Ceramic Bamboo by Chipka
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Description
It has been a strange week: I’ve performed hard, physical labor in cruel and unusually hot weather; I’ve attended a family reunion; I’ve done more physical labor in cruel and unusually hot weather (on somebody’s sabath, no less) and it isn’t over yet. One week stands poised to blur into the next as I’m now in charge of the family business, while my father drives something with a wonky engine from Chicago to Mississippi; well…perhaps the engine isn’t that wonky, but I’ve seen what vehicles my father makes common use of, and at each viewing, I feel like Princess Leia getting her first sight of Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon at the mid-point of her rescue from the Empire’s Death Star. I see my father’s trucks and think: You came here in that thing? You’re braver than I thought!
As it stands, my father is bound for Mississippi for one week, in one of those things, and it’s now my responsibility to keep the others from exploding and showering the greater Chicago area with shrapnel and flaming transmission fluid, as we move a massive load of dental equipment from the warehouse to an office not far from the warehouse. It’s going to be a long and arduous job, but thankfully, we have to start at 6am: temperatures will not be so bad then. It’ll be hot, but within human tolerances. As we have to load, drive, unload and uncrate everything, we’re likely to be done by the time the day’s heat reaches it peak. As I’m now in charge of the rag-tag fleet, I’m making sure that we use the on-board air conditioning…I don’t care how much smoke comes out of it!
This has nothing to do with my post, and that’s the point! At this particular phase in time’s endless cycle, I’m stuck in a moment of looking forward to something interesting, and it’s my intention to remind myself that there are other aspects of life, and seasons a lot more pleasant that US Midwestern Summer. Oh, I love summer, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t like simmering in my own bodily fluids as already-intense sunlight is amplified by urban concrete and reflected upward. Double whammy heat is quite unpleasant. And so, in an attempt to capture a cooler, more relaxed time, I’ve gone through my files and found…well…bamboo made of brilliantly-glazed clay. I took the photo in question with Corey, during an early foray through Chicago’s Chinatown. We hadn’t yet found Seven Treasures, and thus, pleasant lunch accompanied by refreshingly astringent tea, but we did find the Nine Dragons Wall, and a number of tourists taking pictures of themselves in front of it.
I remember the day, for numerous reasons: all of them pleasant, but as it stands, I’m quite enamored with the fact that I needed to wear a jacket! It was a brisk and pleasant day in an early autumn month. No one simmered while standing at bus stops. No one heard heat advisory warnings on the radio. The Gulf of Mexico didn’t resemble the grease trap behind a particularly dodgy restaurant. In all honesty, things might not have been better—and in all honesty, things aren’t that bad—but they were most certainly cooler, and I’m immensely glad of that. And so in honor of cooler weather, I’m posting a photograph taken on a day that began with sunlight, and ended with brooding, dramatic clouds, and my first up-close sight of a vertical lift railroad bridge that had—until that day—been a complete mystery to me.
I look forward to cooler days; I’m not praying for cooler temperatures—that invites blizzards and endless cold snaps!—but I’m biding my time and remembering each and every hot day that the Northern Hemisphere has had to endure, and when a more serene and refreshing meteorological temperament settles over the northern half of the globe, I’ll probably post a picture taken this week: just to look back and show gratitude that Chicago and other cities are no longer roasting in their own juices.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting.
Comments (25)
mbz2662
"Cool" shot, Chip :) Ya, stewing in our own juices sure is an unpleasant thing. These High temps, with extreme heat warnings, seem to be all over the States. But it'll only be for a few days (I keep telling myself).
GailB
Lovely shot and my fleeting sympathy for the heat. My sympathy for the required hard work in hot weather. It's nice to not have to leave the A.C. The fleeting is because your hot weather will break way before mine will.
jocko500
I love the was it a ribon of same image over and over. this is wonderful
MrsRatbag
Ooh, I love the definition of the patterns in these tiles; it's so lovely! I make no bones about longing for winter, I am not a fan of summer by any stretch of the imagination. Bring on the cooler temps!
danapommet
Doesn't every major city's Chinatown have this same roofline except for the color scheme? It seems that way anyway. Beautiful capture of these roof tiles. Dana
auntietk
I love the repetition, the colors, the smooth texture. Good luck this week! I hope everything goes smoothly, without a hitch. :)
beachzz
Everything about this is wonderful--the color, details, all of it. Most of all, though, your words, which go off in all directions unrelated to the foto. I like that, a lot!!
flavia49
wonderful capture!
faroutsider
Move to Cape Town - it's really refreshing (i.e. chilly) here at the moment. And there are plenty of photographic opportunities... Great shot, great narrative.
MrsLubner
I adore the details found on buildings. Often they go unnoticed or, at least, glanced at but not appreciated for their artistic nature. This is really amazing.
minos_6
Great capture! If it wasn't for the sky, I could have taken this for a macro... Good luck with the hot weather! I know what you mean about double whammy heat! Although in London our biggest problem is travel on an out-of-date public transport system, where it's possible to get slowly baked underground....
kgb224
And i cannot wait for summer my friend. Stunning capture my friend.
helanker
What a super shot and so darn beautiful in all. I am sorry you have to boil in so hot weather, while working hard at the same time.. wish I could send some cool breezes, but I can only send some thoughts of them. You would love the refreshing weather we have this morning.
blinkings
Great patterns.
durleybeachbum
GORGEOUS glazes and amazing workmanship in your picture, and another very interesting read.
Art4u
Excellent Image
lick.a.witch
Narrative and image is simply excellent! ^=^
lucindawind
beautiful shot .. try and stay cool .. its hot here as well
jmb007
belle photo!
sandra46
outstanding image, great capture! when the family is going to explode into tiny bits all over the city the best thing to do is getting an umbrella! ;-D as for hard work in unusual and cruel ways, well, that's more difficult. Yet, If you blow up the place, you may find another job in Baffin Island....
sharky_
You sound very busy in life... Nice capture. Aloha
evielouise
I cn imagine a whole kitchen done in this but not in the United States lol;; it's beautiful!
Sepiasiren
I love the orange and blue color combination when done right and this is done more than right--the lighting and the aqua blue that peek out is also stunning--absolutely love this.
myrrhluz
Our forecast for tomorrow is for a high of 103. I plan to stay in. I can catch up some on renderosity and watch some more of season 2 of Voyager. It's funny, the fact that Voyager is not my favorite (DS9 is) and that the station running it played such havoc with its show times, means that now there are many that I haven't seen or only seen once and don't remember that well. It's like having a whole new show (almost). "but thankfully, we have to start at 6am" That is not a phrase I'll ever use, even living in the hot south. I've been meaning to comment on this post for a while and kept getting distracted by your new and fascinating posts. As it is about to slip over to the next page, now is a good time. I love the bright colors and gaudy exuberance of this. There is a joy of life and the senses that emanates from it. Beautiful clarity of colors, the cool greens and blues against the glowing orange. Wonderful capture of the detail, light, and textures. Very interesting narrative. The fact that the day you took this was the day you discovered the wonders of the vertical lift railroad bridge means it was a very good day! I look forward to cooler days too. And though I'll have to wait longer for them, I can look forward to them with very little fear of it tipping into the brutally cold.
praep
Nice and so colorful - Thanks for sharing.