In Praise of Water and Not Knowing

Stanislaus River-Big Trees Park, Arnold-photo by Libby Fife

Any opportunity to visit a creek or river or lake is one that I try to not pass up. There is something about water for starters that attracts me and then the spaces themselves are really something that grab my attention. The feel and smell of the water creates an emotional connection of sorts. Feeling the water wash through my hands is as tactile as touching a piece of silk, for example.  And being in these sorts of spaces creates the feeling of both being a part of the scene and being completely separated from it. 

On Thursday I drove to Big Trees State Park in Arnold. We are so fortunate to have this beautiful park so close by. It's a place visited by people from all over and on this day I got there early enough to practically have the river to myself! The above shot was taken from the bridge overlooking the river. The river for the most part is fed by snow pack in the Eastern Sierras so generally the river runs pretty well for most of the year. (Though I have seen it flow rather slowly at times in certain spots.) On this day the river was flowing nicely, making a beautiful sound as the water hit the rocks and moved onward. As I stood on the bridge looking at the water and rock formations, my mind only skimmed the surface of the natural processes that must have been at work to create this river. The whole scene seemed overwhelmingly complex. I marveled at something so wonderfully formed, perhaps driven by the work of a creator that I can't see. It's difficult to grasp the idea of something or someone so vast and unknowable. But, I can easily say that I stood in awe.

Libby