Friday, March 31, 2006
A Stonehenge moment
The long axis of our house is oriented more or less east-west, so a major moment in the spring co
mes when the sun has progressed to the point where the morning light first comes directly in the north windows. I didn't actually catch that day, but today can't have been too far away, judging by the tiny sliver of light on the window frame here.(Not that we use the position of the sun to govern our horticultural activities, but this means it's almost time to haul the giant ficus tree you see in the picture out to its summer home in the yard. )
I waited 10 minute or so this morning for the sun to enter the window so I could take this picture, which was a minor inconvenience. But it occurred to me while I was waiting how much more invested the builders of Stonehenge or Teotihuacán must have been in waiting for that first shaft of light to fall at some designated point. What if you'd humped a couple of dozen giant monoliths all the way from Wales, heaved them aloft, and then on the first frickin' solstice it was raining? That's enough to make a person think about human sacrifice.
