Biltmore in May

A while back I wrote an essay about the tendency people have, when presented with a special situation or event, of recording the event rather than just witnessing or experiencing the event.  The essay was titled “Device Protection.”  After that, I visited the Biltmore Estate on a misty Monday in February when the lighting was atmospheric and the estate was devoid of guests.  Although the conditions were ideal for photography, I had decided ahead of time that I would not take pictures or make any recordings.  The result was an essay on that experience, in which I was not totally successful.  The essay was titled “No Devices.”  On this past Monday, I made up for all that.

On Monday, I spent the day at the Estate with my new camera well in hand.  I have posted the results on my site Zen Views under the sub-page “Biltmore in May.”  Of course, in contrast (no photographic pun necessarily intended) to my day in February,  the lighting was awful (mid-day glare); there was a near-constant gusty breeze shaking everything that could move; and there were hoards of people, cars, and buses.  Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time.

By the Way, Zen Views is slow to load right now because the images initially posted are large.  I am fixing that, so please be patient.  I hope you think it is worth the wait.