Like many other days this fall,
I left early this morning and drove northward
to the Blue Ridge mountains. Give me a day like this,
my hiking boots, and my camera, and there is no happier man on earth.
While my destination was the Eastatoe Valley,
I stopped by one of my favorite spots, Pinnacle Lake,
which is located below Table Rock Mountain. The sun was
still relatively low at that point and there was hardly any wind,
all of which created perfect conditions for catching wonderful reflections in the lake.
This patch of woods was especially beautiful,
and it reminded me of a large, abstract impressionist painting.
I often find that looking up through
the trees, especially when the leaves and limbs
are backlit, provides lovely perspectives which are easy to miss.
The fields and forests of the Eastatoe Valley
are beautiful in any season, but they are especially vibrant in the fall.
The people who settle in this valley
tend to be rugged individuals. This is
a perfect spot to live for those who want to
live the simple life in a simple cottage,
surrounded by the beauty of the natural world.
Look in any direction,
and you're sure to find something magical . . .
. . . perhaps the textured, colorful woods of November . . .
. . . or a trail like this one that leads one through a beautiful forrest . . .
. . . to the peace and tranquility of Twin Falls.
Faeries, come take me out of this dull world,
For I would ride with you upon the wind,
Run on top of the dishevelled tide,
And dance upon the mountains like a flame.
W.B. Yeats, The Land of the Heart's Desire
Hi George.. You took us on a lovely outing, where the forests were ripe with autumn color. I haven't been to the Blue Ridge Mountains in many a moon, but is forever inscribed into my memory. Your post brought it forward, to smile upon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your lovely comment, Laura. Glad you liked this posting.
DeleteExquisite photographs George. I shall now go and read that poem which sounds as though it is appropriate at the beginning of such a momentous week for the US. Best wishes to you all.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pat, especially for the good wishes during this momentous week. Let us hope that sanity will prevail, something we can no longer take for granted in this world.
DeleteExtraordinary photographs, in the last two posts, of the autumn colours in that beautiful land. I always enjoy photos of American wild places or 'parks' as they are sometimes called or rather, national parks. They give such a sense of the vastness of the country. This could be forgotten in the tangle of highways and shopping malls of the cities, but when you live where you do, you are fortunate to be so close to these places - and such light!
ReplyDeleteI wish, as ever, the best for your country and all its people, in the election to come.
Thanks, Morelle, for your lovely comment. Yes, we are fortunate in this country to have an abundance of public lands (national and state parks, national wildlife refuges, etc.). What we need now are progressive leaders who will preserve and protect those lands, versus those "leaders" who are prepared to sell public lands to private developers. As for the election, I can only hope that the country steps back from the brink of disaster and elects our first woman president.
DeleteThese photos take me back to the years I spent on the East Coast. Fall was always my favorite time of the year. All those beautiful deciduous trees! Glad you were out enjoying this spectacular show. I love the leaf-strewn trail.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barb. Glad you liked these images. Life will be good, once we get this disturbing election behind us.
DeleteJust stumbled across your blog by means of a post on Henry Miller. Glad I did. The photos of the autumn folliage in your part of the world are stunning. I'm writing from the south island of Kyushu in Japan, where there is also some very nice hiking to be had, but the autumn is not quite as fiery. I look forward to your future posts!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Michael, and also for the generous comments on the photos. You're always welcome to participate in the conversations that take place on my blog.
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