I can remember a beautiful morning, walking through the park, birds singing, sun shining. On that day a woman approached me from behind. I heard her and turned, then stepped off the path out of her way. She wore sunglasses, with head down, hat pulled over her forehead, some sort of music blaring into her ears through tiny headphones. She was speed-walking or something like that. She did not acknowledge my presence, just sped past me, as though I was not there.
I stood beside that trail, feeling sorry for her, as she hurried out of sight. On this beautiful morning out in nature, her total focus was on something else. Every single thing that I experienced, things that pleased my eyes, pleased my ears, pleased all my senses … she probably didn’t even notice them. I thought to myself, she could have gotten everything she wanted from that walk on an exercise bike in her home, and would not have had to drive to the park.
Read MoreSometimes you have to be at the exact right spot at the exact right time, eyes open, imagination charged, prepared to see something special that nature does, but most often goes unnoticed. As you look at today’s photograph, I am not sure what you’re going to see. You weren’t there. Your mind cannot combine the photograph you see with the memory of an unfolding mental image, attached to the sounds of the morning and the fresh cool air all around. After all, it’s just a photo of some trees in sunlight, with a white nesting box on the edge of a lake.
But I was there.
Read MoreI recently returned to Paris Mountain State Park for the first time in over two years. That was the place I went to almost every day years ago. But once I began to expand my hiking choices, and once I got interested in landscape photography, I could see that the photo opportunities were greater elsewhere.
My trip was primarily to renew my SC State Park’s annual passport. They can be bought online but there’s no way to get the senior discount (which cuts the cost in half) without visiting a park office. Paris Mountain is the closest State Park for me. Oddly, I remembered incorrectly that it took an hour to get there. As it turns out, in a little over half an hour I was at the closed Park gate. My intention was to get there at opening time; missed that by almost half an hour.
Read MoreThis morning I went back to Lake Conestee Nature Preserve. I will probably go there two or three times a week until the fall colors begin to display. After that, I will try to visit several of the other parks I used to frequent, especially during color season. Right now, it just looks like late summer in this area. The weather has cooled down quite a bit; that’s why I’m able to go out into the woods now. All the bugs of summer have disappeared.
My old legs need to get back in shape, especially when dealing with uneven ground. Some trails have root systems or rocks scattered around, with small changes in elevation from time to time. Gotta get used to all of that again.
Read MoreMy first return to the park after many months happened on an overcast day, with little opportunity for interesting photographs, except for the closeup photo of a young heron. A few days later I went back. And the sun came out. You have already seen a couple of photos from that day: Alfred Hophornbeam the squirrel, and a quiet little spot lit up by the sun. I took a few photos before those.
Read More