Serenity

It was amazing that a place so beautiful could be this close to New York City. All she had to do was cross the GW Bridge and head north. Everyone else was heading south, so there wasn't even any traffic to speak of; she made good time and pulled into the small parking lot off Seven Lakes Drive. The creek was high; it had rained all last week. But today the sky was blue, and the ground was only slightly mucky. She stepped carefully, knowing that the trail didn't need much to wash out.

She stopped when she came to a large rock, and flopped down on it. She took her time with her equipment; she enjoyed selecting a lens, spinning the polarizing filter to minimize reflection, choosing the right f-stop, setting the exposure, and moving her tripod by fractions of an inch to find the best shot.

There. In a ripple left by a green frog was a lichened stone and a leaf torn from the tree by last week's storms.

© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Sterling silver, lampwork by Gail Kops of Beadles, Brazilian Amehtyst. Hand fabricated.

In private collection