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Monday, August 21, 2017 / Madras, Oregon / Total solar eclipse

10:17 AM
10:20 AM

I love eclipse season, how they come in twos or threes. On this day of total solar eclipse across Patagonia, I think back to three years ago when I was living on the road and I passed through the high desert region of Madras, Oregon. I camped out at the airport with thousands of other pilgrims. I was not prepared for how mind-blowing it is to witness such an event. I was not prepared photographically, either—no tripod, no planning, just snapping blindly and free-handedly. Mouth agape, hyper-ventilating a bit, taking in the weird, shadowy, midday light, feeling the rapid drop in temperature, listening to the quietening of the birds and the whooping and hollering of humans spread out for miles across the dusty, smoky terrain. There is magic in syzygy.

From afar

I once wintered near Cape Kiwanda, on the Oregon coast. On daily walks, I observed subtle changes in the mutable sandstone, and admired the view of its stalwart basalt protector. I watched as storm surges roiled the ocean into thick froth, and I stood by as massive waves pummeled the prominence, crumbling land into sea. I’ve never visited anywhere quite like it on this planet. It is a timeless place, a collision of wind and earth and sea.

Between the bouts of nature’s violence, there were moments of stillness. These photos are from those days.

Twilight
Sunset
Spruces
Sifted
Cache
Aeons
Ferrous
Sandpipers
Protector

Timeless sea breezes,
that for aeons have
blown ancient rocks,
you are purest space
coming from afar…

– Rainer Maria Rilke  

 

All images © 2020 JL Summa