What is it about threes?
I was on Brown's Lake catching some of the biggest rainbow trout I'd ever seen. The fly fishing technique we were using requires one to watch your line like an Osprey. Even glance away for a moment and you may miss a strike.
The broken-to-overcast skies were constantly changing the light on the landscape.
STRIKE - damn, missed another one. Meanwhile, my dad is knocking the crap out of the fish. Helps that he is a pro. I think he may very well be the best fly fisherman in the world
So what is it about these trees that keeps grabbing my attention? It must be that there is three, and only three, on the shoreline. Plus the fact that they are separated by what must be the Golden Mean.
Threes occur everywhere:
the rule of thirds
tall, dark, handsome
win, lose, or draw
eat, drink and be merry
a hop, skip, and a jump
the good, bad, and ugly
ready, set, go
Tom, Dick, and Harry
wine, women, and song
lock, stock, and barrel
hook, line, and sinker
stop, look, and listen
morning, noon, and night
mind, body and spirit
thought, word, and deed
For some reason the brain finds it easier to assimilate and process groups of three.
Four seems to be more of a static representation.
Two is either balanced or imbalanced, either aligned or confrontational.
One is lonely and wanting for more.
So why three?
I found a post somewhere on the net by Robert ??? as follows:
The philosopher Pythagoras thought three was the perfect number, expressive of beginning, middle and end. The idea of Trinity is central to many religions. The Hindu Trimurti is made up of Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Preserver), and Siva (Destroyer). The ancient world was ruled by Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto. Three-forked lightning, the trident and a three-headed dog figure with these characters. The Fates are three, the Furies three, the Graces three, the Harpies three, the Muses were three times three. In Greek mythology a threatening and critical Pythoness sat on a three-legged stool called a tripod.
Man is traditionally threefold (body, soul and spirit), as is our world (earth, sea and air). Historic enemies of man have been the world, the flesh and the devil. Today's realistic enemies seem to be fear, ignorance and hatred. The Christian graces are Faith, Hope and Charity. The kingdoms of Nature are animal, vegetable and mineral. The primary colors are red, yellow and blue.
So for whatever reason, I liked these three trees. And as always, I had my camera with me. I waited for the lake to settle, the light to improve, set my fly rod down, and captured these three trees.
And for what it is worth, I caught three fish that day.
