Mist beginnings fore gotten futures

Centuries ago seen from today, Gothic temples seem like phallic symbols, each new one going higher and higher competing to connect (or re-connect‚ people and God. .Our modern temples, built not for worship of God, but for secular business.

Morning reflection in the windows of the Maritime Building

Blue sky, looking up the building appears to be a pier thrusting into the ocean. or even a walkway to God.

In different places around the neighborhood the building shows itself.

A bit of this or a but of that

From up around where Monk used to touch the stop sign in the opening credits scene.

Afternoon a couple of blocks above Stockton Street.

I sometimes wonder if all this moving parts of the Earth —raw materials— from there to here, and concentrating buildings in a few geographical places does not effect a rebalance, or even an imbalance, of the earth.

Alameda Creek

That we see is profound enough, eyes get a “work-out” walking daily along Alameda Creek . . . well actually walking around anywhere., Seeing is fun.

We see light when it reflects off a “thing,” . . .

What is a “thing?” is an interesting question to ponder, seeing a “thing” is light.
If there was no light would things not exist?

It reflects light? But not all “things” reflect light—Ideas, concepts, and “generality” words which can represent many “particulars.” . . .

Ideas are often represented in writing on a medium which is made by people to reflect light and the marks on the surface— An the paper we make we can see the writing (or printing), read the letters and know the meaning.

We can also think the concept, hold it in our mind, remember it tomorrow, and we do not need light to see it nor a place to store it.

Photographs are about “things ”which reflect light. and don’t reflect light, things we can see as well as dthings we cannot see.

Often people have a common feeling about a photograph, its not just a list of the things in it but how the things fit together to express concepts such as compassion; curiosity; love; disgust; commitment..

The whole is more than the sum of the parts..

All of these images are just things that have been, or could have been or may be, seen here or somewhere else in the Universe.

EndPapers

‘After her stroke, Mom could not read, I don’t know what the little graphic marks of letter forms meant to her. Western letter forms are not like kanji or hanzi. embedded in their pre historical visual clues.

Mom’s was very bright, with a large sophisticated vocabulary—she knew a lot of words as well as grammar. Yet it seemed she would look at letters knowing they were supposed to mean something but no matter how long or how hard she looked at them, meaning never came to her—her mind could not make a connection with the letters.

Its very different than how people “normally ” look at lines of strange little marks —that is what writing is to the uninitiated , the ones who cannot read.

I imagine its a little like looking at a foreign language but still one knows it has meaning..Still, there were times I chose to try to communicate with letters.

We see these unfamiliar marks on paper, not only do we not know what they mean—how to read them —but when we see the marks we cannot but help notice the visual qualities of shape, texture, color, etc. —the human braind, always trying to differentiate and define sensory input.

After we can read a language when we look at the little marks we know what they mean and no longer find the shapes of the marks interesting We read for the meaning of the words and not the visual experience of seeing the little marks on the paper.. Its the meaning .

Mom was in the “rehab” facility for eight weeks , after a few weeks she was up and around a little and was allowed to sit —with seat belt on —in a wheelchair She could move with her legs which was good exercise and she explored the facility.

When we read, usually the “meaning” defines the visual experience of seeing the little marks in rows and columns. Those non-meaning visual experiences are still there to be had, but many people in modern society with its emphasis on “meaning” have become less sensitive to the sensual experience.