ENTS,
Oops! My statement, " The second and fourth images show eastern mountain
scenes." obviously was meant to be western mountain scenes. Alas, as dementia
sets in, I make more and more of these goofs.
Bob
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From: [email protected]
To: [email protected], [email protected], "Sarah Belchetz-Swenson"
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Cc: "Paul Dittmer" <[email protected]>, "Carol Gilmour"
<[email protected]>, "Sharl Heller" <[email protected]>, "Claudia Hurley"
<[email protected]>, "Amy Kaiser" <[email protected]>, "Rob Loomis"
<[email protected]>, "Rod MacIver" <[email protected]>, "Mike Ryan"
<[email protected]>, "Eleanor Tillinghast" <[email protected]>,
"Joseph Zorzin" <[email protected]>, "Doug Seale" <[email protected]>,
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"David Stahle" <[email protected]>, "celeste rounkles"
<[email protected]>, "Denis Jakuc" <[email protected]>,
[email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 9:58:11 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: [ENTS] Eastern and western summits
ENTS,
I'm convinced that I was born under a curse. I'm sentenced to compulsively make
numerical contrasts and comparisons. And with no false modesty, I am damned
good at it. Where others stumble, I see the quantitative nuances. For me,
rounding off numbers, unless absolutely necessary, is a vulgar practice.
I am not alone in my talent. Lee Frelich and Will Blozan are equally gifted.
Lee would never, say, round the number 1,047 by substituting the vague
descriptor "thousands" as newspaper reports frequently do. I guess reporters
think that in introducing imprecision they are capturing the essence of an
idea. Hogwash!
Well, I'm expanding my comparative talents with the camera. I don't yet know
what I'm doing, but it feels right. When I attempt to describe the boldness of
the western landscape in words, it can sound as if I'm diminishing its eastern
equivalent. Not so. At least, not necessarily. However, east and west are
qualitatively and quantitatively different, and where in the past I've
concentrated strictly on numerical measures, I have now added the camera's all
seeing eye.
The first and third of the three attached images show eastern mountain
panoramas. The second and fourth images show eastern mountain scenes. The
vertical relief in these images is approximately the same. Does it look the
same to the eye? BTW, a spin off talent of this cultivated perception is
quickly judging the heights of trees.
As a general observation, western mountain panoramic scenes are usually painted
from a broader color pallet. Land shapes are more angular. Outlines are
sharper. The blue haze of the Appalachians softens features and can diminish
the appearance of significant size. The eastern Catskills are mountains - not
just big hills.
The vegetative covering of western mountains is heavily skewed toward
conifers,; that of the eastern peaks toward hardwoods. Neither is better than
the other, just different. Viva la difference.
Bob
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