rock art

“Whatcha’ cooking, honey?”

“Oh nothing…..just the planet!”

This petroglyph deep in the middle of the Navajo Reservation always intrigued me. Very few non-native people have been to this location, and I feel fortunate to have witnessed the land and its people. My interpretation of this rock art has always been that the planet was being cooked. Did our previous culture know what mankind was about to do to the planet?

It seemed just a short time ago that it was only Al Gore and a handful of scientists warning us of global warming and the actions we needed to take to reverse this trend. Even if Washington DC and large corporations still behave as though we’re living a century ago, large numbers of people have taken to the streets to demand change. There are many cities throughout the US that have adopted clean energy policies, and society’s awakening gives me a feeling of gratitude.

For this week’s challenge of Dance, I almost took the easy route with photos of people dancing, but then remembered the operative word is challenge. You’ll probably enjoy these a bit more, anyway. I know I do.

For anyone who has ever witnessed a slow lava flow, you know there is a pulse that surges, as the cool air solidifies the flow, while the warm undercurrent wants to keep moving. The final cooled result (above) reflects that pulse, and was taken in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Flowing, tumbling water can also have a rhythmic feel to it. The sunlight was being filtered through the forest, and accentuated most of the current in this shot of Oak Creek, near Sedona, Arizona.

Clouds can portray a feeling of choreography, even in a still capture. My favorite example is this thunderstorm at sunset near Cloudcroft, New Mexico.

Finally, rock art symbols almost always have a sense of dance and celebration, indicating how important this was in ancient culture. This panel of rock art is in the Grand Canyon.