Last week, Remi had a lunch meeting in Arles so I invited myself along. Not for the lunch itself – of which I partook before leaving the house – but for the ride back into the amazing town that we lived in from 2005 until last July.
It was, surprisingly, whip winded cold due to the arrival of the Mistral. Still, I was delighted, as nothing wipes the sky clean like those head-rocking gales.
Everything is illuminated. The light comes in like a side-winder and then pulls back with a long scrape so every last detail is in relief.
I know Arles so well that on instagram recently, one of my friends there posted a photo of a closed shutter against a pink wall and I knew exactly where it was located.
Because I have had enough time to go off the beaten path…
…until even that has become familiar.
But here is the thing. Blame it on the Mistral but I felt that my eyes had been wiped clean too.
Those filters in my head of, “Oh, that is too touristy…” “I can’t photograph the Roman Arena all the time…” “that is too obvious a shot…” “I have already taken that before…”
…were just…gone.
And so I walked around, giddy with my camera cupped in my hands…
…feeling like a greedy monster grabbing at all that I could.
“Gobble, Gobble,” she said and it ain’t even Thanksgiving…yet.
But I am giving thanks.
For the light, for the monuments, for all of those years…
…of being able to take in such beauty, both ephemeral and yet utterly enduring, everyday.
It was – and is – such an incredible gift. A light to a light.
Did I find myself missing Arles? I did. And I do. I know. But I have already established that I am a sentimental fool with my heart in many places. So that, is that.
And the (hopefully) good news? That hunger that comes after a long sleep made me snap and snap and snap. You would have thought that it was my final visit to that old town and not just a random opportunity. So I have many, many posts-worth of photos for you. The bad news? My dear little Canon G12 started acting up that day (in revolt?) and is now not working at all despite my desperate shufflings through the manual. Eeee. To be continued…
Lovely photos and the words that accompany them – I can almost feel that clear cold wind under the hard sky. Such amazing light.
Yikes to camera troubles.
How odd HEATHER my CANON whatever…….isNOT focusing today!Made me so mad as the cat is sleeping on top of a narrow pillow………MY camera is old.Yours is PRETTY NEW!!!!Hope you can fix it!
ARLES, looks beautiful……….hopefully, one day YOU can drive me through it!!!
XO
You had me at "partook" .. such a classic and under utilized word … truly "old school". Beautiful shots and excellent descriptors of poignant memories, Heather.
Healing thoughts for your ailing Canon.
Aloha,
Bill Facker
http://www.kauai-to-paris.com
Lovely, lovely, lovely, Please don't stop taking pictures of Arles whenever you visit. You always show us new things. Hope you get your camera working again.
I do the same, strolling through my city(a bit more far away than yours) and picture everything what I already did many times before ..but never get bored.And yes, I'm sentimental and a bit homesick . My zoom is not working so I need a new camera too.
I don't know if Santa will be coming at ALL this year Judith, let alone early but Remi has a Fuji SLR that he doesn't use anymore that could be cleaned up if need be…which that in itself is a gift enough!
Looking forward to your take on this topic. 🙂
Ahh, seeing the familiar in a new way (as you noted on Instagram) is a gift — and in fact is a topic I will be posting on later this week You have captured the gorgeousness as thoughtfully as always. I can feel the windswept-clean of your surroundings. Sadly, my little G-12 seems to have a problem as well, one that does not make it unusable, but is annoying, and that my in-house mechanic has also been unable to remedy. I hope you can fix yours. Either that or Santa better come early this year.
p.s. I hope your camera is really not dead!!!
p.p.s. Rimpoche especially draws out the part: "taaaaaame your mind"!!
p.p.s. I love you, too!!!!!!!!
Thank you Sister! And I always appreciate your awesome perspectives on what you see here. Have a great day… I love you…
PS. I could totally hear Rimpoche saying that in my mind. 🙂
Eeeeee!!! Camera not working?? Bad camera, bad!! But he went out with a bang with those photos!!! I can totally see your fresh eye/perspective in these photos!! I love the new perspectives and subjects, after having lived there for NINE YEARS!! Isn't it amazing what a little time away can do? Plus I especially love the idea of how the voices in our heads can limit us. This is what I'm trying to do with Buddhism, meditation – get the discouraging, negative voices out of my head and try to replace them with openness, curiosity. Like Rimpoche says (and David and I quote, often with his accent): increase positivities, avoid negativities, tame the mind! At any rate, I love these photos, and I love that Arles is still near enough for you to come back and mine for gold!