Needing Nature

I took this in the car as I was running kids around from place to place. The flowering pears lining the street were breathtaking and of course the picture taken while driving did not turn out great, but it is my snapshot of the day. When all was done, I went home and sat on the back patio. Sitting in the cool, crisp air, looking at the stars, the spring evening conjured up memories. Memories of similar nights looking at the stars, nights back in high school during Fall with football season, marching band, nights as a child at Halloween, nights in Spring as we played freeze tag and flashlight tag on into the night never feeling the chill, nights camping as a child surrounded by the comfort and security of my family, nights camping as an adult and parent........... All connected with this common thread of a cool evening. Even now after non stop running and sorting out activities, I sit here and can finally breathe. Too chilly now to be without a jacket, I cannot move, relishing the a

This is my sunbleached chair I left out all winter, waiting for me. Waiting for today. It's March 5, sunny and 43 degrees but my patio feels like 55. I sit here, thinking. I sit here wanting to write. Ideas bombard me. My head clears, the sun warms my soul and I breathe. I love this time of year. I hear geese flying overhead (coming back, perhaps?), but other than the distant barking of a dog and a far off airplane, all is quiet and peaceful. No lawnmowers, no kids playing, no sounds of summer. Don't get me wrong. I love the sounds of summer, but I love now, too. I love this moment. The way I feel now confirms what I already know, that I need nature for my well being. I think we all do, but not everyone takes the time to stop and listen. My brief interlude on my patio on a 43 degree day in early March is all I need. I am not able to focus on much else, and it appears that I'm not getting much done. Or am I?

He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left. - Proverb

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms......... From Henry David Thoreau's Walden describing his time living alone in nature for over 2 years.

This was taken at Guernsey State Park in Wyoming. We pulled in to a deserted campground. Never having been here, we were pleasantly surprised to find a very unique and beautiful spot.....almost like an oasis in the desert. Guernsey Reservoir is in the background surrounded by cliffs. Amazing and breathtaking. This was one of my favorite camping "surprises." Some of our surprises haven't been so pleasant, but this one I'll always remember.

Answer: When noone else is. We went to New Salem State Park for a few days on a Spring Break one year. That was the extent of us heading south: Springfield, IL. Hoping it would be warmer (It wasn't) and hoping we wouldn't get the rain that was in the forecast (rained a lot), we somehow had great fun on this trip where high temps were in the 40's. There were maybe 2 other units camping while we were there. A recent ice storm gave us an endless supply of firewood which was great since we had a fire burning almost nonstop, except for when the downpour drove is into Springfield to hit all the museums. Had we been at home we probably would have been outside only briefly going from house to car, car to building, etc. but when you're camping you're outside almost every waking minute. Rain? No problem. That's what ponchos are for. Actually it is a problem, but part of camping is making the best of things and turning whatever you're dealt into an "a

A couple more shots of Little Bay De Noc, taken right behind our campsite. It was strange because there were so few people there, odd considering what nice large private campsites there were, right by the bay and beach area. I guess the U.P. is pretty much off the beaten path, but I still expect pretty full campgrounds just about anywhere mid summer. Later I was doing a little internet research and found out that this area had been cleaned up after toxic chemicals had been found. Could this be why noone was there???????? It's sad when you think of the widespread damage manufacturing companies can do to beautiful areas of our world.

As we hit the stretch where summer still seems so far away, I try to imagine myself anywhere but where I'm currently at! Thoughts of summer, thoughts of vacations, thoughts of sand, beaches, sunsets, water. This is a campground we stumbled on as we were heading up to Lake Superior. This is in Michigan's upper peninsula where our campsite was right off Little Bay De Noc which is located on northern Lake Michigan. It's part of the Hiawatha National Forest. On the other side of the bay is Escanaba. I just like saying "Escanaba" and there's something about this town that I really like, but I can't quite pinpoint it. Maybe it's just the name! Our first time to Escanaba we arrived at 2 a.m. in dense fog and ended up by a lit up gazebo in a park we later in daylight saw was beautiful and right by Lake Michigan. It was eerie driving into what seemed like a totally deserted town, after driving through dense, dark, foggy forests. Very little traffic is

Look at this water!!! This is truly not your typical lake, which is why it's almost impossible to get a reservation to camp here. But I'm trying. I'm also trying to figure out how to get my favorite song on here, the ONLY one I know that has the sound of loons............

The upper midwest is dotted with crystal clear lakes. Driving north from Illinois up into Wisconsin, after about 4 or 5 hours of driving the landscape changes. Lakes, pine trees, and the atmosphere of VACATION prevails. A trip up this way is not as spectacular as a trip out west to the mountains, but it certainly has its own unique appeal. This particular lake is almost "muck-free" which is amazing. Even people who prefer pools to lakes would be tempted to swim in this crystal clear lake, which is aptly named Crystal Lake. There are several lakes I've noticed with the same name, but in my mind this is the only true "Crystal" Lake. You can literally walk around this entire lake without encountering any lake muck yuck stuff. It's a supreme swimming lake, clean, quiet, and with a minimum of "critters." From our stay here, I only have a couple pictures, only one that's being posted, unlike our Wyoming trips where I have hundreds of picture

I grew up coming to this place, hiking everywhere, up Medicine Bow Peak, taking trails to many of the lakes, and up and down countless logging roads exploring long forgotten cabin foundations. Assuming I had experienced every established trail around here along with several unestablished trails, I was surprised we had missed this one, which is the most spectacular hiking trail in the area with the exception perhaps the trail to the summit. The scenery along this particular trail is breathtaking and takes you along the base of the mountain range, by icy crystal lakes, small streams that are simply snow runoff, with pockets of dazzling wildflowers. And of course, no picture is going to do this paradise justice. In fact, I apologize if I have posted this picture before, but I just want to get sucked into the picture and be there NOW experiencing the fresh air and the exhilaration you feel there. It's magical. Whenever we go somewhere, I always order hiking guides to wherever we&

This time of year, the temperature is always so bitter cold that everything even "looks" cold. The sky is different shades of icy blue, airbrushed with hues of cool pinks. No reds or yellows to warm us up. It's beautiful, really, in an icy chilling way. The river where these pictures were taken at sunset is framed by tall snow covered branches. I wanted to capture the pastels of the sky that I notice are only like this during these bitter cold snaps of the Midwest in January. Cold, cold, cold, icy cold. I went to a deserted park at sunset to get these shots, not realizing that it was much colder here than it is when I'm just running from my car into a store, etc. My fingers were numb, but the quiet was peaceful, and it was nice to be outside for my mini-field trip. FIRE AND ICE by Robert Frost Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I kn