On the magic of mountain rivers

"River Magic," no-brush watercolor, 9 x 9 140 lb cold press paper

"....peace like a river..." --Isaiah 66:12

How long since you've come upon  a clear Rocky Mountain stream or river gurgling over colorful rounded rocks?
Too long, for me, but you remember  the sounds, the smells, the cool air,  as snow-fed water flows by, and human time seems to slow down. 
You are first attracted to the sound of the water, the small waterfalls,  and then the cooler air, in the forest, the greener grass, a source of life for the fluttering birds and buzzing insects. Instead of everyday life, places like that bring calmness, peace.
We need more such rivers in our lives, especially now in these days of pandemic pandemonium where we're battered by continual bad news, worries and human stupidity.
I'm reminded of the Gospel song, "When peace like a river...."

Where are the rivers of your life? 

I'm reminded of the headwaters of the Pecos River in the northern New Mexico wilderness, after a long hike in the high country. Peace indeed
They're magic, and it's no wonder rivers have been symbols of peace, of life for troubled people for so long.
Thus today's no-brush watercolor series, "River Magic."
"The the angel showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal..." --Rev. 22:1

Mythic morning watercolor--Santa Fe Trail

Dawn on the Santa Fe Trail, 9 by 12 watercolor, 140# d'Arches

Trails loom large in our history and culture, and especially mine.
The photo at the top of this blog I took a few years ago, as the first crack of dawn colored the landscape east of Cimarron, New Mexico, as I headed back to Oklahoma. I crossed the ruts of the old Santa Fe Trail, in this view looking north.
The end of the great Plains, the land of mesas and the Sangre De Cristo Rocky Mountain front.
It's a place for color, and history, and imagination. Other trails--Route 66, El Camino Real, the Mormon Trail, the Oregon Trail, Natchez Trace, Trail of Tears, Chisholm Trail, and so many more help define in spirit what we are as Americans.
So today's watercolor is a spiritual journey for me.

Day 17 of WorldWatercolorMonth challenge

Palette--Thalo Blue, Cobalt Blue, Alizerine Crimson, Cad orange, real green

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills"

What is it about mountains? They are deep within my soul...the high places of earth.

When I see them, travel in them, live even for a little while in them, I am lifted up. My eyes and spirit drink in their power. I am refreshed, as the stresses of traffic and noise and crowds and worries vanish.

It's been a week since I visited with my son Travis in northern Colorado, traveling the back roads, smelling the trees, gazing on the towering peaks of the Rocky Mountains. 
I eagerly seek them on the horizon, and marvel at the constant change in shape and light as I get closer. 

Once in them you notice the large and small...the bark of a Ponderosa pine, the infinity of shapes and colors of rock, the breeze in the fir, the last few aspen leaves clinging to branches, the first snow in the high country and on the peaks, the silver glint of the sun on the water of a trout stream. 
Scripture comes to mind effortlessly.  "When peace like a river... ." 

All aboard to dreams and wishes

I've always wanted to ride in one of those sleek dome cars on a train trip through the country, especially the Rockies. Alas, so far at least.
But early today, at the Amtrak station in Oklahoma City, there was this classic. The Heartland Flyer, which runs between here and Fort Worth, must have brought it overnight. But when the train left, with my wife Susan on board for an arts conference in Ardmore, the car remained.
Ah, the dreams and wishes of such journeys.