Happy Sunday! This week, Egidio from Through My Brazilian Eyes has presented a real challenge for Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #297 and that is to show music through our photos.

I rarely get to go on photography outing these days. So when I truly get to go, I like to keep my ears open to natural noises instead of filling them with music. Therefore, I almost never listen to music while I’m out with my camera.

I was at the Tulip Festival a few days ago when I took this picture. I’ll admit that this picture is a rarity because I rarely can position the camera this center. It’s usually off to one end or the other.

As I was editing the photo and reflected back to the moments when I stood in front of the fountain, waiting for the area to clear out a little bit, I thought of the sound the water made as it streamed from one fountain to the next and it reminded me of the opening of the song – Coins in a Fountain – by Passenger. The sound felt so relaxing to my ears and I wished it wasn’t misting rain then because otherwise, I would’ve stood there for a while longer.

There wasn’t a moment during my 2023 Christmas road trip when music wasn’t playing in the car. Thank goodness I had all the songs I liked downloaded, so even when my phone lost signal, the music would still play, I just couldn’t skip to the next song.

Ever since I got a car with bluetooth, I no longer listen to the radio. Too many ads, too much talking, and not enough music I like. I get my music through Amazon Music and I paid for the unlimited version when the free Prime version began restricting skips. The unlimited version also comes with a lot of the songs I like.

My taste in music spans from the 70’s to current and I keep quite a collection of songs that reminds me of a good road trip. When those songs come on, I instantaneously feel relaxed. My favorite road trip songs include Take it Easy by the Eagle, Let it Go by Zac Brown Band, and Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw because why not, right?

Finally, I remember needing to find a place to stretch my legs as I drove across Arizona that day. It was possibly the longest day of the road trip as I began the day early driving from Utah to New Mexico to get a new SIM for my phone and then to the Four Corners before heading across Arizona to Page.

I followed the car in front of me into a designated rest area at the side of the highway. There was no facilities at this rest stop, it’s merely a place for drivers to stretch and relax. The first thing I did was walk to the edge to take the view. I closed my eyes and listened to the silence. I spoke but my voice was drowned in the wind and the silence. Now that I’m writing it, the line, “And touched the sound of silence,” is whispering in my brain.