Surroundings

Earlier this week I finished Henry David Thoreau's Walden. I wish I could praise it's magnificence, but it was a bit sleepy. I do love nature writing though, and was attracted to Thoreau's classic in the hope to think deeper about the natural world in relation to writing. The two seem to support one another so well.

Tonight's sky, Plymouth, New Hampshire

I've been thinking recently about our land before European settlers arrived and how Native Americans might have lived, co-existing with the earth in its darkness and light, harvests and droughts. I don't think many of us will ever know the experience of living in a purely natural world. I don't see how we can understand it, even our time spent in the wilderness comes supported by machine-made warmth and the modern conveniences accessible to all. I wouldn't trade any of these comforts but it's challenging and fascinating to imagine that so many lived successfully without them.

Over the weekend, I hiked to an elevated lake in the woods with my Dad. I somehow missed photographing the extraordinary lake, but captured this sweet chimney and hearth about a hundred meters from the lake.

Towards the end of the hike, as we were discussion technology, I looked to the right and saw this owl. He/She was so closely camouflaged to the tree and was an extraordinary sight.  I had never seen an owl in the wild before and both the bird and scene were calm and beautiful. We stared intently for a minute or two until the bird flew away. In the time that followed, the discussion about technology couldn't have felt any more meaningless.