Monday, January 4, 2010

The Luxury of Pines...




To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.
--Helen Keller

*

These pictures were taken last week at Lake Guntersville State Park in Alabama. Lake Guntersville is a HUGE man made lake that feeds from the Tennessee River. There is a gorgeous state park that we'd never been to. It was a freezing day (literally!) with high wind but there was still plenty of beauty to see.

And, it seems to me that the pines in Alabama are much taller than they are in Michigan. You should have heard my kids when I lay on my back to take the picture of the pines, above. "What is she doing?!?" (They say that a lot. We photographer types just get used to it, don't we!?)



A herd of deer had been on the beach that morning...


A finger of worn driftwood...





The face of a dragon appears in this driftwood...


The sway of the water rocks the boat docks as we look at the islands in the distance...


The gnarled roots of a tree remind me of the beauty of old hands and the years and the work they've done to become that way...




The "love" tree, full of carved initials, on the trunk and every reachable branch...
(Click on this photo and the one below for a closer look at the carving.)


My family waits for me in the distance as I snap away...they know I'm always trailing behind clicking away.






Higher yet, with colder temperatures...a beautiful view of Lake Guntersville. At the top of the mountain is a beautiful lodge and a row of chalets looking over the lake with a panorama even better than this!



A great way to start the New Year...

With my family....all together again! Nothing makes this mom happier.

Me and my man....almost thirty Christmases together!



Helen Keller had it right: our Creator put his all into the wonder and beauty of this earth. He took pleasure in creating that which --most of us-- our eyes and our cameras capture to keep.

And, in thinking about Helen's quote; I realize that in Helen's case, she could neither see nor hear; but she could enjoy the scents that God put into nature...that of the clean, crisp wind, the pine needle carpet, and the smell of fresh water. He added sound to round it all out and knows that we can derive enjoyment with all of our senses and provided in nature even for those whose senses are limited.



12 comments:

Julie Harward said...

HOW VERY TRUE..I LOVE HELEN'S QUOTE! I TOO FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT THE SOFT BEDS AT THE BASE OF THE PINES. IT ALWAYS FEELS LIKE A LITTLE MAGICAL PLACE TO ME AND I THINK ABOUT THE ANIMALS THAT BED DOWN THERE AT NIGHT TOO. I LOVE THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD THAT WAS CREATED FOR US, IT BRINGS ME JOY EVERYDAY! COME SAY HI :D

Laura said...

Beautiful pictures and beautiful words...Thank you for sharing them both!

Barbara said...

Lovely photos! The love tree is so sweet.
It's my first visit to your blog and I'll certainly be back soon!

Donna said...

Lovely photos! Oh my, you brought back sweet memories! I worked almost 3 decades at TVA, and it is thanks to them that there IS a Lake Guntersville! I did environmental auditing for a while during my career and traveled throughout the 7-state region that TVA serves. I auditing many of the TVA-run parks around that lake! Isn't it lovely countryside? Glad you had a great time!

Angie Berry ~ Berry Homespun Primitives said...

Gorgeous! I love all your photos. One of my favorites is the hoof print in the sand. Thanks for sharing such beautiful pictures of God's creation!

Hollace said...

I know what you mean about getting the whole family together. It's the best thing there is! What a beautiful spot--you captured so many textures of the place. Thanks for the beauty.

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Bloggin bout my Boys said...

What beautiful unspoiled scenery. You and Lem look great!!! You oughtta frame that one! That ol' carved tree is like out of a Hallmark movie.YOU KNOW me and Hallmark movies heehee!!!

Ali said...

Wonderful photos! I just love pine forests, reminds me of my childhood. We had pine trees all around our house and I used to play in them for hours. I wish we had some here! Time to get planting =) And you guys look great, congrats on almost 30 Christmases!

My Farmhouse Kitchen said...

What a beautiful blog. It is EVERYTHING I LOVE...even this song is a favorite...LOVE your snowy header..is that farmhouse where you live? I am IN LOVE with it....

and your dogs are adorable...

Me and my dog , Buddy say Hi and we will be back to visit very soon.

Kary and Buddy
xxxx

Donna said...

Your photos are GORGEOUS Girl!! Sorry I'm late!!hughugs

Gina said...

Such a great blog! I too love to look at cookbooks and food photos. I want to return to your blog to read more another night, and to try your recipes--thanks! Greetings from RI,
Gina