Walking. And harvesting light.

Posted on by Live & Learn

69° F. 4:30 a.m. My daybreak walk @ Cove Island Park. 410 consecutive days. Like in a Row.

Dark Sky app: 93% cloud cover.

It’s a quiet morning.

A solo fisherman.

A runner. Male. Tights. Headband. Could pass for Richard Simmons. Smartphone strapped to his left arm. And white, wired earbuds. Does anyone use wired earbuds anymore?

And then a brisk walker with a Tuk pulled down over his ears, a North Face coat and gloves. (~70° F. Cancer?)

And me. Man-Child laboring under a massive backpack, containing more gear than you’ll find in stock at your local BestBuy, 98% of which will go unused on the morning walk. But it’s all gotta come, just-in-case.

My eye catches rapid movement, then color over the water. Ellen Meloy: “The complex human eye harvests light. It perceives seven to ten million colors through a synaptic flash: one-tenth of a second from retina to brain.” Lori shared this, and The Mind keeps returning to it in a loop.

Miracle, that my eye spotted this creature in twilight. I’m away at a distance, I quickly swap lenses, and then approach. She’s skittish, and one would wonder why.

6′ 1″ man, hulking with his huge bag, his muffin top bouncing, approaching with a threatening, clomp-clomp-clomp step, breathing heavily. This ain’t no Native American Indian Tracker in hot pursuit.  She spots what appears to be a rifle (or a long lens) in his hand, and she bolts, not interested in taking part in this Show.

I hustle over to follow her. No clue what type of bird. Human, most of the time, and of Canadian origin, who doesn’t know his Trees or his Birds. Is there such an ethnic minority? Thought crosses that I need to rectify this, then again, why let knowledge get in the way of a stupefying good time.

The maroon breast feathers catch my eye, and I find her under the bridge but not fully in view.  Meloy continues: “intoxication with color, sometimes subliminal, often fierce, may express itself as a profound attachment.”

I wait for her to turn, to come back into view, to stand still for her portrait. No luck. I take one out-of-focus shot (that’s it up top) and move on.

And so I walk.

And the clouds begin to break.

And the color, the colors. Well — it’s just another Daybreak that just does not disappoint.

As Christie reminds me, every breath, a gift.

DK @ Daybreak. June 19, 2021. 5:30 a.m. Cove Island Park, Stamford, CT.

47 thoughts on “Walking. And harvesting light.”

  1. Love the post, David, except this part: « 
    6′ 1″ man, hulking with his huge bag, his muffin top bouncing, heavy clomping step in his approach, heavy puffs of breath. »

    A man of your enviable stature is simply not allowed to be self-deprecating. Leave that to us garden gnomes. 😉

  3. David, consider me a member of the minority humans fully ignorant of bird and tree names. It’s not that I don’t like or appreciate them, I do, and they are an important part of my happiness; to hear birdsong and to savor the largess and intricate beauty of a tree is my daily, morning fare. I never thought nor sought to know their names, only to be in their presence. So, thanks for another delightful post!

  4. how beautiful and i have no idea what it is, but i love. p.s. i am one who still uses wires, as i apparently have tiny ear openings (not the technical term) and they are constantly falling out. i’d have to replace buds on a regular basis so better for me to stay connected by wire.

  5. Can’t decide which delights me more, the lovely photos and your pre-dawn perambulations or the image of you sprinting around the park in hot pursuit of a new ‘camera catch.’ In the end, I love it all.

  7. This is awesome, David. I was not aware the details of our complex eyes. A wonderful capture. As you well know it is challenging to take photos of birds. The only names of birds I know are “robin” and “hummingbird.” Some Canadian…eh?! 🙂

  11. That bird is lost. He/she should have been in Florida.
    And yes, some of us use wired earbuds and an abacus still

  12. Enjoyed the morning interlude…great piece of writing…glad you had a quiet & beautiful start to your morning…yes “Each Breath Is A Gift” , sacred, life granting, within the accumulation of Each Breath is Our Life…We Owe it to Ourselves and Others to Be Grateful for Each Breath and You Help Us draw in, a bit deeper…Each Amazing Breath, and Gift of Sight, When Celebrating Your Beautiful Morning Captures!

  13. Such beauty…and all the fascinating thoughts that others have shared with you…but man-child? With a muffin top? Really?

    2. It’s true, Mimi. He is a man-child. I can’t say I agree with the muffin-top assessment though. I’m in awe of what he packs away and how it has very little effect on his waistline.

  15. A pink bird called a ‘green heron?’ Ha! Amazing captures DK. I often wonder why I always want to share what I see and feel being in nature. Perhaps it’s a longing within, that others will feel the pull to explore this beautiful land and experience the transformation it offers. ☺️🌳

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