Street Lights in the Boonies

I've never been a fan of Street Lights. 

Though I haven't always been a big fan of the dark, street lights always seemed too extreme, their brightness more invading than illuminating. Part of this might have come from growing up in places where outside night-lighting was at a minimum...where you might have the occasionally light here and there, but for the most part, whole neighborhood blocks were dark. 

When I moved out here, I began to look at them differently.  In the whole square mile of "town" there might be 15 street lights When they all work. I remember my first night, waking up to use the bathroom and looking out the window into the night.  Usually, I've felt crowded when I've seen street lights in the city; almost like they don't have enough room crowding into each other outside, so they need to move into my space.  This was the first time I felt the exact opposite.  The light cast a dim, blue glow that lit up a radius of about 15 feet or so around it before being swallowed (and I mean that in the true sense...swallowed) by the darkness around it.

It was then, that I had a new appreciation for the street light.  In the city, I don't think one has a true appreciation for the "raw" darkness.  One might be aware of dark places, but there is always light close at hand. 

Being this far out, and set up against the wilderness, it's easy to feel the combined human power of civilization in the light when we're awake and active; when we can see the fruits of our modern behaviour...hear traffic, tools, and other sounds indicating that we continue forward to build and improve our residence here in the nook of this mountain.  But then night falls and the dark moves in.  As we slowly give into weariness, put away our tools and give in to sleep; suddenly the weight and rawness of these mountains and wilderness seems to push in from the outside.   It almost feels like the lights push back...creating that arching shield around this little pocket of human civilization that's been out here trying to survive for the last 150 years.

 Many of the houses around here, including mine, have those little solar powered lights lining the lawn.....it seems to enhance that guarding from the night.

I still am not a big fan of street lights when I'm in the city.  They encroach on my space, pushing into my room at night and keep me awake with their persistant, noisy light.  Out here however, they feel as if they are guardians against the dark.