Sunday, February 20, 2011

Stonehenge on a tree


Ancient bark
Laval, QC, August 2009
[Click photo to enlarge]

I like to repeatedly walk the same paths I've walked since I was a child, returning to places that have become so familiar that I could probably traverse them with my eyes closed.

For obvious reasons, I keep my eyes wide open. Aside from avoiding unplanned dunks in less-than-clean rivers and streams, it helps me see things that I probably missed beforehand. I guess I never learned to cross a place off my list simply because I had already "been there".

After all, you don't exhaust the potential of something - place, book, song, person, whatever - simply because you've only experienced it once. If that were the case, we'd never get past the first date.

And so it was on this walk along a path I'd been on countless times since I was a kid, I saw some bark that reminded me of this. Not sure how I missed seeing it before. No matter, as I'm sure I'll find something else on my next visit, too.

Your turn: Finding something new in the tried and true. Please discuss.

8 comments:

21 Wits said...

Oh this has happened to me before. I too have places that I thought I knew everything about only to come there one day and see something I'd never noticed before and it had been there all along! I find it such a treasure...any time this happens....it's like reading a book the second time you pick up even more....the same with photos..but I'm sure you know that all too well! It's like when I saw a blip of red in your theme photo once, and I could have sworn no way was it there before...but it was! Nice post Carmi...reminds us to keep our senses open!

Ms. Kathleen said...

What a great memory this place had for you and you saw something new as well. A little magic.

Elizabeth Grimes said...

How neat, and so true. I love discovering something new in an old place. Thanks for sharing!

Cloudia said...

I see new stuff on this tiny island all the time!



Aloha from Honolulu,


Comfort Spiral

><}}(°>

Melissa said...

Carmi, hi, it's MissMeliss writing from a different account (and from an iPad -yes, I caved).

Whether it's books or physical places I often see familiar things in a new way. Lately, I've been having this experience with music a lot...listening to a familiar tune, I suddenly hear something in it that is completely fresh.

If nothing else, we are both guaranteed that life will never be boring, yes?

Betty Carlson said...

I started seeing familiar things in a new way when I started doing digital photography; it's as simple as that.

Mark said...

My tendency has been to crave the new. I need to do better at finding new in the tried and true. Just visiting a site in a different season can do the trick.

laurak/ForestWalkArt :) said...

love this one Carmi!
i too, keep my eyes open...i don't want to miss anything out there when i wander...
the shapes...colors...textures...
so much to SEE...touch...

thanks for this wonderful bark!