Saturday, April 18, 2009

Nouvelle Nuages 4/18/09

Let the formation of the clouds show in the view of man on earth, that he may bear witness to the manner of the unseen becoming seen.

John Newbrough
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Hello interesting one. I managed to read and comment on one journal today before the gangster computer seized up and I had to log off and start over. At that rate I'll be getting around to all of you by the autumn. Hopefully I'll get it fixed soon.
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I flew from New York to West Palm Beach for a job. Due to a malfunction with the aircraft takeoff was delayed for an hour, which turned out to be a blessing. It meant we were flying through Florida at sunset. The rest of the cast was spread around the plane in various seats so I didn't have to talk to anyone. I was sitting on the right side next to the window and what I saw amazed and dazzled me. I didn't take my face away from that window until night fell. I saw the surface of a planet passing by. There were bright red lakes and rivers, mountains with flowing streams, plains with foliage, giant bushes, deep wells. It was a vast landscape of bright orange/red and grayish purple. And yet it was in reality the setting sun peering through and lighting up the clouds.

It was a magnificent sight. I have tried many times to recreate what I saw with paints on canvas. I can't do it. It was a once in a lifetime experience. There will be other such sights, and none the same as that one. I felt especially crowned with fortune that I saw it.

If you've ever flown above them on a cloudy day you know how substantial they look. It seems that if you stepped out of the aircraft you could walk on them. They are the largest, fullest things in nature that have almost no substance to them.

I have sat and seen clouds in the sky slowly disappear as the sun dried up the moisture that made them. But even more remarkable is to see them form out of nothing. A small wisp of white in the sky slowly gathers size from somewhere until it covers the sky. A sunny day becomes a cloudy day, a happy day becomes a troubled day, the unseen becomes seen.

"Where did these dismal feelings come from? What happened to the sunshine of joy I felt a while back? Why am I now blanketed with sorrow? I didn't foresee this. What happened?"

Then, just as the rain may come and empty out the clouds, the tears may come and clean the heart of clouds. They came from nowhere, they went nowhere and though they may have seemed quite substantial at the time. there was nothing to them.

The unseen becomes seen, the seen becomes unseen, and life goes on.

Et resurrexit.

DB - Vagabond Journeys
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Joyous weekend to you wherever you are.
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BTW: Yesterday's Journal entry was not about death.

9 comments:

Lori said...

I don't really know what to say. I loved this entry!

Anne said...

Strange, I was sky bound also this day. It was at dusk that I arrived to a friends arms and a close friendship. Hugs to you my dear. Anne

Breezy said...

That was beautiful and very descriptive. I don't fly much at all, but have seen a few beautiful sights from the air, but could never describe it with as much emotion as you have.

Alice said...

Great comparison. I take pics of the unusual clouds all the time. I don't want to forget them for some silly reason. Nothing but rain here the last few days but nice & warm. My pc freezes up like that, DB, when I try to get on blogs that have a lot of things on the sidebar. It is advised to put all that sort of thing down at the bottom so others can read a little more easily. I just blame it on dial-up :).......

Beth said...

I know I have to be careful sometimes when I'm trying to get a picture of something...it's so easy to actually miss the moment when you're focused on documenting it. Sometimes you have to just sit back and absorb what you are seeing...you were able to do that on the plane, and while you haven't been able to duplicate it, it's obvious that it is indelibly imprinted in your memory.

I know exactly what you mean about what seems to be the substance of clouds when seen from above. They look so solid!

Love, Beth

Myra said...

Beautiful entry! Its as if the universe gave you a gift, only for you, one of a kind, never to be recreated again, for anyone! You are special :)

Ken Riches said...

Pictures can never quite live up to the true thing.

Joyce said...

What a wonderful entry DB. When I was a child (around 5 years old) my folks took my brother and I to Switzerland. Dad was stationed in Germany and Mom was a born sight-seer. Anyway, I remember quite vividly driving so high into the Alps that we were passing through clouds. I was amazed that we could drive right through them. From the ground it seemed that they were more sustantial than that. Great memory you brought to me.
Hugs, Joyce

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