A Scenic World

For three straight days, the rain has fallen. When I wake in the mornings, the soft pitter-pat has reminded me that me and my camera would be staying inside. I sat by my open window and watched the rain fall, waiting for the moment I could go outside.Today, the moment finally presented itself. The last drops fell just as the sun broke through the clouds. I threw together my kit – my K200D, the D-FA 100mm Macro, and the FA 31mm in case a self-portrait opportunity should present itself.

I made my way to the duck pond, a place that has become as familiar to me as my own backyard. Almost as soon as I got there, I was faced with all that the rain had wrought: while the grass was greener and the weeds flourished, the flowers had all been pummeled to the ground.

I picked up one purple blossom and twirled it in my fingers. The sun played off the still glistening raindrops. I knew I had my self-portrait for the day.

I continued down to the place where the dragonflies play. I sat for a moment, just breathing in the life around me: damselflies darting from stalk to stalk, lizards scurrying in the bushes, butterflies flitting by. Then I saw a shot. I laid my bag on the grass above me and made my way carefully over the slick rocks to take this:

Almost immediately after I snapped the shutter, a huge snowy white bird soundlessly flew from the bushes to my right, its wings spread so majestically that they seemed to go on forever. It flew directly over me, blacking out the sun for a moment. It could not have been more than two feet above me.

I didn’t breathe.

I watched it soar to the other end of the duck pond and knew I had just had a moment I would never forget.

But there was more to come. I walked to the other side of the stream and found either the most beautiful moth I’d ever seen or the smallest butterfly I’d ever seen. I got down on my knees, my bag jostling against me, to photograph him. He was shy at first, flying nervously about, but he finally saw fit to pose for me.

I decided to make one more pass around the pond. I settled back into the place where I’d taken the first photo and waited to see what I’d see. While I got a secure grip on the rocks, I heard a velcro sound from my bag. It wasn’t closed properly. I looked inside.

The 31mm lens wasn’t there.

My heart stopped. This is the most expensive lens I’ve ever bought. It’s among my most prized possessions.

My bag had been lain all over the duck pond during the course of the day. The lens could be anywhere. I quickly searched the area where I sat – hard rocks covered with weeds with the stream only inches below me. It occurred to me that the lens could have rolled out and soundlessly made its way into the water.

I walked as quickly as I could around the pond, stopping everywhere I’d stopped on the way, trying hard not to go so fast I wasn’t looking carefully.

Finally, I came to the place where I’d seen the yellow moth/butterfly. And there was the lens.

So many things lost today, and so many found.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 4:23 pm and is filed under 365, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.