Thursday, October 2, 2014

Sunset Medow Ramble

On Tuesday evening, I had a chance to walk the native grasslands in my preserve just as the sun was setting.  The sky was dramatic, and the lighting was interesting, though barely bright enough to show the colors that are developing in the meadows and the woods.

The natural area preserve surrounds me every day, but the only time I get out into "nature" is after work and on weekends.  Otherwise, I'm mostly "chained" to my desk.  One of my board members warned me this would happen when I was promoted from land manager to executive director; he was prescient.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love that sunset light there. Hope you get to see more of it soon

packrat said...

Scott: That first image should absolutely be a painting!

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Only two photos; I feel deprived - but what excellent atmospheric shots. So far I've avoided being promoted away from the job which I love, partly by design and partly by ineptitude!

Scott said...

Robin Andrea: I love the sunset light in autumn, too. Sometimes, I just "sneak" out of the office and go do some "meaningful" invasive plant management work by myself in the woods. I imagine my staff must think, "Uh-oh...Scott's reached the end of his rope! Better not cross him." when it happens. They might be right.

Scott said...

Packrat: Many thanks for the compliments. I just wish that I were artistic. My father, whose drawing skills I always admired, took up watercolors after he retired and became a half-decent painter. I don't have any inkling that those genes got to me, though.

Scott said...

John: I only took four photographs that evening before the light got too low for any others, so I guess I'm deprived, too. I'm not being stingy.

My board (and my wife Kali) all pointed out that I could accomplish a lot more by directing others to do work than I could ever do alone, and they're right, of course. But, it's hard to give up doing something that you like to do, and it's hard to get others to bend to your will and do things the way you want them to be done.

A colleague of mine was hired to be executive director of an arboretum about 20 miles away. He stayed in that position for about two years, and then he asked to be "demoted" to a position in which he could be outdoors more. The organization did just that, hired a new executive director, and everything has been copacetic for 15 years. I'm sure he's not being paid as much in his "lesser" position, but maybe that's alright with him.

Mark P said...

The first shot makes me want to be there. Very nice.

Scott said...

Thanks, Mark. It was a very nice evening, with a vigorous, cool breeze, nice lighting, and great early fall color. I'm glad I decided to go for a quick walk.