Even when it’s raining and the days are cloudy, the sun is still blazing in the sky. Its presence is vital to our survival and that of every other living thing on the planet. It’s no surprise that so many cultures throughout the ages have worshipped this ball of flames. Though we shouldn’t look into the sun (see here for some good reasons why), we can look into the flames of a fire.
Like us, fire requires oxygen. It can provide warmth and cook food or be a destructive force like no other. Visually, it can be mesmerizing. Back in the 1800s, Henry David Thoreau was already lamenting the growing absence of open flames in hearths due to the introduction of wood stoves. He believed that you could always see a face in the flames, and that gazing into a fire at the end of a long day of hard work was both warming and relaxing.
What is fire? It’s a mystery. Scientists give us gobbledegook about friction and molecules, but they don’t really know.
~ Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Who would have thought that fiery reds and oranges could be found so easily in the summer landscape? A Pileated Woodpecker, berries, seaweed, flowers and leaves are all examples of the fire element in nature at this time of year. It’s no wonder that the fire element is often associated with the summer sun.
Images in the montage were taken from submissions to a Midsummer’s Scavenger Hunt.
Flandrum Hill 
Again, Amy, beautiful thoughts to go with our beautiful photo collage!
Thanks Joan. It’s a really bright and lively one this time isn’t it?
These photo montages are stunning. I love the way you are weaving the images and words together. Thank you for the moments of wonder and joy.
Wonderful start to our day – now we are headed to the lake to watch the sun come up. A peaceful and wonderful day to you too.
Shazam!
But who said these were “found so easily” hmm? We struggled to find fire. We agonized over our choices. We . . . oh. Not that hard for the rest of you, eh? 🙂
Yes, Gerry, we did struggle to find “fire!” (Short of starting a forest fire, the best option I had for the real thing was to light some birthday candles and photograph the flames.) ;-D
And, yes, we agonized over our choices…at least, I did! I had half a dozen possibilities and deliberated for while before making my choice.
On top of that, I am technologically challenged and was just learning how to use a digital camera, as well as what to do after taking the photos! This required a few frustrating late nights, and I got my photos in with just a couple of hours to spare!
Mind you, I had help from friends and family in California, BC and Quebec, in addition to a lot from Amy herself in NS.
But it was worth the effort, for sure!
Gerry, at the onset I was concerned that fiery images might not be as available as the other elements during the summer months. Doing this hunt in Autumn might have been easier. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many variations.
Joan I am so impressed with the hurdles you managed to overcome during this hunt. I’m glad the difficulty was worth the effort.
Thank you once again for your insightful post and beautiful collage. I think this collage is my favorite so far.
Dawn, JoAnn and Robin, thank you for your kind remarks 🙂
My personal favorite so far is the earth collage. It just seems to look so alive. They’re all so different and beautiful in their own way.
I can’t even begin to decide which collage is my favorite?!?! Thanx to all of you for sharing the beauty around you! And to you, Amy, for the idea and the remarkable outcome!
So glad you enjoyed viewing them Cindy. I think the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Fire is at the heart of everything (is it a coincidence that the word “hearth” is so similar?)… destruction and chaos underlies all creation… when we Humans try our best to “tame” nature, we would do well to remember this!
Yes pepsoid, nature can be cruel and merciless. We’ve had some nasty forest fires in Nova Scotia in the past year.
I love that word ‘hearth.’ It sounds so warm and cozy.
Yes it does!