My 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.
As soon as I entered the park, I headed straight for the West Bay Observation Deck. That is the official name of the lookout platform where all the tall trees with heron nests used to be. But that is another story.
I made that right turn off the boardwalk and toward the lookout platform. Geese were very active that morning, flying here and there, honking away, like they do, breaking the peace and natural quiet of the forest. I was pleased to see them, although they kept their distance, flying from one location to the other out there on the ponds, no goose photo opportunities emerged.
Today’s photo is the scene I saw on that early morning when I stepped onto the newly-built observation deck. I was attracted by the gold reflection in the beaver pond, in combination with the contrast between shade and shadow, as the morning sun lit up the trees in the background. What I did not notice then, nor think of until I was editing the photograph later that morning, was that the beaver dam, a foot-high strip of packed mud, just this side of that gold reflecting water (near the bottom of the photo), once hosted several scraggly trees, each around twenty feet tall. And now they're gone, washed away in the storms since my last visit. Those trees partially blocked my view of the outer pond and that always annoyed me; now I miss them. They gave character to the scene I had not yet appreciated.
The park is located on a floodplain. When the rains come and the water rises over the banks of the Reedy River, a lot of that water comes here, rushing through with great force, changing the landscape in whatever manner nature may dictate.
Thinking back, one thing that is so obvious to me, having visited this very spot many times when the old observation deck was still here, is how the mildest form of nature changes this scene. As the cold weather sets in, all the greenery that currently springs up from the water in the beaver ponds will shrink down and disappear. During that time of year this view always displays much more water. The beaver ponds are massive, although lens compression suggests otherwise. Probably 90% of the water is currently covered by vegetation. If possible, I will document the changes in this scene and others in the park, as the cold weather shrinks back the water vegetation and turns the forest into a colorful background.
My recent history indicates that I am rarely able to spend much time out in nature during the fall months, especially during peak color season. For several years during that time, I have either gotten sick or had some medical issue that grounded me for many weeks. I hope that this year is better for me and I can spend more time in the parks. I have seasonal allergies that will dampen my spirits a little but not enough to keep me inside. If all goes well, I'll be spending a lot of time at Lake Conestee Nature Preserve. I also hope to return to Paris Mountain State Park, Table Rock State Park, Caesars Head State Park, Bald Rock Heritage Preserve, Campbell’s Covered Bridge, the chapel at Pretty Place, all in South Carolina, and possibly even DuPont National Forest in North Carolina.
When things are going well for me, I try to go out into nature at least twice a week, three times if possible. I got rained out one day last week but made two pleasant and productive trips. I want to do a lot of that this year and next, in the fall, winter, and the cooler parts of spring. And when I do, I will report on it here.