passes judgement

And finds us wanting.

Find SSS II Here

Shadow Shot Sunday / Mellow Yellow Monday

French Braid Emily

Down by the water

I found a girl with golden

Flowers* in her hair

*[Only dandelions

Cleverly braided in by

Cousin Amanda]

Link to SSS II

Shadow Shot Sunday - Mellow Yellow Monday

Here is another shot my Lovely Wife took.  This time it's the lighthouse at Old Mackinaw Point.

With the lit-up bridge and last vestiges of sunset in the background, it looks like a post card shot.

Follow this link to Shadow Shot Sunday II.

Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Sojourn

SOJOURN

On this strange journey
Without map or G P S
The road lies ahead . . .

[Yeah, I'm a day late.  Deal with it.]

Shadow Shot Sunday - Mellow Yellow Monday

A Partial Eclipse of Emily

Gathering dusk counts as a shadow, doesn't it?
My Lovely Wife took this shot of our oldest (Amanda) and youngest (Emily) granddaughters, with pink clouds and the Mackinaw Bridge as a backdrop.


Follow this link to SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY II.

Shadow Shot Sunday - Mellow Yellow Monday

Vacation Venue

Our homes away from home this last week, on the west shore of Black Lake.

Two cottages that will accommodate the extended family.

A place to escape

From reality -- at least

For a few short days.

Link to SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY II

Shadow Shot Sunday - Mellow Yellow Monday

An Autumn Afternoon on Rt 22 in Michigan's Leelanau County

A great arc between

Lake and Bay, Route Twenty-two

Spans light and shadow

Shadow Shot Sunday - Mellow Yellow Monday

New Years at the Beach

Some of the granddaughters are in Florida,

visiting their cousins.

This New Years Eve day pic was sent via cell phone.

Bright sun, rolling waves,

Sand between my toes: best way

To ring out the old.

Shadow Shot Sunday

This shot was taken on October 6th, the day of our Michigan color excursion. 

Other pics from that day can be found here and here.

Blue Michigan sky

And the bright orange glow of

The fruits of Autumn

Shadow Shot Sunday has moved to a new location.

Many thanks to Tracey for starting and maintaining
this terrific meme for so long.

Many thanks to our new hosts, Mystic, Rose and Gemma
for continuing the tradition.

I'm delighted to add that one of my shots (third photo here) made the collage
on the last posting at the original site.