This week brings an oriental twist to what I’ve always known as the four elements: Air, Water, Fire, and Earth. Sofia explains that the Chinese philosophy of Wuxing adds wood and metal to water, fire, and earth. She writes, “You can focus on one of the elements if you so wish. You can try to get as many in one photo as possible and kudos if you get all 5 in one.” You can read her entire challenge post here.

To start my challenge response, I feature an image of an 80-year-old steam engine. While I couldn’t provide a photograph featuring all five elements, I can say that a steam engine encompasses all five elements. Power for the engine is provided by combining three of the other elements. Water and fire generate steam, and the fire is created by either the burning of wood or coal. Coal and wood are found in the earth. To stretch the point, if an engine generates steam by burning coal, I can almost bet that the coal is loaded into the firebox with a shovel made of wood and metal.

When I visited Engine 261 as it was being prepared to leave Davenport, North Dakota, on an excursion, I was invited into the engineer’s cab and learned much from the fireman on duty. These days, train engines are often powered by internal combustion diesel engines that drive electric motors. Modern engines get their diesel fuel from refined crude oil, commonly buried deep in the earth, but no longer require water to generate steam.

Water can generate tremendous and sometimes devastating power. Niagara Falls is but one example of man’s ability to harness water to make electricity. The United States and Canada depend upon the nearly five million kilowatts of continuous electrical output from the falls, which is enough power to supply millions of homes and businesses.

My image focuses on the element of earth and features an entrance to an underground cave. On top of that cave is a considerable amount of earth and rock, which has taken millions of years to form. At this point in the cave, an opening allows people to enter or exit the cave system.

My concluding image features wood art. Danish artist Thomas Dambo is known for creating large-scale sculptures of trolls made from recycled materials. Built mostly of wood, these trolls are found in several locations worldwide. Alexa and five other trolls are located in and around Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, about a 60-minute drive from our Fargo, North Dakota home.

That’s all I have for this week’s challenge response. Sofia’s take on Wuxing, a Chinese philosophy, provided a fresh look at the elements. Ann-Christine made us smile with her challenge last week; there were many happy responses. Next week, it’s my turn to host the challenge. I will post my challenge on Saturday, December 7, at noon, Eastern Standard Time. If you’d like to join in with a response to a Lens-Artists Challenge but aren’t sure how to get started, check here.

John Steiner