The Life of Water

Raindrops ON spiderwebs; Water drops drip OFFa duck's beak.
(Click all pictures for larger view)

"Everywhere water is a thing of beauty gleaming in the dewdrop, singing in the summer rain." ~ John Ballantine Gough

Water comes in all forms; gas, liquid and solid. Small raindrops glisten in the sun, trapped in the little spider's web refract the sunlight into the colors of the rainbow. The geese and ducks splash and swim in the lake, dipping into the water for food. Water rolls off the duck's back and head, dripping of his beak as the camera stops motion.

Fish swimming IN the shallow backyard pond.

Fish

The little fish are silent
As they swim round and round.
Their mouths are ever talking
A speech without a sound.

Now aren't the fishes funny
To swim in water clear
And talk with words so silent
That nobody can hear?

~ Arthur S. Bourinot

Water pours OUT of the fish's mouth. Brooklyn Botanical Garden.

"When summer days are long and hot
the cool water of the fountains
calls to me...
come jump and splash,
get wet and wiggle with abandon!
Bring a friend or two...
have a water fight...
and I go... because who
can resist the call of the
water!
~ Kerri Russ

STILL waters reflect images of life.

"No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see. ~ Proverb

FLOWING water, dancing leaves.

"Water flows humbly to the lowest level. Nothing is weaker than water, yet for overcoming what is hard and strong, nothing surpasses it." ~ Lao Tzu

I love to sit on the bank of a pond or a pool of water, when there is no wind and the surface is smooth like glass. There are no ripples, save the occasional bubbling from a passing fish or the tiny ripples formed from the light touch of a flying insect. One has a hard time telling where the shore meets the water; all the trees, flowers, even animals and people are reflected in the water's surface. I've seen the most intense burning colors of red, orange and gold reflected in fall, a stark intertwined network of skeleton trees in the winter, the delicate pinks and whites of dogwood blossoms in spring and the full dark green leaves of summer against the background of a deep blue sky and fluffy white clouds. Still waters reflect the glory of creation in a quiet and serene tone.

But when water flows, it demonstrates the power of creation. We've all seen the power of water when small gently flowing streams are turned into raging rivers that sweep cars, bridges and even homes away. Even the trickling streams of water in the drainage ditch behind our house sends leaves dancing downstream ahead of the tiny waves and the constant flow of a large river carves huge deep canyons over time.

Where the ocean waters meet the land. Virginia Beach.

"The shore is an ancient world, for as long as there has been an earth and sea, there has been this place of the meeting of land and water." ~ Rachel Carson

And then there are the oceans, vast expanses of water that is home to thousands of species. Imposing and yet very intimate and personal. Is there anything more soothing than the sound of the waves rolling in and flowing out from the shore; nature's lullaby? Powerful and gentle, menace and comfort, strong and weak.... water. Water is all around, above, below and within us. Water is life.

The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "water". You can go here to "Grab the Scavenger Hunt code" and here to join the blogroll. This really cute logo is available there as well. The link to other participants is in my blogroll on the sidebar.

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