Tafelburg Koppie

by Mike Rossi
 
In the harsh world of the karoo, the odours of blue gum and curry bush mingle with Acacia Karoo – a beautiful sweet spicy, smelling yellow flower that blankets the arid semi-desert. December is a very hot month. Halfway through the afternoon, the temperatures were grazing the early fifties with a hot mist that made my spectacles perspire. If you touch the Karoo earth you’ll get close to the boiling point of water.
 
The Karoo silence is still. Tawny Eagles and Yellow-Billed Kites swirl in the skies above; while scorpions, termite-eating spiders and snakes hunt their frittatas, before the Karoo furnace drives them into their underground bunkers. It’s now 54 degrees Celsius, perfect for bacon and eggs. Welcome to the Karoo inferno.
 
I stopped several times to get directions from shuffling locals — suffering from a dop too many in most cases. But everyone gave me different directions, which frankly I don’t understand why, as there is supposed to be only one famous Tafelburg Koppie in these parts. The locals claim that their Tafelberg is more famous than the one in Cape Town. I didn’t want to get into that discussion. Have you ever argued with an inebriated wandering farm worker?
 
Finally, I realised that there were several Tafelberg Koppies, and everyone seemed to have their own idea, as to which is THE ‘Tafelberg Koppie’. So I simply settled on the largest which was about 100 meters in height and sitting behind a typical Karoo Mudstone Koppie.
 
The clouds had been building up all day. I sensed Nimbus was giving me all the time in the world to get my act together. After dithering as to where I wanted to photograph the Tafelburg, I settled in front of this grand Koppie with my giant blue and yellow-striped umbrella. Anticipating a drenching, I stood watching Nimbus cast her shadows over every stone. Then there was a mighty explosion and the rain came thundering down. A few minutes later it was gone. Briefly the torrential rain left puddles reflecting the contours of Nimbus body but soon the image seeped into the parched earth.
 
Karoo aloes stood regimented along the dirt road. The dark green leaves fused into the blackness. Dassies scurried, taking refuge in the shadows. Suddenly an orange blade of light cuts through the Nimbus clouds, spraying its golden hues over the aloes and deep into the crevices of each blade of grass. Within a few seconds Nimbus blanketed out the light to leave deathly shadows scattered everywhere. Sinister and gloom mingled, leaving a mystery in the air.
 
Part of the "Shadows Over Stones" Photographic Art Collection. Available as “Custom Finish & Bespoke” Fine Art and Photo Prints, framed or unframed. Photography created as beautiful pieces of Wall Art for you to invest and enjoy, from OPENPHOTO-STUDIO.