Monday, June 30, 2008

Zen Monday: Bridle Trail

If you work at JPL and if you're looking, you see this as you're leaving the parking lot every day.

14 comments:

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John Sandel said...

What a great shot. I love how the dessicated wood and rusty metal melds with the duff behind—poised in its arc between emergence (meaning) and recession (nature). It's a plaintive remnant of our struggle to separate entropy from entropy … a shred of order beside the indifferent road.

USelaine said...

Wouldn't it be cool to see all the rocket scientists commuting to work on horseback? A few of them might discover their voices blend well singing, "Cool, clear, water...waah-der" as they mosey toward the JPL stables.

Lydia said...

evocative and heartbreaking, in a beautiful way.

Christie said...

I wonder why they haven't taken it down? Or do they want to remember there was a bridle trail here once? Interesting.

But what, pray tell, is JPL?

Katie said...

Very serene scene. That sign sure has endured a bit of weather. Or maybe it gets blasted ever day by the JPL employees flying by on their jet packs! Isn't that how they all get to work?

Petrea Burchard said...

Thanks for speaking your mind, lottery ticket draws. Spoken in the true spirit of Zen Monday!

xxo, bertoxxx.:)

Bernie, I had to look up "duff". Funny, I always used the first definition. You, of course, use the poetic one.

USElaine, there actually are stables only a few yards south of JPL. I don't think they're associated except spatially, if you'll pardon the pun.

Thanks, Lydia. I'm attracted to things that are falling apart, probably for that reason. USElaine often has photos evocative, heartbreaking shots of such things on her blog and I love them.

Christie, click on the JPL link in the copy for a fuller explanation. It's NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, which is in Pasadena, and of which we are very proud. I live across the street from a rocket scientist! But everyone can say that in Pasadena.

The one across the street from me rides a bike, Katie. But I imagine the rest of them use jet packs.

USelaine said...

Nah, I'm still thinkin' horseback for 'em. You know, The Sons of the Pioneers were mostly from the San Bernardino mountain area, just yonder to the east there, I reckon. I e'spatially like that Tumbling Tumbleweeds song, but then, I'm kinda old.

Thanks for your good words, little lady.

John Sandel said...

Hmm—dunno how poetic I may have sounded. The use I meant was the one which, Merriam-Webster says, dates to 1816 & means "partly decayed organic matter on the forest floor."

Petrea Burchard said...

USElaine: believe it or not I have a CD of the greatest hits of the Sons of the Pioneers. There's no better recording of "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds," in my opinion. And the only rival of their "Don't Fence Me In" was Rosemary Clooney's. She actually made it kinda sexy.

Bernie, all I know is I'm sitting on my duff in front of the computer and it doesn't resemble decayed matter. At least I hope not.

USelaine said...

P. - I have that album on vinyl as well! Proof that you really are a closet cowboy.

Petrea Burchard said...

Yah. Well, it's not really a secret. I even worked in country radio for a while, and I didn't even pretend I didn't love it.

Lindsey said...

My first impression before reading the caption: "Is that my college?"