Tree and Snow, Boise Foothills, February 12, 2021
Vincent J. Fortunato • February 19, 2021
I am fortunate to live right up against the Boise foothills. Just about every day, we take our dogs for a hike on the trails behind our house. From one particular perspective on one particular trail, a solitary tree sits near the ridge line of a lower foothill. Every time I would take this trail and pass the tree, regardless of the season, an image would come to mind of the tree against a white blanket of snow. However, for the past couple of years since ‘discovering’ the tree, the weather never really cooperated…that is, until last Saturday. So, with camera and tripod secured on my back, I traipsed through several inches of freshly fallen snow. And there it was…the tree in a snowstorm, just like I had imagined. Laying prone in the snow and looking up at the tree, I composed the image to match what I had originally envisioned. This is the image at the top of this blog. However, as I was about to depart having, I believe, successfully captured the image that had inhabited my mind for the past couple of years, I decided to zoom in on the tree for a different look. That image is depicted in the thumbnail and at the bottom of this post. In many ways, I feel that the second image (the close up) is the more powerful of the two. And yet, it is the other one that was true to my vision. Which one resonates with you, the reader?
Haiku:
Shifting perspective
Of a tree in a snow storm
Same tree; different feel.
Photos and Narrative by Vincent J. Fortunato
For more of Vinji’s photos: www.dragonspearlphotography.com
Metallic and Acrylic prints of a few of Vinji’s photographs are available on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DragonsPearlPhoto?ref=shop_sugg
Most of all, she is crazy about her brood. She smiles more when she’s with them. Laughs more. Enjoys more. Relaxes more. Has more fun. She just loves her family.
“…there must be millions of aging males, now slipping into their anecdotage…” ~E.B. White 1
Author's Note: I originally posted this in the Profound Bartender on April 8, 2018, and then reposted it here at Profound Living on April 25, 2018. I thought it might be a good time to repost it again.
Author's Note: This is a repost of an essay I published in 2018. I thought it was a timely topic to revisit.
“In Celtic wisdom we remember that our soul, the very heart of our being, is sacred. What is deepest in us is of God. ” ~John Philip Newell 1
We may be lights under bushels, but we can shine brightly against the dark even if we are mere candles. Together, the light may shine bright.
Silence speaks to us Listening in deep quiet… Hear what you long for! ~Patricia Leyko Connelly 1
"Elegance is the harmonious integration of simplicity, refinement, and intentionality across diverse contexts, combining timeless beauty with functional sophistication." ~ChatGPT Synthesized Definition
