Sunday, 17 June 2012

• 
  split.decision
  ephrata, wa
  16 june 2012 - 550D, f/4.5 1/640s, iso-100

  "he might even pass us," michael said when i asked what the convention was once the glider pilot releases the towline. as we passed 6,000 feet and soap lake was to our right, the pilot of golf-uniform released the line and immediately turned to the right and climbed a bit, and michael turned our plane left and descended slightly. once clear of each other, the pilot of golf-uniform nosed-down ever so slightly, but with such a sleek aircraft, he quickly picked up speed and was soon flying almost alongside us.

  the weather was challenging during this year's region 8 soaring championships and today required patience and even then there wasn't much thermal activity to help the competitors out. after the four tow pilots launched all of the competitors and after a few hours had gone by, a few calls came in about three competitors that ran out of steam and had to set down at a private field just north of the home airport of ephrata municipal. two of the tow planes flew over to pull the stranded pilots and their gliders back into the sky so they could fly the rest of the way back to ephrata, and we were one of them.

  seizing the invitation and opportunity to take a camera with me, i snapped the picture above at the moment of release. not long after that, golf-uniform was right alongside us, making his way back to base:

   

  ~ = ~

  at some point in our lives we have to make fairly big decisions; there is a degree of independence we all need to have if we ever wish to grow or learn anything. once the towline is released, there is no way to reattach without landing and so if there is an hour-long task to be conducted under less than ideal conditions, the decision to commit to the release may or may not always result in easy success.

  and on that note, "c'est la vie" with whatever happens. some things will be within our control and some things (often many things) will be out of our control.

  in times of trouble is where we'll find out a little bit more of our character, who our real friends are, and where we can learn the lessons needed to either improve or eliminate the problem in the future. but there needs to be a future--we must keep trying for success otherwise the whole exercise is almost pointless. yes, sometimes the lesson is to know when to cut one's losses, but most of the time the road to success requires perseverance and a healthy environment for growth. of course, we are just as much a part of this equation as well because if our intentions are not good, then we deserve to be left stranded with our own predicament.

  these are the friends that will give us that "re-light" so we can finish the glide back home and yes, we should never take them for granted.

  ~ = ~

  if you are looking for something wonderful, go see the film "moonrise kingdom". it's strange and beautiful, awkward and full of love, angular and tender at the same time. if you're looking for a good piece of storytelling, this would be a good one to go with:

  for me, personally, the extensive featuring of britten's "young peoples' guide to the orchestra" brought back many wonderful memories playing in the university of rochester symphony orchestra. such a fun piece, and it was good to be brought back to such a fun time in life to help make this most lovely story experience that much more rich and warm.

  magically,
  -j

  Currently Moonrise Kingdom [Blu-ray] By Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton see related

   

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