November 24, 2018 • 189

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #21 Splash!

If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.~Loren Eiseley

I believe water is magical. Its beauty, power, and persistence are unsurpassed. It flows through us and around us. It connects us to the past and leads us to the future. It is nature’s mirror because it reflects not only ourselves, but also the degree to which we respect Mother Nature.

For this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #21, I’m turning my thoughts to water. In our travels, we often seek places that are near water. The same has been true for our homes whether they were in the city and in the country.

Cocoa Beach, Florida

The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father.~Chief Seattle

This shot, taken a day after Hurricane Joaquin, captures the calm after the storm. I love how the mother and her son are enjoying this moment of play.

Whittier, Alaska

What is this you call property? It cannot be the earth, for the land is our mother, nourishing all her children, beasts, birds, fish and all men. The woods, the streams, everything on it belongs to everybody and is for the use of all. How can one man say it belongs only to him?–Massasoit

Our son Alex sent me this shot in August when he was visiting Alaska. In summer, there are still remnants of ice and snow–ever more precious.

Alaskan Ice Floes in Summer. Shot by Alex Moed

Torrey Pines State Park, California

Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.~Lao Tzu

The pull of water is universal. High above the ocean, we watched the waves and dozens of people walking along the beach. Compared to the mighty Pacific Ocean, we humans are merely Lilliputians, aren’t we?

High Above San Diego. Shot with a Fuji X-T2.

Watkins Glen, New York

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It’s always our self we find in the sea.― e.e. cummings, 100 Selected Poems

This autumn, we visited Watkins Glen State Park in upstate New York. I was astounded by its beauty. Within a two-mile walk, visitors pass 19 waterfalls. The stream drops over 200-foot cliffs and descends 400 feet. What is equally amazing is the footpath, which follows the stream as it winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. It was a remarkable experience.

I’ll be quiet now and let the photos speak for me.

The Footpath,Watkins Glen, N.Y. Shot with a Fuji X-T2

Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does. ― Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

Walking Through the Glen, Close Up. Shot with a Fuji X-T 2.

Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.~W. H. Auden

Angel Falls, Watkins Glen. Shot with a Fuji X-T2.

Feel free to interpret this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #21-SPLASH!–in any way you choose. Explore water in its many forms, share memories of places near the water, or create a post about what water means to you. A special thanks to all of you who participate. The next challenge (#22) will be hosted by our friend Ann-Christine on Saturday, December 1. I hope you join us!

DID YOU SEE THESE?

Here are some posts you don’t want to miss from last week’s Open Sesame–Doors and Doorways challenge:

Cee of Cee’s Photography shows us some unusual doors, even one with a shadow!
Visit Tatiana of Travelways to see some colorful doors in St. John’s Newfoundland
Carol Carlisle of LIghtwords explores doorways of the imagination.

For more information on the Lens-Artists Photo Challenges, click here. Most importantly, remember to TAG your post ” Lens-Artists ” so it appears in the Reader.

And finally, have an inspiring and memorable week!