Spring Thaw

The spring equinox is twenty days away. By late afternoon sunshine gets the better of murky skies and temperatures briefly reach into the low forties. The warmth melts the weeklong snow blanket in sheltered woodland areas with unexpected ease. Small rivulets form and expose the red clay soil, which dominates the Piedmont Plateau in our area. The water erodes intricate patterns and by absorption colors the snow.

© Ilija Lukić 2015

Spring Thaw

Stone Age Portal Dolmen

During a hike through Carolina woods with Cooper, I come upon an imposing stone work devised by creative landscape architects. Stark yet aesthetic lines capture my attention and imagination. The artful replica is reminiscent of single-chamber, megalithic tombs scattered all over Europe. Most date to the late-Neolithic era 4000 - 3000 BC. I take a moment and dwell on my school days in Deutschland captivated by histories of ancient cultures and civilizations. I remain an aficionado of German and Norse mythology, epic poetry and stories. My heart takes flight to days of yore, when Frost Giants roamed the Earth.

© Ilija Lukić 2015

Neolithic Portal Dolmen

Epistle Of Enlightenment

Early morning snow sifts into the winter wood. Cooper and I cannot resist a jaunt down rustic trails near our home.

Snowflakes cavort under ashen skies.

Ethereal touches on cheek and brow

Encourage pursuit of their perfection,

Their epistle of enlightenment, their,

Solace for the human heart and soul.

Abide the wisdom in their whispers,

Gathered among untold stars, and,

Now consigned to an earthly existence

Among tall trees in winter slumber.

© Ilija Lukić 2015

Winter Woodlands

Woodland Trail

The Winter Wood

Cooper and I venture into Carolina woods under overcast skies and temperatures near the freezing mark. Several days of brutal arctic airs, freezing rain and snow squalls deepen winter slumber. Residual snow gives prominence to woodland trails. Nearby a crow announces our trespass into its domain. While Cooper explores scent trails my thoughts take flight. Snow creaks underfoot. The delicate sounds heighten exhilaration. My pace quickens until I catch sight of a church tucked into the cathedral of trees. I pause and celebrate the divine silence.

Winter woods beckon.

Age-old memories unravel
The essence of muddy trails,
Autumn majesty underfoot
And storied tales of ancients
Whispered in tree canopies
By the playful bard—wind.

© Ilija Lukić 2015

Rock Springs Church

The Sorcerer's Stone

Late-afternoon snow squalls usher in an arctic cold front. In their wake pinking skies and light dusting of snow allude to amiable intentions by Father Winter.

© Ilija Lukić 2015

The Sorcerer's Stone

Sissipahaw Reverie

The hypnotic dance of starlight on ripples of lake water stirred by whispers of wind brings to life visions of a youthful Sissipahaw hunter. He belongs to the clan of the bear. Pockets of cultivated terrain and pristine wilderness along the Haw River and its numerous tributary creeks are their ancient homelands. This afternoon he treads the dense woodlands in pursuit of turkeys and deer. A successful hunt will bring welcome change to his family's meals of fish, farmed corn and beans.

His mind wanders briefly. This evening his tribe's story teller will capture imaginations with tales of strange white men who first came generations ago in search of gold. She is the keeper of age-old stories and memories. Gathering by the flicker of camp fires serves two purposes. First, to entertain the younger generation. Secondly, to deliberate courses of action and allay unease about rumors of much more aggressive white invaders to the north and east of their village.

© Ilija Lukić 2015

Sissipahaw Reverie

Unwetter Am See

© Ilija Lukić 2015

Unwetter Am See

Waterworld Horizons

Cooper's first outing to Jordan Lake State Park just east of Pittsboro, North Carolina ends with agreeable exploits. Although he spent most of his life chasing endless horizons on the arid Llano Estacado tablelands of New Mexico, this intrepid adventurer adapts quickly to the wet stuff. He takes several chest-deep plunges into the frigid waters. After umpteen charges down the beach, he pauses and contemplates unfamiliar waterworld horizons.

© Ilija Lukić 2015

Water Dog

Waterworld Horizon

Hillbilly Pawfishin'
(Cooper at Jordan Lake)

Martha's Chapel

In 1804 circuit riding minister Reverend James O'Kelly, an outspoken abolishionist and founding member of the historical Christian movement called the Christian Connection establishes Martha's Chapel. The beautiful house of worship still graces a one-acre parcel of land just east of Jordan Lake at the intersection of Martha's Chapel Road and Highway 751 in North Carolina.

© Ilija Lukić 2015

Martha's Chapel

Whispers Of The Universe

A 72ºF mid-February afternoon invites adventure laced with introspection along pristine shorelines and beaches of Jordan Lake in North Carolina. The sun adds a delightful light show as its rays dance on wind-stirred ripples across lake waters.

Let your heart give audience
To subtle voices within your heart.

Hear the gentle touch of snowflakes
In the fury of an avalanche,
Hear the celestial rhythms of rain
In fugitive puddles of a parched plain,
Hear the silent language of tears
In moments of joy and fathomless grief,
Hear the timeworn babble of brooks
In placid reflections of lake waters,
Hear the passionate poetry of lovers
In sighs of wind caressing wintry pines.

Allow your soul to touch eternity
On winged whispers of the universe.

© Ilija Lukić 2015

Whispers Of The Universe

Winter Solitude

Spiral Of Life

Each beat of my heart pens a new chapter of my journey on the spiral of life.

© Ilija Lukić 2015

Kindness Is A Virtue
(Self-portrait)

Warrior Spirit

"To’sa-mocho ta’yetchy," whispers the wind. "White beard who rises with the sun...there is great medicine among the cholla. Close your eyes. Drink the timeless elixir of life." 

Eyes shut I erase a century of time and connect with the people of the Llano Estacado plains--the native inhabitants our forefathers knew as Comanche. What would they make of such a fine day? They would embrace the power and austere beauty of the prairie. Similarly, the raw wilds of the Llano Estacado help to define me. I choose to walk forever with the people in harmony with the land.

© Ilija Lukić 2014

Comanche Warrior Spirit

Solitude's Domain

While north winds dole fierce lullabies,
Snow finds repose on wooded lane,
Harmony reigns mid wintry melodies,
As life takes pause in solitude’s domain.

© Ilija Lukić 2014

Solitude's Domain
(North of Rainier, Oregon USA)

Road To Adventure

Behind me the red cliffs of Mesa Redonda and caprock palisade of the northern Llano Estacado escarpment endure in their age-old dance with wind, rain and sun. Pursued by a cloud of red dust, I scramble westward down a familiar New Mexico dirt road. I make careful headway. Arroyos and mesas scattered across the southern reaches of the Canadian River Plain offer arduous albeit adventurous passage. These are bygone stomping grounds of native Americans, Spanish friars and conquistadores, outlaws and white settlers. Kiowa and Apache of this region call the Canadian River goo-al-pah. The river springs from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in southern Colorado. Ancient memories of snowmelt torrents linger in manmade lakes along its 900 miles course through New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. It is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River.

Azure drapes the distant mesa

Timeless straw and coyote den

Red dirt road invites adventure

Breath of sage calls cattlemen.

© Ilija Lukić 2014

Road To Adventure

Rough-Hewn Enchantment
(The northern Llano Estacado Escarpment rises behind eroded cliffs of Mesa Redonda in badlands south of Tucumcari, New Mexico USA)

Sangre De Cristo

My friend Wiley and I turn east on Highway 503 towards the 13,000-foot, snow-capped Truchas Peaks. A peacock sentinel and several of his brethren squawk at our intrusion near their adobe-walled hacienda compound. They usher us onto the High Road to Taos. We wind our way through high desert, mountains, Ponderosa Pine forests, small farms, and old Spanish Land Grant hamlets--Nambé, Chimayó, Córdova, and Truchas. Before long the breathtaking views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains dominate the skyline. Nestled in green valleys numerous ancient trails and crossroads gather people into communities of artists, seekers of pastoral serenity, and those making a life off the land.

© Ilija Lukić 2014

Truchas Peaks

(Sangre de Cristo Mountains north of Santa Fe, New Mexico USA)

Happy Thanksgiving

Nightfall before Thanksgiving marks twenty days past early November’s Frosty Moon. The timid crescent of a young Moon awash in pastel sunset hues oversees the close of day. A wedge of Canada geese flushed in ebbing sunlight gossips overhead and disappears into the vail of night to the east. I pause and delight in the moment. My heart submits in humble reverence blessed by the grace of God, thankful for a year filled with love, family, friends and adventures in the natural world. Happy Thanksgiving!

© Ilija Lukić 2014

Llanero Viejo

(Self-portrait c. 2012)

Frosty Scuttlebutt

Melodic flight calls and seemingly discombobulated flight patterns of Sandhill Cranes have graced Llano Estacado autumn airs for several weeks. Nearby Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is an overwintering haven. This morning the first wedge of branta canadensis wings their way in a southwesterly direction. They bring scuttlebutt of White Owl Woman moving south from her arctic summer abode. Tonight our unexpected guest intends to assert her dominion as she ushers in the first 20º night of the winter season. I contemplate the impending tribulations for wildlife on the Llano Estacado tablelands.

© Ilija Lukić 2014

Light Dusting 

Yucca In Winter

Chien De Neige

Cooper and I roam the Llano Estacado prairie under heavy cloud cover. Early daylight trims the eastern horizon in silver hues. Light snow dances on chilled prairie airs. Solitude drapes the tablelands. Verdant summer scapes and wildflowers no longer spellbind as they relinquish command of my heart to snow-covered, golden seas of straw. The hymn "How Great Thou Art", inspired by the Swedish poem "O Store Gud" written 130 years ago by Carl Boberg is on my lips. The melody is a Swedish folk tune. While Cooper true to his new moniker of Chien De Neige explores the wilds and pauses for a brief visit with four horse pals, nature fills my soul and sets heart at ease.

Down dances wintry ballet

Serenity lulls rough-hewn lands

Playful dog makes tracks

© Ilija Lukić 2014

 

Chien De Neige 

The Sky Opened And Gave Us Multnomah Falls

"A modern four-lane ribbon of asphalt and concrete through the fabled Columbia River Gorge threads my passage between 200-foot basalt cliffs and mighty expanses of river. Numerous waterfalls emerge from snow squalls and the low cloud cover. Some tumble into precipitous chasms. Others are silver rivulets of sky on a more subtle journey to their ocean home." (Excerpt of prose about my journey to Rainier, Oregon)

© Ilija Lukić 2014

Multnomah Falls

(Near Portland, Oregon USA)

Icy Northerlies

By high noon wind-driven snow blankets the Llano Estacado. The call of the wild proves irresistible to my canine pal Cooper and me. We set out into snow squalls under overcast skies. Eerie melodies roused by icy northerly winds playing across distant power lines seem to sharpen the bite of snow crystals blasting exposed parts of my face. 

Before long, Cooper's enthusiastic prairie romp stirs a jack rabbit from cover and culminates in a short foot race. The hare's high-speed, erratic zig-zag maneuvers and bounding stride prove to be an insurmountable challenge and Cooper returns to a more measured lope at my side. I continue my meander—head down, chin and mouth covered—until a ranch road heading west towards our town invites thoughts of home with whispers of relief from wintry chill.

 © Ilija Lukić 2014

 Homeward Bound

(Llano Estacado east of Clovis, New Mexico USA)