Thursday, October 13, 2016

Beneath the Trees

The morning woods were utterly new. A strong yellow light pooled beneath the trees; my shadow appeared and vanished on the path, since a third of the trees I walked under were still bare, a third spread a luminous haze wherever they grew, and another third blocked the sun with new, whole leaves. ~ Annie Dillar

Can you guess that what this post is about, you clever people? Of course you can. So there's not much of an introduction required, is there? Let's go look at some trees.

near the causeway
The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This interesting cluster of trunks was found along the the northern shore of Chemong Lake, leading up to the causeway which crosses over the lake and into Bridgenorth, just northwest of Peterborough





barking2
All our wisdom is stored in the trees. ~ Santosh Kalwar
The sad remains of a felled soldier in one of our parks.





barking
If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason. ~ Jack Handy
Here's a closer look at its beautiful texture.





refreshing pause
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the blue sky, is by no means waste of time.
~ John Lubbock
A friend and I took a walk around town, one beautiful late summer day and we sat for a while near the waters of Little Lake.





leaning tree
But down deep, at the molecular heart of life we're essentially identical to trees. ~ Carl Sagan
The tree ahead of us was leaning ever so elegantly toward the water.





surrounded
The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. ~ Nelson Henderson
Elsewhere, this gentleman sat himself beneath the shade of the trees so that he could enjoy the company and sweetness of ducks - and a couple of gulls.





beavermeade water edge
Plant trees. They give us two of the most crucial elements for our survival: oxygen and books.
~ Whitney Brown
Same park, different day and a little bit closer to the water and to nightfall.




into the sun

Trees indeed have hearts. ~ Henry David Thoreau
They say you're not supposed to shoot directly into the sun. But who are "they," anyway?





sunlit tree
Let's take our hearts for a walk in the woods and listen to the magic whispers of old trees. ~ Unknown
This photo is actually from five years ago. It resurfaced when I was looking for something else and I thought it would want to join all of the other trees in this post.





photographing a photographer5
Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky. ~ Kahlil Gibran
As the sun made its way ever closer to the horizon, the scene brought a photographer into view. Along with the trees, he made an interesting silhouette against the gold of Little Lake





bench at sundown
It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
So come and have a seat with me among the trees, and we can watch the sun go down. There will Be more photos to take tomorrow, and I'll share those with you another day.

28 comments:

Tabor said...

Your trees looks so much healthier than many of ours this year that are suffering from drought even after the rains left by the hurricane.

Anvilcloud said...

That causeway. I once had a stowaway mouse begin to crawl over me on that thing. I remember pulling onto the shoulder and wondering why I wasn't stopping. It was because my feet were in the air after the mouse hightailed it to the floor.

Marie Smith said...

Such beauty in nature and ours to enjoy! Trees have such character and you showed it beautifully. Great post.

sage said...

Lovely photos... speaking of leaning trees, I have a 120 foot pine leaning dangerously toward the road following Hurricane Matthew

DJan said...

Such a lovely, thoughtful post, Hilary. Thank you for all the beautiful trees to enjoy. I love it. :-)

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Amazing photos, Hilary. Favorites are the first one, the five-year-old one, and the silhouette of the photographer. Just gorgeous.

ellen abbott said...

so majestic and serene.

Red said...

So you get an idea for a theme and then go out and find fantastic photos. Awesome post.

William Kendall said...

Beautiful images, Hilary!

Karen said...

Peterborough certainly has a lot of beautiful trees. I think they call it the City of Trees don't they?

I loved the photo of the elderly gentleman with the ducks. My late father would spend hours sitting by the river feeding the ducks.Thank you for that memory.

Rita said...

Ah yes! I believe in the magic and whisper of trees. Beautiful post. :)

Out on the prairie said...

I sometimes try to guess age on trees. In later years I have turned into the older one with many.

messymimi said...

How i love making friends of trees!

Cloudia said...

I am restored! Thank You

TexWisGirl said...

it spun and spun and spun and i still only got 2 photos after several minutes. am trying the email subscr option.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Ahhh! A beautiful post indeed.I love the strength and grace of the trees. I like the one shot into the sun.'They' don't know what they're talking about.I often shoot into the sun.I like the effects.

The Furry Gnome said...

You caught some nice images there!

SandyCarlson said...

I love these images and your thoughts. I love trees. I grieve when they are cut down. We live in a condo complex in the country, and we face an ongoing battle to keep the trees that dare to drop their pine needs on others' cars. Thanks for this meditation on trees.

Rick Watson said...

I'm fascinated with trees too. Jilda and I visited the Redwood Forest several years ago and It was an incredible experience.
Your pictures are beautiful.

Jackie said...

You made "shooting into the sun" a beautiful capture....as only my friend Hilary can do.
You are an amazing photographer, and I enjoy the quotations that you use with your photographs. I sit here and wonder how long it takes(took) you to find the quotations. Do you have a file of them that you draw from, or do you search for them as you need them?
I love your work.
Truly, I do.
Hugs,
Jackie

Shammickite said...

I think trees enjoy being admired and honoured. They show us their beauty willingly. And they love it when we walk amongst them in the forest. But they hate it when we cut them down for no reason.

Daryl said...

lovely views ... i enjoy living cross from a park so i get to experience nature which includes all manner of critters ..bugs, birds, squirrels ...

Mage said...

Just exquisite. Thanks.

Lady Fi said...

How very idyllic and gorgeous!

A Cuban In London said...

Exceptional pictures. Thanks.

Greetings from London.

photowannabe said...

Thanks for the delightful walk among the Trees.
I would love to sit on that bench in the last photo.
The textures and 3D effect in the first one is spectacular.
You have such a wonderful eye, Hilary.

Kat said...

Gorgeous.
I just love trees. Love climbing them. Sitting under them. Walking through the trees. I love trees. I love being surrounded by trees.
Sounds silly but there seems to be such a wisdom in trees. Love them.
Beautiful photos!

Linda said...

Aren't trees wonderful subjects? I love the different textures, trunks and even faces. They pair so well with the sunlight at every time of day. I'd love to walk around your beautiful town taking pictures.