Close

close

 adjective

• a short distance away or apart in space or time
• with very little or no space in between; dense
• narrowly enclosed
• [predic.] (close to) very near to (being or doing something)
• (with reference to a competitive situation) won or likely to be won by only a small amount or distance
• [attributive] denoting a family member who is part of a person’s immediate family, typically a parent or sibling
• (of a person or relationship) on very affectionate or intimate terms
• (of a connection or resemblance) strong
• (of observation, examination, etc.) done in a careful and thorough way
• carefully guarded
• not willing to give away money or information; secretive
• uncomfortably humid or airless

adverb

• in a position so as to be very near to someone or something

http://oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/close?q=close

____________________________________________________________________________

 

As has been tradition for the past several years, on the first weekend in August we make a trip up to see hot air balloons launch.  Most often, we rise well before the sun in order to make the hour or so trip to see the first of the balloons rise into the sky around 6:30 AM. 

 

Nearly every year, the weather has cooperated at one point or another.  As I monitored the forecast for the Binghamton, NY area throughout week, it looked more and more likely that rain and storms would threaten one of my very favorite weekends of the year.  Then, on Friday, the forecast changed.

 

So, on Friday night I set the alarm for 4 AM and went to bed early.  I woke around 12. And then at 2. And then at 3 from a dream where I was at a pool, standing on the surrounding tile deck, giving directions about how to fix various structural issues.  Some sort of giant something crashed into the side of the room housing the pool after my last suggestion and the room started to fill with water.  The pool, it seems, was under the ocean.  It filled the space almost instantly and I, along with whomever the other person was, would drown within seconds.  She yelled for help.  I whispered goodbye.  Needless to say, I did not fall back to sleep after the dream.  So, at 3:50, I jumped in the shower, before we fed the animals, fed ourselves, took note of the wet pavement from the night's rain, and headed out.

 

Dawn was stunning.  The sun was set to rise at 5:59 AM and we watched the night sky disappear into the shades of blue and purple and pink most vivid after storms.  We stopped for a coffee seven songs into the album I had playing and with which I sang along. 

 

For most of the past several years, we've watched the balloons launch from the park where Spiedie Fest is held from the nearby Botanical Gardens.  Between the rise of the balloons, I'm able to meander through the flowers and take pictures.  Close pictures.  It is the shading and the textures and the detail I want to capture.  And as much as I love the balloons, the early morning, dew-covered gardens ease me into morning and myself in a way not a whole lot of other things can.  I get closer to myself and, as such, feel closer to everything else. 

 

Something about the details...the closeness...

 

Here are some of the images from the past few years in the gardens... Smell the textures and feel the scents...  Get close.  Ease yourself to sleep tonight and I wish, for all of you, a beautiful and peaceful week ahead.