Ponder The Essence of Flight

Way back in the years between 1452 and 1519 A.D or as they now say C.E., a man good with a paint brush had a few radical thoughts about other things besides painting. He was even more radical to actually put his thoughts down on paper where they are now, a matter of historical data.

He stated something that I still ponder today. That was:

        " When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

Not only was he a painter, he was a sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist and geologist.  Some might have guessed correctly that the person was none other than Leonardo da Vinci.Yes, the famous painter used his brushes to paint the ceiling of a little chapel in Rome above the catacombs that are said to hold the bones of St. Peter.

You don't have to be religious (although it does help in this case) to understand that such a connection in the mid 1400's through a couple of decades into the 1500s only had birds and angels to understand flight. And to be bold enough to say once you have tasted flight you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward---and even bolder to continue with---for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.

So, know this: I do ponder his statement fairly regularly. To me, there must be some ethereal connection between his ability to paint and to not only understand the engineering of flight but that he also had a Divine connection to understand that heavenly connection to angels descending as well.

On Wednesday, I started my rounds checking on fall colors as they have already begun here (which is unusual this early). One of the spots is at the dam and spillways at White Rock. The big sycamores are there and they go through a multi- change routine from green to light green to yellow to brown to that fantastic rich brown leathery look. As I walked from the dam to the spillway to the tidal pool and finally to the lesser spillway as it drops into White Rock Creek on its way to the Trinity river then into river near the Great Trinity Forest. Then it begins the long trip down to Houston and finally into the Gulf of Mexico, I stopped  to watch the juvenile egrets vying for their fishing spots on the lesser spillway steps. Rather comical.

Suddenly, there was a swish of air that I caught out of the corner of my eye and looked  to find a great  white egret coming right at me. While I said to one of my editors that I took the shot, of a lifetime despite the fact that there was going to be some minor technical problems with the image. She agreed and published the image. So, look closely at the form of flight and overlook the technical issues with the image and Ponder with me---for there you have been and there you will always long to return.
Enjoy!

A Great White Egret

Great White Egret in Flight

The Changing of the Sycamore Leaves Has Begun