What Can You See in the Fog?

If you stand on the beach at Keansburg, NJ, on a clear day, you can see New York City. On a foggy day, the city is invisible. If you stare at this photo you can just about see the Verrazano Bridge and two buoys—one red and one green—marking the channel. Otherwise, there's a lot of gray water and sky. Somedays, you can't see anything at all. 

On days like this I am reminded that I can't see God, but I have faith that He is with us. Tomorrow the sun might come out and the tall buildings of NYC will reflect the bright rays, making the city appear as if it was made of gold. The water will be bright blue, reflecting the sky above. Everything will be clear and distinct. 

However, today it's murky--much like the future. 

Our country is going through a terrible upheaval with thousands of our citizens dying each day from COVID-19. There is political unrest with threats of more unrest to come. People have lost jobs and are suffering. 2020 was bad, but 2021 isn't looking very promising at the moment. 

But God is with us, even on foggy days. So, pray. He can hear you.

 

Phantasmagoria

Marlu Lake, Thompson Park
January 25, 2020

Phantasmagoria (from Dictionary.com)

noun

a shifting series of phantasms, illusions, or deceptive appearances, as in a dream or as created by the imagination.

a changing scene made up of many elements.

an optical illusion produced by a magic lantern or the like in which figures increase or diminish in size, pass into each other, dissolve, etc.

I thought of this wonderful old word when I snapped the photo above on Saturday. It rained hard most of that day, but just before evening it stopped. Though it wasn't dark yet, the clouds had not cleared away and mist swirled around everywhere, which gave everything a spooky, shifting appearance. If a giant fish leaped out of the lake while I was there, I probably would have screamed. If a large blue heron flew by, I'm sure I would have been shaken as well. The dream-like scene conjured up illusions in my mind. Anything could have risen from the water: a dinosaur, a mermaid, or a talking frog.

I haven't written a paranormal in a while, but viewing the lake with the fog drifting around on the water had me thinking about it. What kind of story does that lake summon up in your mind?

A Little Fog

Daughter #2 looked at this photo and thought the lavender cloud in the sky looked like a UFO. To me, it looked like a cloud. I took this picture because the foggy mist settling on the ground fascinated me. I wanted to walk through it, but I was expected elsewhere and so I didn't. I've seen this phenomena a few times in the past and I've always wanted to walk through it, but I never have the time.

Driving in fog is dangerous. Walking in fog is interesting, but the fog on the ground in this photo was only about four feet high. Could I see my feet if I walked into it? What would it smell like? Would my clothing become damp from the mist? Would it swirl around me as I moved through it?

I could write up an entire scene about this low-lying fog--if I got out of my car to investigate it.

One of these days, I have to stop being too busy.