Wintery Guana Loop Trail

It is winter in Florida with strong winds, gray skies, rain and lots of migrating birds.  Took a hike on the Guana Loop Trail and Marshview Lane at the GTM National Estuarine Reserve.  Even though it rain heavily the day before, the trail was dry and cold enough to keep the snakes hibernating.

Whispering In the Clouds

 

This morning I could hear the whispering of the rushing wind as it moved the clouds and rolled in the waters against the shore...

"To Find the Air and the Water"

"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring -- these are some of the rewards of the simple life."
John Burroughs

John Burroughs was an American naturalist and nature essayist, active in the U.S. conservation movement. The first of his essay collections was Wake-Robin in 1871.

"With Beauty before Me, May I Walk"

Beauty from a walk, simple and serene, a restful mindful beauty.

"With beauty before me, may I walk
With beauty behind me, may I walk
With beauty above me, may I walk
With beauty below me, may I walk
Wandering on the trail of beauty, may I walk"

Navajo:  Walking Meditation

Strolling the Paths of Washington Oaks

Journal of Beach Walks - Janaury

 

This is a motivational walking journal to keep me up and out to continue these walks.  When it is cold and wintery in Florida (Yes, it does get cold with the wind chill factor!)  I want to stay indoors with a coffee mug or cup of hot tea. 

St. Augustine Lighthouse "Christmas"

 

 

Over the weekend, we toured the St. Augustine Lighthouse with friends from Bad Axe, Michigan.  The lighthouse has a lovely Christmas Tree at the beginning of the stair case leading to the top.  Our lighthouse is ranked as one of the ten most beautiful lighthouses in the world.  That is impressive!

 



January Sea Breeze

Why I love living in St. Augustine.  Beautiful Anastasia Beach that has been preserve as a park.  No crowd, no cars, all natural Florida.

Raquette River "An Unchanged Eden"

These photos were taken in October at the peak of the fall foliage.  Beautiful orange and golden trees along the river banks.  The Raquette River is the second longest river in New York State.  Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem "The Adirondacs" is about his explorations in 1858.  He made the journey with several prominent men of the time including painter William James Stillman and the group became known as the Philosophers Camp.

 

 

"The Philosophers' Camp" painting by William James Stillman, at Follensby Pond, 1858, a momentary natural center of the Transcendentalist movement, w/ poets Ralph Waldo Emerson and James Russell Lowell, and scientist Louis Agassiz. 

The Adirondacs

DEDICATED TO MY FELLOW TRAVELLERS IN AUGUST, 1858

Wise and polite,--and if I drew
Their several portraits, you would own
Chaucer had no such worthy crew,
Nor Boccace in Decameron.

We crossed Champlain to Keeseville with our friends,
Thence, in strong country carts, rode up the forks
Of the Ausable stream, intent to reach
The Adirondac lakes. At Martin's Beach
We chose our boats; each man a boat and guide,--
Ten men, ten guides, our company all told.

Seaway Trail - Shoreline of St. Lawrence River to Messena, New York

Massena is located on the northern Canadian border of St. Lawrence County, New York.  The town is named after one of Napoleon's field marshals, Andre Massena. The Seaway Trail scenic drive begins in Massena, New York.  The gallery above are pictures taken along the shoreline of the St. Lawrence River outside of Messena.