Sunday, May 17, 2009

A Friend in the Prairie


Mima Mounds, 5/16/09

There's a prairie south of Olympia. A prairie with golden grasses wagging in the autumn breezes, wildflowers in the spring. A prairie with geological formations that have had scientists scratching their heads for years; perfectly formed mounds all about 3 meters high and evenly spaced along the prairie. A prairie of quiet - and on this afternoon almost pure solitude.

It had been a while since I visited Mima Mounds and thought I might be due. The wildflowers are abundant in May during prairie day festivities. And I had a vision in my head. The vision never quite played out, but the walk in the late spring afternoon was refreshing. I was pretty much alone to meander through the mounds exploring the strange landscape and playing with my camera.

As the sun set, I heard in the muted wail of a coyote. Looking around I saw the little guy atop a mound, voicing his farewell to the day.

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