Thursday, December 2, 2010

The calm that follows the storm



A dragon in a Very Foul Humor passed through town yesterday after which the sky cleared and the temperature dropped like a rock from the mid 60's to the mid 30's. Wow. I love the drama of the weather and seasons here. Fantastic!

I remember how moody my dog used to be on stormy days. He, too, was a shaman, dancing in alignment with the barometric pressure, precipitation and wind. Some days I really miss my dog - still - even though he died a year and a half ago, even though he was a royal piece of work. I loved that dog, I did.

It's sunny and chilly in DC today, a great weather day if you ask me. In a little while I'll put on my cowboy boots, warm jacket and stetson, take a big ole walk through my city of over-sized, neo-classical marble and sandstone architecture. When the leaves finally fall, everything looks different. I love the wintery light and shadow so much.

My plan includes a stop at a cafe in Penn Quarter, where I will drink tea and read a book about Taoist mystics, maybe check out the controversial Hide 'n Seek show at the Portrait Gallery. I'll take some pictures, too, no doubt.

Have I mentioned recently that life is good and I am grateful? It is, and I am. Shalom.

12 comments:

ellen abbott said...

Yes it is and I am too, all the more so in these current moments of seeing one life passing.

Tess Kincaid said...

Your opening image is a work of art. LOVE the cowboy hat.

Reya Mellicker said...

It has been a revelation to own and wear the stetson. There's a reason cowboys wear them, a practical reason.

They keep the sun off my face and neck, and they don't blow off. They are very aerodynamic. THAT's why cowboys wear them. Very cool.

Jo said...

Love the post, LOVE the photos. Such a contrast...the psychedelic nature of the first, as opposed to the soft and muted subtlety of the second. Beautiful!

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Love how surreal that first image looks and the 2nd one just feels kinda happy. I've never owned a cowboy hat, looks like you're wearing well. I could do with shading my face/neck in our summers.

Reya Mellicker said...

Jeanette I can't recommend the cowboy hat enthusiastically enough. It's so COOL. It keeps the sun off my face and neck, and doesn't blow off. There's a reason cowboys wear 'em.

Reya Mellicker said...

Thanks, Jo. When I took the second picture what came to my mind was a full moon surrounded by stars.....if indeed it's possible to think of a manhole cover as the moon or Japanese maple leaves as stars.

steven said...

reya, it's like the first photograph tells the story of the past becoming present and the second of the present becoming future which i know as a kind of intimation of timelessness. a nice piece of writing - a moon surrounded by stars - because that is what you have there. i haven't seen the moon or the stars for a few days since the snow clouds moved over. but they drop their own stars. steven

Reya Mellicker said...

Yes they do Steven! They literally shower the landscape with stars. Oh man, you wow me, brother.

Kerry said...

I would love to see this exhibit at the portrait gallery: how cool. Meanwhile I hope you continue to appreciate your fabulously dramatic weather; could it get any more extreme than last year?

Nancy said...

You paint such a beautiful picture of DC. I love the wild weather that can come crashing through in this part of the country, but all the color in the East must be such a treat. My dog gets very moody and whiney when the wind blows hard and the pressure drops. Not sure she is a Shaman, though. More like an accountant. She knows exactly how many, and at what time, she is to be fed. Not to mention bed time. (And she's close - even considering the time change from daylight savings time.)

Reya Mellicker said...

An accountant? Ha - I really get that, Nancy.