At the end of a splendid day touring the wondrous sights of Wadi Rum, Ethan and his family rode on camels for about 30 minutes to reach a prime viewing location to watch the sunset, while Russell and I trotted alongside on foot taking photos. Okay, so maybe the idea that two senior citizens were nimbly traversing the sand like gazelles might be a bit delusional or, at the very least, an optimistic exaggeration. Yes, Russell and I are in good physical condition and walk several miles daily. However, there are countless layers of heavy, loose sand on the desert floor. A more apt description is that we trudged, slogged and stumbled our way through the ever-sinking sand as quickly as we could manage in order to avoid getting left behind in the dust of the retreating camels. Thankfully, the camels and their handlers were in no hurry, so we were able to keep the rest of our group in sight and not disappear into the vast reaches of Wadi Rum. I cannot even tell you how many cups of sand we poured out of our shoes when we eventually got to the Bedouin camp where we slept that night. But I digress…

 

Camels were domesticated in the Middle East almost 3,000 years ago. In Wadi Rum, camels are so prized and treasured that Bedouin families with camels are at the highest tier of their society. Although Russell and I did not ride the camels, I found them fascinating. After we arrived at our sunset viewing location, the camels and their handlers stayed with us for a bit while the camels rested. The camels looked quite well taken care of and healthy. We were glad to see how relaxed the camels were with happy, somewhat goofy facial expressions. The handlers constantly stroked their camels and clearly were fond of their charges.

 

For this painting, I was struck by the brilliant orange sand of the desert, made even more bright and colorful by the sun beginning to set in the sky. The young camel handler wore a contemporary sweatshirt with an unusual hood that looked from a distance almost like he had on a spacesuit helmet, which made me realize that even out in the middle of the desert, people are no longer isolated like they were in the past. I loved the smiling expression of the camel, which reminded me of our male standard poodle, Horatio. This camel was the one that our niece Allison had ridden. Unfortunately, when she was dismounting at the end of the ride, as her camel was kneeling, Allison's upper body was forcefully flung back causing her a very painful muscle injury in a sensitive area resulting in her being in agony for days. I am almost certain it would be anthropomorphizing to attribute the camel’s “smile” to it thinking that this incident had earned it another notch on its saddle horn.

 

I usually do not repeat the same subject matter, but I took so many wonderfully inspiring camel photos in Wadi Rum that this is the first in a series of three camel-themed paintings.