The Generous Earth

And the human connection.

Wood and earth. Many years ago, it became trendy to build glass houses in the woods. I prefer cozy protected dwellings, but these homes were truly beautiful in their continuing connection with the outside. My aunt and uncle constructed an especially gorgeous one in the woods of Massachusetts, that has enough solid wall so as not to feel too exposed. It stands today as lovely as ever. My aunt is an artist thriving now in her eighties connected with the community, and involved with her four sons' diverse journeys. I can't help but think this relationship with nature is part of her fulfilled and long healthy life.

Water and rock. When I traveled in India and Nepal, I often had no running water and bathing was performed outside; in the Ganges River up north, in the fountains further south. Water spilling over rock thrills people endlessly, both in dramatic high waterfalls, and quiet brooks, easily navigated going upstream-downstream from stone to stone. Great on a summer afternoon. I grew up between two rivers, the Chenango and the Susquehanna which flow to the Chesapeake Bay. Memories. The scent of water, the bridges, the reflection of the town, the current that never stops.

Mountain and meadow. My year in the Himalayas was one of the best of my life. The terraced mountains in the lowlands and the grazing animals in the highlands, combined with the humble dwellings of the farmers and herdsmen created a brilliant patchwork of landscape. I had the great fortune to be invited to a place called Kafiristan, high in the Pakistani mountains, accessible only by dirt path along a stream. All day we trekked behind our sure-footed guide and when we reached the village, an unimaginable reward awaited. The gentlest people I've ever encountered, descendants of Alexander the Great's armymen and the local inhabitants, supposedly. A completely unique place, with villagers more like elves than traditional homo sapiens. The night in their huts around the fires seems like another planet altogether when I recall the experience. The flat baskets of fruit and nuts they left on our doorstep, then slipped silently away, also are in the realm of fantasy now. But it really happened.

Bread and fruit
Water and wine
Sun and stream
I eat
I drink
Firmly on the earth
Rocks. soil.

Photos: 2nd: Dhara Waterfall, Narmada River, India. James Blair Kapir.
3rd: Himalayas. Galen Powell. Bottom. Martin Brigdale.