There I was out in the garden last evening with tripod and camera and telephoto, bundled up against the chill and ready to capture the full November moon in all her glory, a tradition I have observed for years and am very fond of.It was a hazy winter evening holding the promise of snow, the sky a boundless ocean of pearly gray cloud piling up in billows and breakers and rolling languidly over the village. A thin silvery mist drifted across the garden and wrapped itself around the trees down by the hedgerow like a shining cloak. Now and then, the moon appeared briefly as a dimly glowing orb behind the clouds, but for the most part, Lady Moon remained hidden, veiled and mysterious - I considered giving up on the moon photo exercise for once, but decided to cultivate patience, to leave the tripod out in the garden for a few hours longer and ponder the matter of my invisible moon indoors with a mug of tea.
Sometime around midnight, the clouds rolled away, and there (for a few moments) was a perfect Zen moon, a small flock of Canada geese silhouetted below and winging their way back to the river. I came indoors cold but cheerful, thinking that life does not get much better than this.
We know November's moon as the:
All Gathered Moon, Beaver Moon, Bison Moon, Chrysanthemum Moon, Dark Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Fire Friend Moon, Fog Moon, Freezing Moon, Frost Moon, Gardenia Moon, Geese Going Moon, Holy Frost Moon, Jacaranda Moon, Large Trees Freeze Moon , Little Bear's Moon, Long Moon, Moon Before Yule, Moon of Fledgling Hawk, Moon of Storms, Moon of Turkey and Feast, Moon of Falling Leaves, Moon of Shaking Leaves, Moon the Rivers Begin to Freeze, Moon When All Is Gathered in, Moon When Deer Shed Their Antlers, Moon When Horns Are Broken Off, Moon When the Cold Comes, Moon When the Water Is Black with Leaves, Moon When the River Freezes, Mourning Moon, Prunus Moon, Ring Finger Moon, Sacrifice Moon, Samoni Moon, Sassafras Moon, Snow Moon, Snowy Mountains in the Morning Moon, Thanksgiving Moon, Trading Moon, Trail Moon, Tree Moon, White Moon, Whitefish Moon, Willow Moon, Winter Divided Moon, Yew Moon
Snow Moon was the perfect name for Herself.
8 comments:
An extradinary picture accompanied by your extraordinary prose! I was there....
Thank you Cate.
Just beautiful - photo and thoughts.
I love Canadian geese. This is a breathtakingly beautiful picture with camera and words. Thank you for your vision and your patience.
~Suzanne
Beautiful photo. When my night-blooming Cereus cactus is ready to flower, I do the same thing...sit and wait, and then, it happens. The flowers are as fleeting as the full moon, lasting only until morning.
Aiyana
I echo all the previous commenters' words.
Yesterday in the frosty dusk I viewed the same moon in an urban setting: the False Creek Seawall in Vancouver. On the way home from the Market, I watched Moon When the Cold Comes emerge from a layer of cloud. Arc, minor segment, major segment, perfect circle. This was the most beautiful full moon rising I recall ever seeing. Oh, I am so grateful I decided to do my grocery shopping late in the day.
Thank you so much for your magical image and words so I can remember the moon. I have yet to learn my lesson to always carry my camera in my purse.
I love all the different moon names. So evocative. What I would also like to learn are the names for all the shades of blue of the winter sky from twilight to dark.
Another perfect shot Cate! I can see this on a Cafe T-shirt!!
How perfect. I've seen the geese fly by night but never captured their image so eloquently.
I've been gazing up at the same moon hanging in a Breton sky.
It's the first time I've seen the moon with such a beaming smile. I wonder why that is, something new in the moon or, perhaps, in me?
A beautiful picture and yes, it doesn't get muc better, does it?
namaste
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