Whenever you try to kidnap nature with a camera, four of your five senses end up held for ransom. And even your remaining free sense – vision – cannot return through that photo like Alice through the looking glass. No more theater in the round. Gone is the animation, the sense of space. There are no flatscreens in nature, and still lifes are like morgue photos. The inspiration that made you snap the picture is over, the passion you felt at that moment is past, the insights if there were any have already been gained. Looking at a picture may stir the throb of a memory, but that’s like trying to pluck a wisp of iridescence off a rolling marble.

The photos I include in Sullygrams exist as just such afterthoughts, bookmarks of moments that are already gone. I take the pictures because I cannot share the experiences any other way. It's frustrating to me that I can't include what I felt and thought in the real moments. You had to be there. And yet, you overwhelm me with your responses. I cannot thank you enough. Moreover, you credit my words for enhancing what comes across. But it is your associations that complete the links. No one can interpret beauty, wit or wisdom for you, if it's not already a part of your perceptions. Again, my deepest gratitude. Whatever the photo ops of your life, I hope you get to share them live with meaningful people in meaningful ways.

So with that clumsy segue, here below is Idaho Redux from last month's adventures. The six nature scenes are a mix of four ski outings with lifelong friend Bruce Norvell plus two of my impulsive Yellowstone hike on the drive home where I knew not where I was, nor cared. Most of the mail from last month's photos was about the hot springs, so the seventh outdoor shot is of moi trying to find the warm vent in the middle of an icy stream. Wish you could see the majestic elk and the golden eagles almost straight up the cliffs that start twenty feet in front of me. One of the two interior shots is of an elegant lobby at storied Sun Valley where Bruce and I won some spectacular dining in a raffle at a theater production. We also spent half an hour being shown scores of pictures of historical figures and Hollywood legends who have embraced Sun Valley's hospitality for over three quarters of a century. The other interior photo captures Bruce's own living room, all sun-shot with morning light. You're looking at a ballroom floor for practicing dance routines, and beyond the glass is a horse corral. Yes, my sterling friend has never lacked enthusiasm for life.

Spring in the wake of Idaho is a blur. The heady aroma of apple blossoms and the buzz of dragonflies entices me onto the trails for long hikes, bike rides and roller skiing, and when the breeze flat-lines in the evening I often carry a red canoe down to the lake and glide into a sunset. That said, it’s also a busy month of writing with some exciting career events coming. More on that soon. Seems like I thrive on fast-paced change outside myself while inside I need to be unvarying to what I hold true. That constancy to core commitments anchors me to a romantic view of life. I may live a bit flamboyantly, but as I tweeted once: "…when I spend my emotions, they are non-refundable." The last major adjustment to the bedrock of my soul took place in 2007 and built profoundly on everything before it. So there must be a synergy in that balance between rock-steady ideals and go-for-broke externals that I like. My dad was that way. Eventful life, but inside he was homed in on what he was and who he loved and what he cherished.

If you haven't had enough of me, my latest column is just up on StorytellersUnplugged for May. Hmmm. How to describe it? Think I’ll just trot the title across the crawl here: BREAST-FED BRAINS vs. NOITANIGAMI. Here's the link http://storytellersunplugged.com/thomassullivan/2012/05/15/thomas-sullivan-breast-fed-brains-vs-noitanigami/#respond  

May you take a cue from nature and reach for the sky this month. Procrastination really is the thief of time. Blossom now or come summer the weeds will be glad to live your life for you. Me, I have one more trip to Michigan to take, and then it's time to reed-up the T sax and make some music…

 
Sully

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