Flag Day

I am not exactly certain when I took these pictures.

Sometime in the first or second week after we arrived back in Cody.

I hadn't taken any pictures at all in a good many weeks, but one day (while still waiting for the Internet to be hooked up at the house) I drove down to the library.

The city library is located in an area of town referred to by locals as being at "the top of the hill" on Heart Mountain Street.  It is part of a larger complex that also contains the recreation center and the arena.

As I turned left off the Greybull Highway I couldn't help but notice the flags.

There were hundreds of them flying in the strong wind, all standing together in a large green space in front of the library.

Vaguely aware of the fact that Flag Day had just passed (or was just coming up - I wasn't sure) I pulled the truck over, climbed out and stood on the sidewalk regarding the sight.

They were beautiful.

All of them together.

As I walked closer to them I did something I had not done in quite a while.

I reached into the right side pocket of the small pack I was wearing and one-handedly rummaged around in search of my camera..............

The wind blows frequently in Cody.

Sometimes weakly but often times very strongly, and on this day the strong wind blew the flags consistently so that they remained flying upright.

I walked closer to them mesmerized by the sight of them. 

I had never seen so many American flags flying at the same time.

Had never seen so many at one time and in one place.

I took these pictures because they were beautiful, and because it was not something I had ever seen before..................

Eventually I wandered off the sidewalk and into a short series of paved trails, moving in and out and around a complex maze of hundreds of flags.

I think I read in the newspaper a few days later that there were 800 flags.

The noise of the traffic on the street disappeared and all I could hear was the sounds of the flags waving.

I applied for American citizenship a few months ago, visited Casper a few weeks ago for fingerprinting, and received notice recently that I am to be interviewed and write a civics test in another few weeks.

A friend in Tennessee laughed when I told her about the test, telling me that I knew more about the workings of the US government than she did.  I suppose a political junkie does.................

I spent a long time walking through the flags.

Much more than I had planned or expected, enjoying and needing more alone time than I ever have.

Mired deeply in thoughts of my sons and myself....................

The truck still forgotten I eventually found the edge of the flag maze, and wandered towards the water outside the library.

In the winter the pond is empty, and the black vinyl bottom of the man-made pond looks like a skateboard park.

It is very beautiful when filled with water and I took a lot of pictures last year of the pond (that circumnavigates almost the entire library) as well as the small streams and waterfalls that have been created in this beautiful space.

This blog was posted in May of last year.  Still early in the season, but with the promise of the beauty to come:

http://livingthejuneauadventure.blogspot.com/2011/05/your-soul-in-bloom.html

I have no idea what they have put into the water this year but the water is an iridescent blue-green color.

It looks lovely but not natural, but regardless it provides color and a sense of serenity to the place.

I stood looking out over the pond for another long while, briefly debating whether or not I should walk on the grass along the length of the pond and then around the building to the back side of the pond, in order to take more pictures.

No.  Not that day.  Another day.

Slowly I took a deep breath, and headed back towards the road to retrieve my truck...................