salt water cures
I almost always want to sit by the window. I love looking out - seeing and feeling different types of space, especially the change of perspective looking down, like when I am on a rooftop or in an airplane. The surprise, mystery, or wonder at what I am observing is a thrill. It isn’t always important to know what it is I am looking at. Sometimes it is better not knowing but just enjoying the colors, textures, lines, shapes, qualities of light or movement. I am endlessly interested in exploring the varieties of visual delight; that pleasure we can take in the everyday experience of looking… and seeing anew.
On a recent flight home into San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the fog parted long enough during the decent to see an amazing patchwork of vivid color below. I’d seen it before but that day the image lingered and tickled my curiosity.
People have been making salt from the San Francisco Bay water for over 100 years. The water flows into the ponds and over time through the evaporation process changes its salinity from 2% to 32%. The various salinity levels support different types and concentrations of life – halophilic algae, bacteria, and other organisms. These tiny creatures paint our landscape with bright yellows, greens, reds, and oranges. Reading about the history, politics, and science of the salt ponds is fascinating but my primary crush and inspiration lie in the color!
The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea. ~Isak Dinesen
I almost always want to sit by the window. I love looking out - seeing and feeling different types of space, especially the change of perspective looking down, like when I am on a rooftop or in an airplane. The surprise, mystery, or wonder at what I am observing is a thrill. It isn’t always important to know what it is I am looking at. Sometimes it is better not knowing but just enjoying the colors, textures, lines, shapes, qualities of light or movement. I am endlessly interested in exploring the varieties of visual delight; that pleasure we can take in the everyday experience of looking… and seeing anew.
On a recent flight home into San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the fog parted long enough during the decent to see an amazing patchwork of vivid color below. I’d seen it before but that day the image lingered and tickled my curiosity.
People have been making salt from the San Francisco Bay water for over 100 years. The water flows into the ponds and over time through the evaporation process changes its salinity from 2% to 32%. The various salinity levels support different types and concentrations of life – halophilic algae, bacteria, and other organisms. These tiny creatures paint our landscape with bright yellows, greens, reds, and oranges. Reading about the history, politics, and science of the salt ponds is fascinating but my primary crush and inspiration lie in the color!
The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea. ~Isak Dinesen
© Soad A. Kader
