Just outside this window there is a friendly dog–a handsome guy who looks like a black Golden Retriever–and a passel of kids, some of them mine, tossing him a branch-ish stick to retrieve. Down the road there are three horses waiting to be ridden; one of them particularly grateful for her new job, having been recently rescued from the scorching desert heat and someone’s unimaginably cruel neglect. Misery, they named her, a sweet irony to her newly nurturing life and what I could swear looks like a smile on her face.
A toothy llama, Rodeo, stands on the corner–not to be ridden–but to be seen, buck teeth and all. Her gentle, unassuming nature reminds me that in a small town, Julian to be exact, time slows down and pays attention to details missed in larger slices of society. I wonder what I have been missing in my own suburban town – what I might ought to begin to notice.
I nearly walk right past these incredible flowers, blooming freely in a very large pot on the sidewalk next to one of the local apple pie bakeries. It’s the color that stops me in my tracks. Are they blue? Are they purple? I don’t quite decide, I just take the shot and marvel at just how much I like particular shades of blue and purple; how soulful they are.
Later, much later, as I reflect on our impromptu jaunt into Julian, I vow to defect from the rat race and enter into a sort of distracted, nirvana-like existence; to breathe deeply like a nearly-comatose yoga student. Instead, I eat pie…lots and lots of pie, which is the other great way to become comatose. It really is that simple: appreciate what is right in front of your busy nose, eat pie, become comatose, and take a little nap–unless, like me, you still have a mountain to drive back down.
Words and photographs are the creation and property of author/photographer, Britton Minor and The Jaded Lens Photography
Lovely, lovely, lovely! I have some great memories of Julian.
It is a delightful place – worth every minute of the drive – to see life from a different perspective every now and again.
Lovely and bright photos! Yes, I must get off the rat’s wheel myself.
Thank you, Catherine–it was a magical day with perfect weather and company!
Beautiful thoughts. Not a day goes by that I’m not grateful to live in a small, rural town and marvel at every moment, big and small, that nature has to offer. Sorry you have to drive back down the mountain. And those blue flowers are amazing.
I love these jaunts…exposing my kids to worlds they would not otherwise see, except in books and pictures. We all seem at home in small places where we are not distracted, particularly, by our technology, and are lured into the unmistakable energy of a small community. Thanks for visiting, Jayne.
I love this, Britton– beautifully articulated. xxxj
Thank you, Jenne. You would have felt for the horses, but celebrated their simple, safe life.
I love these, too. Those glowering blue-purplish flowers and that gentle llama can stop all traffic in my mind. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, that’s how it was…seeing the llama–everyone in the car was excited. Turned out they were leaving, so we ran up the hill to find out if they were coming back. Indeed they were–after a snack and water break. Oh happy day!
We may not live where we wish, but the power of one’s own creativity is that it can transport us to where we want to be, where we should be, regardless of where life puts us. All we need do is recharge in the wild places and exercise our creativity muscle.
Oh yes, I agree with you, but I DO currently live in the perfect place for me, for this stage of my life. I am just grateful for excursions that force me to slow down and appreciate a slower, perhaps healthier, pace. Thank you for stopping by, Peter.
So today, after the better part of three days with Sara (a pit stop for her en route to Spain), is it any mystery at all that I’m drawn to a post essentially about what the world presents to us if we just stop long enough to pay attention? Stolen (compressed) moments with my daughter (it’s really what they feel like when our time together is limited) means giving myself over to whatever the day presents or what we may have planned. Yes, a visit to a town like Julian is nothing short of not a metaphor for the way time does slow down when we slip out of the routines that rule our lives. The photo of ‘Rodeo’ gave me just the smile I need right now. And if I stare long enough, I know I’ll see more than 50 shades of blue and gray in those exquisite, soulful flowers.
But of course I meant shades of blue and purple. How on earth did gray slip in? 😉
See, the “Shades of Gray” has unwittingly captured a piece of you. Blush, blush!