The Earth is Slow but the Buffalo is Patient
Photography has always brought me a great deal of peace. When the troubles of the every day wear on me I pick up my camera and look for such a place as pictured above. Photography has been an important part of my life since 1964, when I got my first camera. Dora has always recognized the importance of this expression in my life and has been generous to make sure I had what I needed and more. Much to the dismay of many of my friends, including some of my photography friends, I can find such a quiet place as this and sit on a rock for a long time. I can almost hear them saying, "Take the picture already!" Dora is patient with me and fortunately so are a number of my photography friends, some of which are exactly like me in this regard.
"The Things they Carried" is a series of short stories by Tim O'Brien, all related to a platoon of American soldiers in Vietnam and based upon his experiences in the 23rd Infantry. One of the men in the short stories is Kiowa, a compassionate soldier and a Native American. In one of the stories two soldiers have become impatient. Kiowa tells them, "The earth is slow but the buffalo is patient." I heard the same phrase used in the movie "High Road to China". In the movie they used an ox instead of a buffalo but the meaning was the same.
I can't always say what I am looking for and certainly those around me at the time will have no idea. There is in my mind no hurry to leave such as place. I can wait patiently here to find what I am looking for.