Flooding – Ripple Effects

To put in very simple terms, the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi refers to finding beauty in the withered, aging, destroyed, juxtaposing beauty and sadness.

This notion came to me in the past few days as I surveyed the ruins of the devastating flood now almost two months later. Landscapes had been altered, what once were the healthy homes of birds now destroyed. And yet, from the fallen, a sense of beauty arose.

Here are some photos I took yesterday of the area where I once saw the Merganser family. Remember those baby Mergansers wearing masks heading to the masquerade party?

This is the exact spot where I spotted them before the flood:

Wooded area now flattened:

Altered landscape:

Debris wrapped around tree like an armour of quiet resilience:

Wounded spirit:

Withered, but with colour:

Broken, but with character:

Most important of all… life shooting out from the ruins:

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More Wabi-sabi’s to come in upcoming Saturday Snapshot, hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. Click to see what others have posted.

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All photos taken by Arti of Ripple Effects, please do not copy or reblog.

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** You’re most welcome to browse and throw in your two pebbles, make some ripples or make a splash. But PLEASE DO NOT REBLOG OR COPY **

What happened to the birds during the flood, I can’t say. But after the most serious flooding had passed, these were some of the sights.

Downtown view one day after the heaviest rain:

The Glenmore Reservoir, two days after. Yes, that’s where our drinking water comes from. The heavy silts in the water made a peculiar sunset scene. You can see the muddy water in the foreground:

Due to flooding, the Weaselhead Natural Area was closed for some time. Two weeks after, I went to survey the aftermath:

From the mud on this bench, you can see how high the water came up to:

Among the rubbles of dead trees and debris, what I found amazed me. Do you see what I see? Look, right in the middle:

Not just one or two, but half a dozen Cedar Waxwings frolicking among the ruins:

Absolute serenity:

A closer look at the beautiful silky plumage:

Not just the Waxwings, hoards of Cliff Swallows joined in the natural chorus. But they were too fast for me to capture on camera. I could manage just a few shots. In most of the photos they came out too small and blurry: