Wednesday, August 18, 2010

river vignette 8 – the Pecos



Still immersed so here's another moment on the river.


*the sketches that accompany these vignettes do not illustrate that particular moment or even reflect that particular river.


We stop at a ravine and pull up the boats. We climb up the side canyon through this ravine filled with boulders and scrub. The white thorn acacias are sharp. Everything green seems to be prickly. We get up to the shelter known as the Ingram site. There on the canyon wall before us, are enigmatic paintings some thousands of years old. They are beautiful and mystifying. In the narrow ledges along the base of the shelter are smooth rounded depressions in the rock where the painters ground and prepared their pigments. The cactus wrens are building nests in the limestone above us. They hop around giving us the eye and sing now and then. We spend some time here, pausing in the shade and shadow of the past.


9 comments:

  1. Beautiful Ellen. I would love to see that. More river adventures please.

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  2. The idea of sitting where people sat hundreds or thousands of years ago is fascinating to me. I really am the product of such a young country.

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  3. I can see the glory of this place through your words. I can even feel the prickly things!

    Oh, and you have been nominated for an award. Stop by Pagan Culture and claim it! http://pagan-culture.blogspot.com/2010/08/pagan-cultures-substance.html

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  4. Ellen....this sounds mystical and wonderful. Share more.

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  5. I love your river vignettes. LOVE your sketches. They're so alive. Thank you!

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  6. Rivers are so alive with life. I really enjoy wrens. Do cactus wrens perch on cacti?

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  7. ellen, when i read your words i'm reminded of my many readings of edward abbey. carlos castaneda. and others who slip my mind at this moment. it's the ability to gather the sweetest most elegant details of a moment and braid them together into a telling. i admire that! steven

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  8. So fascinating and beautiful!! Congrats on your newest award too!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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