Sunday, April 15, 2007

To Wander at Will...


Our neighbor's acreage is no longer the thriving dairy farm it once was. Part of it has been subdivided, into large plots of several acres each; our home sits on one of those sites. A few acres of the land is now rented by another farmer where he grows and bales hay for his livestock. Some of it sits, uncultivated and covered with forest and swamp, providing a quiet sanctuary for mosses and mushrooms and wild creatures. Fortunately, our neighbors are good people, and we have their permission to wander their rolling hills and forested acres at will. Today, Haiku and I walked to the braided tree at the forest's heart, and along a trail to the little lake at the edge of the woods.
A photo journal of our meandering walk follows. Some of the photos are better than others, but whether clear or slightly unfocused, they will give you a glimpse of what we saw as the early evening air chilled our skin and the sun slid slowly down the western horizon.





photos: 1) sunlight streaming in at the forest's edge 2)a stream at the trail head 3) three intertwined trees 4) a bit of winter lingers in nature's own ceremonial bowl atop a mossy stump 5) a blade of grass growing through a shelf mushroom 6)several shelf mushrooms like Japanese fans across a fallen log 7) emerging leaves of Dutchmen's Breeches, an ephemeral wildflower 8) a stump with a gorgeous soft mossy "hair-do" 9) And the trail goes on...


All photos by Aisling, April 15, 2007





11 comments:

Michele said...

Aisling, I am green with envy here. My country-loving soul is crying out from my suburban-living body! Just gorgeous, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful pictures.

Marcie said...

Rapunzel, I bet you'll have your time in the country one day, if you truly desire it. In the meantime, I just know you will make (have made!) a lovely place of your suburban backyard. Thank you for taking the time to view photos of my corner of the world! :)

Kathie said...

How absolutely lovely!

Marcie said...

Katie, Thank you! I'm glad you stopped by!

Nan said...

Are the twisted/braided trees all the same kind? Very, very beautiful photos. I especially loved the bowl and the moss.

Marcie said...

Nan, The braided tree is three evergreens of the same variety. The farmer from whom we purchased our property braided them together himself many, many years ago. He has since passed on, but the trees still grow and thrive.

Marcie said...

Nan, I also meant to say thank you for your nice compliment on my photos. It is easy to take lovely photos when nature has so much beauty to offer. I love to spend time photographing nature, especially when I am walking with my one (or all!) of my family members.

L.L. Barkat said...

ohhh... my heart rests looking at these!

Marcie said...

l.l. barkat, Thank you. It rested my soul to walk there. I'm glad I could share that feeling.

Vicky said...

The three trees photo is wonderful. It looks as if the middle tree had something wise to say and the other two leaned in to hear. And stayed. :)

Marcie said...

What a wonderful way to think of it, Vicky! Thank you for sharing that thought!