Concentration

A concentration of greenery on a sultry day.  (Janes Island State Park, MD)

Someone who seems doddery is perhaps not doddery at all but only an older person absorbed in squinting concentration, as though on an ultimate trip, memorizing a scene, grateful for being alive to see it.

~ Paul Theroux, The Last Train to Zona Verde: My Ultimate African Safari

A concentration of vines.  (Janes Island State Park, MD)

Today’s Capture Your 365 prompt is Concentration.  I stumbled around this one for a while, not quite sure how I could capture concentration in an image.  My first thought was how easy it would be if I had someone I could catch concentrating on something, but there is no one here who would want to be featured on the blog.  Even Bo the Dog is camera shy these days.  Someone took a picture of him using the flash on their camera.  (I am not to blame for this one.  I rarely use the flash.)  Bo associates the flash with lightning and associates lightning with thunder, and he’s afraid of thunder.  He expects a boom! to follow a flash.  I wonder if he’s surprised when it doesn’t?

A concentration of tiny flowers.

I had a gander at the definitions of Concentration and “something concentrated: a concentration of stars” and “a concentrated collection or mass” (FreeDictionary.com) brought to mind some possibilities.  I will admit to creatively stretching the definition a bit.  Otherwise, I’d be left with nothing.

My concentration is necessary to capture the butterflies.

M and I sat out on the deck the night of the last new moon.  The stars were brilliant and almost overwhelming in number.  It was, indeed, a concentration of stars.  We could even see a limb of the Milky Way.  A few falling stars (meteors) flashed in the southern sky.  I would like to try to photograph the night sky someday.  It will have to wait until the weather cools off and the biting insects retreat to wherever they go when they are finished for the season.  I’m not sure my camera is capable of what I’d like to do, but I won’t know until I give it a try.  Learning how to do it will require concentration.

A concentration of petals and soon-to-be seeds.

Elegance is achieved when all that is superfluous has been discarded and the human being discovers simplicity and concentration:  the simpler and more sober the posture, the more beautiful it will be.

~ Paulo Coelho

Butterfly concentration

Thank you for visiting today, and spending a little time in concentration.  It’s still hot and humid here at the Wabi-Sabi Ranch, and I’d love nothing more than a day or two at the beach, but I don’t think that will happen anytime soon.  There are a few puffy clouds floating around in the mostly blue sky.  If they hang around for a while, it should be a nice sunset.  Meet you on the dock.  Sunset is at 8:09 PM.  Maybe we’ll treat ourselves to a cold glass of wine as we watch the sun retreat for the day.

Keeping your eye on that big, clumsy (by cat standards) creature (Bo the Dog) requires great concentration.

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

Concentrating on Bo.

Today’s joys:  Running and bounding with Bo (he’s such a happy dog!); cold and sassy water (“sassy water” is made with cucumber and lemon slices, mint, ginger, and of course, water); using some of those overgrown cucumbers in sassy water; lots of exercise and outdoor time.

Not quite a concentration of Morning Glories. I’m not sure this would even be a cluster.