Hudson River South

I finally got the moody southern romantic moss-dripping mud effect I wanted after being inspired by the Hudson River Painters. My site at Tomoka State Park near Ormond Beach, FL was only a few yards from the Halifax River. I walked through saw palmettos, cedars, and Sabal palms to see fish jumping in tidewater time. The effect was magestic. Time to begin again.

The Solitary Oak

Nature and the grand American Vision: Masterpieces of the Hudson River School Painters
I saw this exhibition at the Columbia Museum of Art with my friend Jessica who grew up in Stony Point near Nyack, NY and is an expert on these painters, although she wouldn't classify herself that way. It is the first event of my second journey in the Turtle. And if this is an indication of how beautiful this trip will be, then I am very fortunate. This one won't be as solitary as the last. I am visiting a host of cousins, community members, friends, and one person that bought "Best Kept Secrets". Two stops in SC-Columbia and Charleston; one stop at Crooked River State Park for two nights so I can visit Cumberland Island. Then on to Florida. I am hoping to experience, "pleasant reminiscences and grateful emotions springing up at every step" to paraphrase Asher B. Durand who painted the luminous landscape above.

Spring Jewels

Winter Rainbows

Rainbow in January, Chamber's Mountain, near Iron Duff, NC

What does it mean to view a rainbow in winter? Old Man Winter slips the surprise from the long sleeve of his cloud cloak in the blink of an eye. He has a grin on his face. You weren't expecting it were you, he laughs. And if you missed it when it was so clearly bright and bowed, you missed a rare opportunity to lift your winter spirits and transform them into bouquets of bliss.

Having the Greatest Gift

What could that possibly be? For you, I don't know. But for me it would be ".. a sense of wonder so indestructable that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength...". This quote is from Rachel Carson who wrote, Silent Spring, in 1962. And before she wrote the book that opened our eyes to seeing the interconnectedness of our natural world, she wrote, The Sense of Wonder. Perhaps it was this contemplation of the beauty of the earth around her, that led to her concern with synthetic pesticides being used so carelessly. This sense may have fueled her passion for preserving the environment and for the strength she needed to overcome the discrimination she experienced as a woman scientist. I am wondering what it will fuel in me. Certainly it is gone beyond a spark and has set me on fire many times. The spark is often a quiet one.

Lighting My Way

Thanks to all for lighting my way this year. My journey was glowing so much that I never saw the darkness that surrounds all things. But without it there is no way to experience the moving spark scripting our lives in love each and every moment. I took these photos last night in beautiful downtown Clyde, NC. The pear trees are a blooming mass in spring and a seasonal sensation illuminating my way into a new year. May your new year be flashing with love and light!

Real December on Hap Mountain

The scenes of December can be wild with saturated color or silent and bluish in tone. And this transformation often happens from one day to the next. The wonderful thing is I don't have to go anywhere to see this slide show. It projects itself all around my little cabin on Hap mountain. And the winds howling nonstop provide the sound effects that would scare the pants off an Eskimo!