4.29.13

 During my weekly travels I often cross over a river that is most beautiful. During the summer it is a popular local hangout, and, because I tend to shy away from crowds, I never stopped to check this area out for myself. Because it is so popular, it also tends to collect a lot of garbage. Recently I was inspired to stop, get out of my comfort zone, and start cleaning up the trash, one hour at a time. So far I’ve logged three hours at this place, plus help from a couple of other people, and there is still much left to pick up. But, it is looking better. In the picture to the right, I did not capture the image of the kingfishers swooping down over the river, or the multitude of birdsfoot violets in full bloom behind me. Now I have a sense of belonging to this beautiful spot, and henceforth I don’t think I will be as shy about stopping here. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

6.3.13

  The roadsides and highways along the Blue Wall are full of beautiful wildflowers. At 55 mph, ragwort and dandelions have made a sweep of yellow for the past several weeks . At 45 mph, clumps of white daisies appear, coordinating with the yellow like the perfect summer outfit. At 35 mph, tiny white asters appear in the mix like w ispy clouds, along with emerging seed heads from the uncut grasses. Given a good reason to get out of the car and walk these country roadsides, we could see a wealth of native beauties, ever-present but never seen from inside an automobile. If a stalled economy means less frequent roadside mowing, maybe that is the silver lining we all look for!  
Read more

5.27.13

  The air along the Blue Wall is drenched in the perfume of flowers.   Last week it was Fraser magnolias and tulip poplars . t his week, the scent of blooming privet and Japanese honeysuckle is heavy along the roadsides, and Southern magnolias are filling our neighborhoods with their sweet smell. Deep in the woods, mosses smell almost as sweet as the magnolias, but harder to identify. I love being with hikers who stop in their tracks and say, “What is that smell?” Open up those windows, people, and take a deep sniff!    
Read more

5.13.13

  Power.   If you are at all interested in engineering, and maybe even if you’re not, made plans to tour the Bad Creek Project on Hwy. 130 in Oconee County . This hydroelectric power plant is not only a work of art, it has a history that involves a lot of our local neighbors. The building of the place took ten  years, and the numbers involved with blasting out the inside of a mountain, and building a reservoir by literally trucking a mountain from one place to another, are astounding.   
Read more