Stairway to Heaven?

The grass shown above is not dead. It may appear dead, but the roots are alive and well, awaiting a green return next spring. The Bindweed [to those who think of it as a weed; Orchard Morning Glory to those who admire it] seems destined to climb the grass to some destination unknown to me. For some reason this photo took on symbolic importance to me as I returned home from a memorial service for a friend/colleague who died over a week ago, Bill Peters. Bill was a career game warden, a life-long artist, teacher, friend and inspiration to many. Mostly, he was just an amazing human being who should not be defined by his career or any other single activity he was known for. Over 20 years ago, in consultation with Bill's wife Kathy, I matted and framed quite a few of his paintings. What always took my breath away was the detail. Having majored in zoology and done lots of microscope work, I have always been entranced by nature's details. Bill was an artist, but the biologist in him was always showing through in his art. Many speakers at today's memorial spoke of Bill's attraction to detail. A walk in the woods that to most people is a trip through swaths of brown and green with blue sky overhead was a remarkable show of biodiversity to Bill. My current favored art form is close-up photography, emphasizing leaves, flowers, and small invertebrate visitors to both. I wish I could draw and paint like Bill. As much care as I put into finding interesting subjects for my photos, I harbor a feeling that it's cheating to ultimately just push a button to capture the scene for posterity. Drawing and painting require a more intimate and time consuming relationship with the subject. In my next post, in memory of Bill Peters, I am going to include a few of my favorite sightings from this past summer. And, since it's raining as I type and I don't want to take my camera out in the rain, this is as good a time as any to vow to dust off my art pencils and paint brushes and start honing my skills and spending more time savoring the details of my subjects. My current favorite of Bill's paintings is one of a branch of California Black Oak [above] displaying fall colors with a California Jay perched on it. It's displayed in the front window of Main Street Artist's gallery in downtown Quincy. Bill, thanks for the inspiration and laughs all these years.