We are come round once again to that time of the month when the moon is full and the light at night is brighter than one has a right to expect. My civilized life in home and office had separated me from this natural truth and I was slightly surprised yesterday evening to see the almost full moon rising in the east.
The incessant south east breezes had died down at last allowing calming flat seas at last and Cheyenne was busy exploring the beach and finding nasty things to smell so I had time to stand with the camera and think lunatic thoughts by myself.
The Romans called crazy people lunatics believing them to be governed by the moon, luna, and the term has survived into the modern era. In many respects I feel the world about me is moving into an age of public lunacy as I listen to debates about our economic future and our political choices. As usual I revert to history to be my guide, as I am of the school that nothing new happens under sun and because we ignore history as a species we are doomed to repeat it.
Every month the moon fills, or waxes and after it reaches maturity it thins out, or wanes, and over and over it repeats the cycle leading those of us who follow our own thoughts to be termed lunatics, waxing and waning ourselves as we hope for the best and expect the worst. We follow the sound of a different drum they say when we emigrate, change jobs, move across country and decide to not follow the fashion. "Key West?" they said. "That's a bit restrictive isn't it? What do you hope to find there?" The moon on the water perhaps? 
As we march toward what even the most optimistic voices in our country finally admit is a Great Depression led by people who are determined not to understand our past I give thanks that I live in a place where community means something and where natural beauty is still there to be admired and my wife and I have few enough preoccupations that we can still admire a sunrise or a moon rise and not have to worry too much about where our next paycheck is coming from.
There are still lots of people on vacation and in a few weeks I will join their ranks and the whole concept of vacation has a lunatic ring to it. Turning one's back on where one lives and rushing off to spend money and time away. Recharging the batteries they call it and every journey these days feels like it could be the last for a while.
There is no doubt I am tired and need a break but still I feel like a lunatic. In the face of Climate Change and Peak Oil and budget cuts in every direction except those that hurt the monied classes it seems lunatic to take a break. And yet how necessary. The next time I see a full moon it will be under a different sky and as lunatic as I may be, I cannot hardly wait.
The incessant south east breezes had died down at last allowing calming flat seas at last and Cheyenne was busy exploring the beach and finding nasty things to smell so I had time to stand with the camera and think lunatic thoughts by myself.The Romans called crazy people lunatics believing them to be governed by the moon, luna, and the term has survived into the modern era. In many respects I feel the world about me is moving into an age of public lunacy as I listen to debates about our economic future and our political choices. As usual I revert to history to be my guide, as I am of the school that nothing new happens under sun and because we ignore history as a species we are doomed to repeat it.Every month the moon fills, or waxes and after it reaches maturity it thins out, or wanes, and over and over it repeats the cycle leading those of us who follow our own thoughts to be termed lunatics, waxing and waning ourselves as we hope for the best and expect the worst. We follow the sound of a different drum they say when we emigrate, change jobs, move across country and decide to not follow the fashion. "Key West?" they said. "That's a bit restrictive isn't it? What do you hope to find there?" The moon on the water perhaps? As we march toward what even the most optimistic voices in our country finally admit is a Great Depression led by people who are determined not to understand our past I give thanks that I live in a place where community means something and where natural beauty is still there to be admired and my wife and I have few enough preoccupations that we can still admire a sunrise or a moon rise and not have to worry too much about where our next paycheck is coming from.There are still lots of people on vacation and in a few weeks I will join their ranks and the whole concept of vacation has a lunatic ring to it. Turning one's back on where one lives and rushing off to spend money and time away. Recharging the batteries they call it and every journey these days feels like it could be the last for a while.There is no doubt I am tired and need a break but still I feel like a lunatic. In the face of Climate Change and Peak Oil and budget cuts in every direction except those that hurt the monied classes it seems lunatic to take a break. And yet how necessary. The next time I see a full moon it will be under a different sky and as lunatic as I may be, I cannot hardly wait.
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