When The Full Moon Shines Its Magic Over Mountain Valley

WHEN THE FULL MOON SHINES ITS MAGIC OVER MOUNTAIN VALLEY

By John V. Young

An Essay

The title gives us the impression, which describes a magical moment as the moon shines over the valley.

We were a group of three friends out for the adventure of camping in a zone on the

Arizona-Utah border. It was early spring and the weather was pleasant and cool. We

camped by theopen faced shelters provided by the Navajos for tourists visiting the area.

We had a purpose; we wanted to see the full moon and its effect as it rose above the

sandstone shapes soaring up into the sky like a giant’s chess pieces. People, especially

white strangers, come to feel like small change.

The above paragraph identifies the when, where, who, and why. When? Earlyspring. Where? Arizona-Utah border. Who? Three friends. Why? Camping adventure.

As all Navajo dwellings faced east, our camp faced east as well. We watched across the

limitless expanse of tawny desert, once a great sea, framed by towering pinnacles called

The Mittens.

The above paragraph gives us a sight impression. It describes the area called The Mittens.We felt the magic as the sun was falling. Adding to the mystique was the passing by of a

diminutive wraith of a Navajo girl wearing a long, dark, velvet dress drifted silently by.

She was herding a flock of ghostly sheep to a waterhole somewhere.

The sound of a bell hanging from one the sheep tinkled faintly and its music faded as

the soft rustle of the wind made it seem likewe had seen nothing at all.

The above paragraph shows us a sight and sound impressions. The description of the girl and the sounds made by the bell and wind.


At that moment a large wooly dog appeared out of nowhere, seeming to materialize on

the spot. We could see its eyes shining like mirrors. We offered him food, which he

accepted with dignity. The dog then vanished,possibly to join the young girl and her

flock. Was it an illusion?


The above paragraph shows us a time signal, sight impression, and comparison.

When the dog appeared. (Time signal) Sight impression. (vanishing of the dog) and

The comparison. (Was it an illusion?)

As the sun disappeared, the evening afterglow painted all the cliffs and spires a deep

magenta,turning to purple, and deepening shades of orange highlighted the miniature

ocean waves caused by ripples in the sand. Off to the east, on the edge of the desert,

a pale yellow glow indicated the moon was about to rise behind a thin layer of clouds.

An invisible plane left a contrail as it flew far away.

The above paragraph gives us a time signal. (as the sun disappears) Asight

impression. (description of colors on the cliff, spires, and sand), Sight Comparison.

(ocean waves and ripples in the sand.)

We had our cameras on tripods and were fussing wit the light meters making bets as to

where exactly the moon would first appear. It was instant enchantment. It appeared

precisely between the twin spires of The Mittens. The enormous globe loomedsuddenly,

seeming as big as the sun itself, behind a coppery curtain on the rim of creation.

The above paragraph gives us a time signal. (when the moon would appear) Sight

Impression. (the appearance of the moon) Comparison. (as big as the sun) Vivid
Language. (a coppery curtain on the rim of creation)

We were totally unprepared for the great size of the moon as well as its greatflaming

color. We could not have prepared ourselves for the improbable setting. We felt like the

wizards of Stonehenge, commanding the planet to send their light through the magic

orifices at the equinox. Had the Navajo medicine men contrived this for our benefit?

The above paragraph gives us mainly sight impressions

The massive disk of the moon seemed to rise very fast...