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Walkabout Journal Journey to the Horizon
It is late
summer. There is a hint of the oncoming autumn in the air. Skies
are becoming more dramatic. Clouds form and gather over the far
shore from the rising thermals off the lake. The hazy glaze of
summer is lifting to reveal a horizon better defined. Winds come
out of the north more and more, only to shift to the prevailing
southwest as the day moves along. The nights have been more
comfortable sleeping with covers on rather than off.
I first saw
the paddle surfer in this late summer scene. The breeze was out
of the north, creating a calm surface immediately offshore. He
was standing on top of what looked like a windsurfer board.
Instead of a sail, he used a paddle. Cruising parallel to the
shore, he kept within the wind shadow of the protecting land and
trees.
I
photographed him over several days as the conditions varied. His
form clearly outlined against the late summer hues of the water
and sky. I found the images offered both drama and tranquility,
and eventually selected one to make into a final print. As I
worked on the picture, I found myself thinking about what it
projected both aesthetically and metaphorically.
Here is a
lone figure outlined by a horizon that is still very distant and
somewhat indistinct. He stands up boldly against it. He has
nothing but his board and paddle. His only task is to travel to
the upcoming horizon. He sees calm water ahead of him, but also
realizes that the clouds hovering overhead are between him and
that horizon. Who knows what the far water will be like as he
makes his way there?
I identified
with the paddler. I saw him looking outward on life’s path yet
to come. There is a
horizon somewhere in his future, he can almost see it, but there
is still enough mystery to keep him from being certain about it.
He knows that the path to his life’s horizon will have storms
and uncertainty to endure. He does not know how severe they will
be, or when they will be on him. He knows he will face them. He will face them with all that he has, with each patient stroke of the paddle. He is on the journey to his horizon.
Bill
Bernbeck
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All images and writings Copyright Bill Bernbeck
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