Look Beyond

Friday, April 10, 2009
On A Rock, On Some Beach (Mtshabezi Dam, Zimbabwe)
Day

"The intricate complexity of the natural landscape was remarkable in
its perfection: the colors in the sky melding with the horizon, those
south Texas sunsets burning distant clouds like flares, like
fireworks, like angel wings starting flight."

Apart from one single shot, we have completed principal photography of
my film. It's been a fun process, a tiring process, but still a fun
one. Photography only last seven days, we were however up at 4am or
5am on at least four of those days in an attempt to catch like a
butterfly in a net the earliest of light. We achieved what I think
(granted some major bias here) some great photography.

We finished filming with Shelton yesterday, the orphan boy, and now we
are staying with the Newcomer's at Mtshabezi. I wanted in some way to
thank the guys for the film, and I originally wanted to spend a day or
two at Shumba Shaba, but timing and budget didn't work out that way.
Warren had been asking us to go camping and fishing with him, so that
became our reward for the completion of filming. So, we are now on a
two day camping excursion with Warren and Davin on the banks of the
Mtshabezi Dam.

The Mtshabezi Dam is in the area of the Mtopos, and I think when I
come back to Zimbabwe I may want to separate a full week out of my
trip to hike these hills, these boulders, this really interesting
tumultuous terrain. It's fascinating to sit under these righteous rock
faces, these tremendous boulders that hang by a floss string, awaiting
a tumble down from the mountain's zenith.

It's fascinating to put things into perspective. What I mean is, it's
a form of a provision of meaning and or a truth. I watch Patrick wade
on down the beach, keeping him in focus while looking beyond him as he
is dwarfed by life.

Huge trees overwhelm his 6 foot 6 inch frame, these trees shaded by a
thick outcrop of granite boulders, these boulders cut by the diving
and gliding eagle who when on land may just be the size of Pat
himself, these eagles shaded by the sun inundated mountains, and these
mountains triumphed by the color blue: the water, the sky.