WHEN I AM AMONG THE TREES

by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”

I wasn't planning to pair this photo with a poem, but it seemed to express what I don't have words for today. I am not among the trees very often, anymore; when I am - when I find myself there - sometimes I... find myself. You know, some of the lost parts. Few of us are whole, or fully integrated beings, except perhaps for fleeting moments. We wander through life, often perplexed. And each of us has an inner life, a core that lies mostly unrevealed to the outside world. This may seem presumptuous, but I think what we are trying to do here, in this community forum, with our photos and sometimes words, too, is to make some aspects of ourselves known. I am not referring to sordid or sensational details, necessarily. Rather, what we photograph is usually what we love, what we are drawn to, what we want to offer our friends here. Some part of ourselves.

I like my daily life. My solitary nature is just who I am, and I am comfortable with that. I make time for friends. Yesterday I repaired a window frame, dug up the first of four beds of garlic from the garden, processed a few photos, co-ordinated some plans for the coming week - just the stuff of basic everyday regular real life. And that was fine. Today, though, I am starting to feel restless, and tomorrow I probably will want to be among the trees, or the prairie equivalent, out on the grasslands beneath the immense sky. Two superficially different experiences that are in essence similar: they ground me. They remind me of my transient life; they allow me to experience what Oscar Wilde called "the intense sensation of living" - without distractions - if only for a few hours.

We didn't know the name of this creek, which flowed right past our tents last week at Pine Cree. Didn't notice it in any of the info available there. The other day I finally looked it up, or rather, noticed it when I geotagged the first uploaded photo from this location. It's Swift Current Creek, near its headwaters, a long way from the small city of the same name (where I have to go to pick up most supplies). That's cool, I thought. But while I was there, it was equally cool to not know its name, to take it in without the label. The names of things, after all, can be mere distractions that separate us from their essence.

Photographed at Pine Cree Regional Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   landscape trees green creek water flowing flow slow and lazy meander meandering shallow cool refreshing coulee beautiful wild prairie Pine Cree Regional Park Swift Current Creek SK Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page

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I was so captivated by the shapes, lines, and textures of these trees that I didn't think to try to I.D. them. They were growing from a steep hillside, so I switched to a short telephoto and stepped back, to minimize that feeling of looking up, and to ensure sufficient depth of field. The colour palette here was limited to browns and greys; hence the black and white conversion. In fact, I was thinking b&w while setting up the shot (which isn't always the case).

Photographed at Pine Cree Regional Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   trees square b&w black and white mono monochrome texture shape roots trunks forest grove hillside coulee wild prairie Pine Cree Regional Park near Eastend SK Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page Explored

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I was happy to find several large stands of Western Wild Bergamot at Pine Cree. An exquisite wildflower that I never see closer to home, for some reason. It was my first photo op with this species for many years, and evening light proved to be ideal. Hazy clouds were drifting in to block the sun, rendering colours cool and soft. I spent some time in a slightly depressed drainage area, sheltered from any trace of breeze, and made this shot with the 105mm macro + 1.7x teleconverter, tripod mounted. Two species grow in this part of the province, which I didn't realize until three minutes ago, so I can only I.D. it down to genus at present. The morning light is calling me. It's going to get hot later today and I want to be out there, taking advantage of the cool hours...

Photographed at Pine Cree Regional Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   Western Wild Bergamot Monarda spp. wildflower flower Mint Family pink magenta beautiful macro close up delicate evening light wild prairie Pine Cree Regional Park SK Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page

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Pine Cree Regional Park is a prairie anomaly: a deep cut in the surrounding grassland, sheltered from the wind, with a small creek flowing through it, allowing trees to grow. Prairie folks tend to get excited when they see trees. It has a campground and is a popular local destination.

Truthfully, I wasn't all that eager to visit this place; I lived among the big trees and flowing waters of the west coast for decades. I moved to the prairie because I became fascinated by the prairie itself, and its photo potential. But finally I went - last week - with a friend, to camp overnight and hike the short trails that rise up through the aspens and conifers to the flower-filled prairie. Which is where I found these Harebells.

Ideally I would have wanted soft light during the day, clearing at dusk, but of course the reverse occurred. So I didn't get good landscape light, and close up work was a challenge. But then, photography is always about dealing with challenges. I caught these flowers just as the evening sun was disappearing into a cloud bank. For a few moments the light was delicate and beautiful.

Photographed at Pine Cree Regional Park, near Eastend, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   Harebell Campanula rotundifolia wildflower flower blue macro close up square beautiful grassland wild prairie Pine Cree Regional Park near Eastend SK Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page

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