Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Zen Tuesday: Nature Calls

Because yesterday was a holiday we didn't have Zen Monday. Zen Tuesday's in order this week.

For us city folk who hear the call of the wild and sort of want to heed it: a phone. Just in case.

24 comments:

John Sandel said...

We'd better start capping international C02 emissions, or nature will reverse the charges. There's a bill we can't afford!

Knoxville Girl said...

LOL! I can't even find a public phone downtown, not yet out in the wilderness.

Petrea Burchard said...

Hi Bernie and Knoxville Girl. The more I look at this photo the more faky it looks. Like a painted backdrop. But I swear it's a photo. I took it a couple of weeks ago in the Lower Arroyo Park.

USelaine said...

I can't quite craft the zen question here. "If the line is dead, is it still a telephone?" "What is the sound of a phone not called?" Or "What's your nearest cross street, ma'am?"

Or, "A jackrabbit, a scrub jay, and a skunk walk up to a phone booth..."

Pat said...

Hi, Petrea! For some reason this photo reminds me of the cameras hidden in the trees in the forest in "1984." Not quite as sinister, but still. I guess this phone must be where there's no cell phone reception, since everybody seems to have one now.

freefalling said...

Seems perfectly normal.
A phone in the middle of nowhere!
(????)

I really like this photo.
The pink tinge, the scrubby bushes and the bare trees (and the telephone).

marley said...

Thats funny. Is it a branch line?! :)

Christie said...

Is that so wildlife can call their cousin in the zoo if they need to?

Funny!!

Love the shot and the title, Petrea!

Christie said...

Or perhaps another zen question: "If the phone rings in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make any sound?"

David said...

The phone company in Illinois has been removing as many of the pay phones as they believe they can without making any more enemies. It seems that pay phones no longer garner enough revenue to support maintenance and service.

As for the zen of the thing, it never rains in California and never rings in the forest.

Petrea Burchard said...

uselaine, those are all good.

I'm not sure, Bibi. It might be only for park personnel. I didn't approach it, speaking of sinister.

You're right, freefalling, it is pink. I hadn't realized that. More of our weird weather. Maybe that's why I thought it looked faky.

Hahahahahahahaha, Marley!

Glad you like the title, Christie. It was either that or "The Call of the Wild." I'm sure there are more...

So right, David. If it had rang, I would have panicked.

John Sandel said...

I think it looks just phone-y enough to make a trunk call …

John Sandel said...

Hello? Operator …?

USelaine said...

I think she's busy, bernie.

USelaine said...

For that matter, I don't think I like the sound of your tone.

Parisian Heart said...

This is funny. The word "anachronism" comes to mind, although that is not quite an accurate description of this situation, because it isn't really out of place in the sense of time ...

The backdrop for the phone is beautiful! Perhaps the phone symbolizes a threat to the zen experience?

USelaine said...

Okay, here's something for your right brain zen yearnings. Go to this website, and "launch" it. Then type in Petrea Burchard in the space provided, and submit that. Put on your favorite mellow music, drink some California poppy tea, or whatever...

Dreamlines

Rosie said...

In the Uk we have the same problem. In more remote areas there is less and less phone boxes.
Having said that we are lucky and we can still find a few public phones around. Only because one of the oldest telephone companies have a clause in their contract that they have to keep the public phones in order so in town centre we can even access the internet on them...

Profile Not Available said...

A very clever title for this post. I haven't seen a public phone in a very long time. This suggests a new twist on an old question about a bear: If a phone rings in the woods...

Profile Not Available said...

Okay,I should have read the comments first before posting. Christie beat me to the punch on that one!

I do like the alternative title too!

Petrea Burchard said...

Parisian heart: maybe it's out of place in the sense of time.

uselaine: my search brought up no results. THAT was a zen experience.

Rose, I remember seeing a beautiful photo of a red British phone box on an outcropping of rock overlooking the Irish Sea. It was the only thing there but road. It looked out of place, but I think if I were driving alone on that road and didn't have a cell phone, I'd be glad to see that phone box.

Thank you, Kelly!

USelaine said...

Nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-no! Down at the bottom of the page, click on the words "Launch Dreamlines"; then a new page with a text box comes up, and that's where you put in your name! Sorry about that decoy box on the first page - ignore it. :*(

Petrea Burchard said...

Okay. That's just weird.

John Sandel said...

… yes, I'm trying to call Pasadena Daily Photo Dot Blogspot Dot Com, or something. I don't know, it came up in my browser. One of the photos called my Skype account, and—what's that? What? Hello? Hello? (click, click) Hello …

Jeez, no wonder these people lost the war …