Generally everything I write on these pages is original, but I do need to thank Simon and Garfunkel for today’s title.

It’s funny how when we are young, our appraisals of the older generation are lacking in premonition.  I guess you just have to live it to understand it

In my youth (and young adulthood) it seems like one of my favorite aspects of life was noise.  I mean put me next to the amps of a rock band and I was happy.  One of my fascinations with auto racing was the ear-splitting sounds.  As a 19/20-year-old I tested engines for Chrysler Outboard Motor Company.  They were tested in a sound proof (to the outside) booth, with the motor fastened into a tank of water.  We were given ear protection but initially I would not wear it. I loved the sound when I would turn the motor wide open.  I almost lost my hearing and was convinced to either wear the protection, or leave the job.  I have always enjoyed nature and somewhere while I was still young, I did learn to enjoy the seeming silence of that one thing.  This was the one place where I sought out quiet.  As the years wore on I began to seek quiet everywhere, but turn to nature for my sure thing.  There are a million sounds in nature, such as the birds singing, the water rushing, the wind blowing through the leaves, but it is a peaceful and quiet sort of noise.  If you know what I mean.

If societal noises are closing in on you, and there seems to be no escape, turn to nature for assistance.  Listen carefully and you will hear the silence that she provides.

The Sounds 

and the Silence 

In the past few months I’ve come to realize that some of the members of my Flickr Photos group called Earth Images (of course), also stop by to read this blog.  Please do not be offended if you post pictures on Flickr/Earth Images and I do not make a comment on those pictures.  It means that I have not seen the images.  I visit that group once or twice a day, and I cruise through the thumbnails on the opening page.  I admittedly don’t browse through the back pages to see what I have missed.  I attempt to comment on ten or twelve photos a day.  I rarely put my own pictures on Flickr anymore, and I enjoy browsing through the incredible imagery that is posted by others.  I love the variety of nature subjects, and the variety of experience that is displayed.  Keep it up.

Thanks for stopping by,                                                                                                    Wayne