Photo Challenge: UNLIKELY

“I’m always excited by the unlikely, never by ordinary things.” David Hockney

Nothing is black or white, nothing’s ‘us or them.’ But then there are magical, beautiful things in the world. There’s incredible acts of kindness and bravery, and in the most unlikely places, and it gives you hope. Dave Matthews

For this week’s photo challenge on the UNLIKELY, I’ve chosen to share what I captured in someone’s backyard on the Croton aqueduct.  I take long walks regularly from my home and I love to look around at the changing face of nature around me. Once in  a while I might glimpse a piece of sculpture in someone’s yard or a new planting of flowers blooming their hearts out. But rarely do I see such striking pieces within spitting distance on the aqueduct. Recently, on a windy day, this installation caught my eye.  It was an unlikely place for such a huge installation but it was beautiful to see and especially because the wheels were spinning furiously in response to the winds.  I was so taken aback by it all that I shot a video of the bicycle wheels spinning and singing their metal hearts out in the wind. Quite poetic. Watch the video below too. I’ve added my words to the bottom of the video as the wind made it hard to hear. What unlikely things have you come across lately?

 

“Courage is found in unlikely places.” J. R. R. Tolkien

Windmills/Turbines: These beautiful installations respond to the wind.
They spin their wheels in sequence.
Art meets nature and vise versa.

You’re unlikely to discover something new without a lot of practice on old stuff, but further, you should get a heck of a lot of fun out of working out funny relations and interesting things. Richard P. Feynman

What does this remind you of? It reminds me wind turbines or the creative windmills one saw in foreign cities at old farms.As I listened to the spinning wheels, I was reminded of the wind turbines I saw in Southern California on a drive I took from Los Angeles to Palm Springs.  According to research reports, the 4000 separate windmills at the wind farm on the San Gorgonio Mountain Pass in the San Bernadino Mountains, provide enough electricity to Palm Springs and the  Coachella Valley. Who knew, right?
UPDATE! On Saturday evening, serendipity kicked in. I was chatting with a local friend at the yoga center, after class, and somehow the conversation came up about the beautiful installation I saw on the aqueduct. Lo and behold, as it turns out, her husband Gordon created the installations! They had moved from their other home to the beautiful home on the aqueduct where the installations held center court, and her hubby built the installations. It was amazing to find out that something L had admired for over a year belonged to someone I knew  … what a small world. So, I have added his name to the photos and I will find out if they named the pieces and will update them here when L do. Art, creative expressions are everywhere and serendipity has a way of helping us find our way to them. It resides in all of us. Find your path and go to it.

Windmill In The Wind by Paula Swanson
As the windmill turns with the wind,
the storm brings much needed rain.
With each drop, renewal begins,
relieving the parched land its pain.

Sweet water of the Earth, life’s essence,
within the wind, the windmill drinks.
Storing the source within a pond,
bringing the desert from the brink.

Noses catching the scent of rain,
wild Burro’s enjoy their play.
Turns the windmill as the wind blows,
clouds block the sun, blessing shade.

The land breathes a sigh of relief.
Life is given back once again.
The clouds empty themselves of rain,
as the windmill turns with the wind. via poetry.com

More Below

“I sometimes find reality far more fantastical and unlikely than what I could just make up.”  J. Michael Straczynski

Windmills/Turbines: These beautiful installations respond to the wind.
They spin their wheels in sequence.
Art meets nature and vise versa.

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can.” J.J. Tolkien

Do you ever see windmills in your neighborhood? When I lived in Southern California, there were parts of the state that had a ton of them but it wasn’t the norm… The wind farm on the San Gorgonio Mountain Pass in the San Bernadino Mountains often comes to mind, but there were at least two other wind turbine farms. When I first drove by them, it was a surreal experience and I felt  a sense of awe; it felt like I was entering another dimension.  Seeing these two installations on the aqueduct brought back those memories and this time it was a creative and colorful experience. I think this fits the unlikely theme. Don’t you?

This post was inspired by a prompt from WP Daily Post:  – UNLIKELY  – This week’s challenge is to share a photo of something unlikely. My point here is threefold: Never say never. If you ever have the opportunity to hang out in a pickup with an apex predator*, go for it. Share the Unlikely; an object or person in an unlikely place, an unpredictable experience, a serendipitous accident: we want the expected. We look forward to seeing your interpretations!

 

Positive Motivation Tip: Stay open to the world we inhabit… much can be seen.

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos from my personal collection.

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet