A Spider's Web to Paradise

"Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand." - Neil Armstrong


A fantastic sunrise and an amazing moonrise (a blue moon, no less - the term given to the second full moon in a month) were bookends to this, the last day of August. I admit it was difficult to select a photo: sunrise glory, or moonrise enchantment?

But then I looked a little closer at the sunrise shots. And at the very tippy-top of the trees, I noticed a special bit of magic. Do you see that filament just above the sun? Follow it to the left, where you will spy a spider's web backlit by morning light. Like the singing birds in one of my favorite blips, "Singing Up the Sun," what a view that spider must have!

This makes two days in a row of spider web shots for me (see yesterday's "Spider Art"). In looking for a spider story or quote to go with this picture, I found references in Wikipedia to cultural depictions of spiders, including this one: "In Native American mythology, the spider is again seen in the legend about the birth of the constellation Ursa Major. The constellation was seen as seven men transformed into stars and climbing to paradise by unrolling a spider's web."

I like the thought of climbing to paradise via a spider's web. This one sure looks like it might get us there. Perhaps there is a spider in the web, even as we speak, catching a glimpse of paradise. Ah, friends, but is that spider looking up at the sun? Or looking back down on earth? For as a wise man once said, "Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads" (Thoreau, in Walden).

We conclude this blip with a shout-out to Neil Armstrong, American hero and astronaut, the first man to walk on the moon. He spoke about the glories of the moon, and also of the beauties of the earth, looking back: "a tiny pea, pretty and blue." Quite fittingly, it seems, Mr. Armstrong was buried on this day of a blue moon.

"Houston, Tranquillity base here. The Eagle has landed." - Neil Armstrong.

Go well, sir. Via spider web or other means, may you catch another ride to paradise. I hope you enjoy the view!