10.16.2007

Flight

Though I know it happens thousands of time everyday airplane flight always seems miraculous, and I love nearly everything about it. Going through goofy security procedures, engaging in people watching, language and accent discernment, napping uncomfortably in plane seats, (though admittedly I hate airport food), waiting on the tarmac, all for that moment of lift when a huge can of metal becomes airborne and the world below drops away to toy village, then ant farm, then abstract surface marked with patches of developed land, squiggles of forest and river, and cities shaped like twinkling stars exploding ever outwards. Sometimes all of it disappears beneath a world of clouds, which comes to resemble traveling on another planet of white, grey, blues, tinged with pink. Then as the plane lands, subtle textures of topography become more apparent: the forests separate into areas of closely space green lines of cultivated pines and irregularly colored wild trees, new suburbs with their shiny cookie cutter homes abut old farmland, the bare prints of old farm houses and barns remain and their driveways truncate to nowhere. Old property lines are marked by old growth sometimes cut in two by newer roads. Reading the land this way is seeing the layers upon layers of history, so little is left unmarked by us. Someday I continually promise myself, I will do a series based on the designs found in aerial photography.

The reason for flight? Last week Tommy, my brother-in-law and I flew to Louisiana to visit with their older brother before his deployment to Iraq and then drove to Texas to visit Catlin and Alicia for the first time since his return from Iraq. Both visits were very good and far too short. Much roughhousing and teasing
occurred during the week because what else do you do but joke and laugh and play and upon goodbye bid each other to take care?

Pictures to come.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I must say that I still love to fly. Even after 13 years of my "fly-job" (which I don't miss)I do love to travel for pleasure. Tom is always amazed at how calm I can be even if I don't get on a flight...how I'm content to just sit and watch people and wait the next available. And put me next to a window and I'm a happy camper.
xoxo
suz

Anonymous said...

does fall weather help? must be that your autumn days are brighter and not as grey as where i am? it makes me want to just stay in bed all day. actually, that's more winter. today i did finally get up and got to some sketching (after hours of gazillion breaks in between gessoing). horrible ones but who the heck cares. i have the urge to rip them all up and show them on my blog as an act of rebellion. rebelling against what, i don't know.

anyways...
interesting how you and your aunt both love flying so much. i just sleep throughout the flight.
i want to see some ariel drawings! these days, when i think of drawings, i always think of your insect drawings. they are so lovely. i love them.

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