The lay of the land

Texture
Near Waterloo, ON, March 2011
[Click photo to enlarge]

About this photo: We're drawing the Thematic aerial theme to a close with this one last look at the earth from on high. If you'd like to share one last view of your own, please click here. Otherwise, tune in tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern for the new theme.

Sometimes, you need to get above it all to understand what it all means. Normally, when I'm cruising the countryside on my bike, I'm busy enough trying to stay upright as cars blast past me at triple-digit speeds, and I just can't afford to take the time to focus on the subtle variations in the adjacent land. It's survival or enjoyment. Not both.

But when someone else is doing the driving - or flying - you have a little more time to take in the view. And on this flight, I saw something I'd never seen before. And for the first time in ages I had no words. There was something delightfully humbling about seeing the gentle rolls in the farmland that were completely invisible from the ground.

I imagined giant sheets of ice receding countless years ago. I imagined forces of creation far more powerful than anything I could ever conjure up. I imagined a planet we're only beginning to understand, a planet that's trying to tell us her stories, one at a time.

If only we'd take the time to listen.

Your turn: What three words come to mind as you first see this shot?