“It began in mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between.”
–Diane Ackerman
Even after spending a short time here, in our little corner of cyberspace, those of you who don’t already know will discover that the right side column of these posts will often provide a darker, drearier read than the left. One of the reasons I love Gina so much is because she possess an authentically enthusiastic (though decidedly NOT pollyannaish) view of life and of our world–an orientation which serves to temper my curmudgeonly and more cynical sensibilities. It’s a distinction that is evident in the quotes we’ve chosen for this, our first nature-photo-post.
The thing is, I’m not a fan of autumn. Even living where I do, in a part of the world where it’s Mother Nature’s time to show off as she does–staining leaves impossible shades of crimson and gold while scenting the air with campfire smoke and the fragrance of ripened crops of grasses and hay. There are days here in the fall when the sky is so blue and crisp that just standing underneath it can break your heart right open. Still, for me, autumn is mostly a reminder that winter will soon be here and that I’m going to be cold for the next seven months.
As I get older, though, I’m finding it harder to escape the beauty of this place–as well as its savageness (we’re in the midst of one of the coldest winters on record–but more on that tomorrow). Spending time with both of those elements, IN them, plodding through the nature of them wearing rubber boots and fleece gloves and stabling myself with a walking stick, helps assuage my orneriness about not being able to arrive quickly enough at the answer to those two ancient mysteries Ms. Ackerman speaks of.
Sometimes the savage and the beauty make it (almost) worth the wait.
(Click on pics to enlarge.)
