Trees, by Bliss Carman

A wonderful poem, because it is National Poetry month!

In the Garden of Eden, planted by God,
There were goodly trees in the springing sod,
Trees of beauty and height and grace,
To stand in splendor before His face.

Apple and hickory, Ash and pear,
Oak and beech and tulip rare,
The trembling aspen, the noble pine,
The sweeping elm by the river line;
Trees for the birds to build and sing,
And the lilac for joy in spring;

Trees to turn at the frosty call
And carpet the ground for their Lord's footfall;
Trees for fruitcake and fire and shade,
Trees for the cunning builder's trade;

Wood for the bow, the spear, and the flail,
The keel and the mast of the daring sail;
He made them of every grain and girth
For the use of man in the Garden of Earth.

Then lest the soul should not lift her eyes
From the gift of the Giver of Paradise, 
On the crown of a hill, for all to see,
God planted a scarlet maple tree.

Pink

Pink

Some people think
That I am a dink,
on a rink, wearing pink, 
with dirty dishes in the sink.

But in a blink
I could make a stink
and call them a fink
because that's what I think. 

As I wear my mink
Down on the rink,
neither of them 
the colour pink.

Maria Tuttle

The Gibson Trail

Hiking the Gibson Trail, 
on a cold, crisp, autumn day. 
Making the kind of memories 
that don't fade away.

Most leaves have fallen, 
others cling on tight.
Colours of nature,
shine through, 
brilliantly bright.

Reds and greys, 
Browns and blacks.
Healing berries, 
of the beautiful sumac.

Trees.
Showing their beauty,
Inside, and out.

Old memories, close to the Gibson Trail.

Remembering old memories.

Creating new memories.

Flowers on a log. 

Prettiest of them all!

A Cold, Crisp, Autumn Day

Hiking in Earl Row Provincial Park, in New Tecumseh.

Taking advantage, of the sun, and of the clouds. Enjoying God’s creation, on a cold, crisp, autumn day!

Hangin’ in the Forest

Hangin' in the forest,
it's where we love to be. 
With a couple of our favourite people, 
talking to the trees.

Flowers of the forest floor,
soon they won't be here anymore. 
They'll be covered with the winter snow,
awaiting springs warm, sunny glow.

A nice walk in the forest,
breathing the air of the trees.
Treading carefully over roots,
photographing bumblebees.

Paths of rocks.
Paths of roots.
Paths of trees,
with autumn leaves.
People from here.
People from there. 
The people are mine,
wherever they are.

On top of the beautiful hills of the Georgian Peaks Ski Resort,
overlooking the Bay's cool, blue waters.
I skied here a few times,
a long time ago. 
Twisted my ankle on a first run,
skied the rest of the day.
Walked with crutches,
the rest of the month.

National Forest Week

A tree, is so much more than just a 🌳 tree!

This week, September 19th through to September 25th, is National Forest Week.

This year’s theme is “Our Forests, Continually Giving. “

‘A beacon of renewal, resilience, and hope, for the future. ‘

The top photo demonstrates what our neighbouring Simcoe County forest looked like 40 years ago.

The bottom photo was taken today. It shows the changes that have taken place as the pine trees were harvested, and a deciduous forest allowed to prosper.

Simcoe County has been named the Forest Capitol of Canada, for 2022. For the second time.

Back in 1982, the County recieved the award for the first time.

Winter, in the forests of Simcoe County.

Simcoe County is being recognized for the role forests play in socio- economic, and environmental health. Plus it’s sustainable forest management practices.

A great way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Simcoe County Forests.

Cathedral Grove, MacMillan Provincial Park, BC.

On the way to Tofino, 800 year old trees, 80 feet high, in a bed of ferns and dripping with moss.

Mount Maxwell Provincial Park, Salt Spring Island. BC.

Old growth forests, planted forest, forests like our own little forest that has developed on it’s own. Gradually populating an acre of field with pines, spruce, maple, oaks, and any other tree that wants to call our little plot of land home.

Happy National Forest Week!

A forest, is so much more than just a forest!

Spelunking: Singhampton Lookout and Caves

Black and white
Shade and sun
Cold,cold rocks
And lots of fun!

An amazing trail of root paved paths, winding through the forest. A forest full, of rocks, of caves, and of crevasses.

White birch bark
Streams of sunshine
Texture and colour
Birds in rhyme.

The temperature change, deep in the caves and crevasses, was a welcome cooling, on a warm September day.

A wonderful, young couple helped us navigate our way through the maze of crevasses, and rock. They were in the early days of their relationship, and I enjoyed the privilege of taking their first ‘as a couple’ photos; other than the selfies that they themselves had taken.

Rays of sunshine 
Old,old rocks 
Good foot wear
and dry socks.

We met lots of wonderful people today. Most moving twice as fast as we were. But, we were twice as old as they were. So we called it even.

Dark green moss
Cool, dark rocks.
Well marked trails
No hand rails.

Through the trees,
Behind the leaves, 
Lies the beautiful Georgian Bay!

Sooke Potholes Provincial Park

Sooke River, a cool spot, for rest and relaxation, on a warm summer’s day.

We knew it was going to be a perfect day when we stopped by a little Cafe, and a chorus of Bye Bye Miss American Pie, broke out amongst the staff and patrons.

Sooke River, a series of deep, naturally carved and polished rock pools.

Glacial action carved a pathway into the natural bedrock. Huge boulders carried along by rushing waters, carved the infamous potholes of Sooke Potholes Provincial Park.

A narrow staircase was left behind by a developer who decided that a Provincial Park would be more beneficial than a resort.

A wonderful place for a picnic lunch, hiking, relaxation, and finding that perfect rock.

The Beauty of The Butchart Gardens

‘A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.’ Greek Proverb

In 1904, Jennie Butchart had the idea to beautify the worked-out limestone quarry which had supplied her husband, Robert Pim Butchart’s, nearby cement plant.

As we walked through the gardens, we reminisced about our flower beds back home. Reflecting on the plants gifted and traded for, from friends, and from relatives. I thought about all of the Soul Sister creations, and other pieces of art that adorn the gardens, pathways, and forest, of our little piece of Eden, a five hour flight away.

Each day
Requires us to receive 
Linger long 
Under waterfalls of grace
Get saturated,satiated. Author Unknown

Flowers are the music 
Of the ground
From earth's lips
Spoken without sound. Edwin Curran

Brown Bear,
Brown Bear,
What do you see?
Bill Martin Jr/Eric Carle

Advice From a Tree.
Stand tall and proud 
Sink your roots into the earth
Be content
With your natural beauty
Go out on a limb
Drink plenty of water
Remember your roots.
Enjoy the view.
Created by your true nature.com

Roses are red, my love
Violets are blue.
Sugar is sweet, my love
But not as sweet as you!
Bobby Vinton

A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it.
It just blooms.
Zen Shin

‘You must be absolutely honest and true in the depicting of a totem for meaning is attached to every line. You must be particular about detail and proportion. ‘ Emily Carr

Be silent my dear, and enjoy the scene
As we walk in this Japanese Garden serene.
The sun is shining in the afternoon sky,
And treeline bamboo catches the eye. Joyce Hensley

'I think that I shall never see, a poem, as lovely as a tree.' Kilmer 1913

A wonderful day on Vancover Island.

Wolves of the Haliburton Forest

A part of the wolf pack at Wolf Lodge, in the forests of beautiful Haliburton.

Housed in a 15 acre enclosure, these very photogenic wolves rested, and played, and lazily responded to the click of my camera.

I remember when, as a young girl, my father calling us to gather at the kitchen window. Together we stood, and watched, as a pack of wolves bounded across a field of hay.

My father referred to them as Timber Wolves. We witnessed wild life at it’s finest on that day. I, sadly, haven’t seen a wolf in the wild since that time.

Free to roam 15 acres of natural forest, we were very happy to find the wolves very close by.

The wolf pack that ran through our fields so many years ago, were viewed through the glass of an old kitchen window.

The wolves of Wolf Lodge were viewed through thick panes of glass.

We watched as this wonderful wolf gently encouraged the wolf cubs to move out of the sun, and into the shade of the enclosure’s beautiful trees.

Perfect picnics tables to close a back to nature kind of day!

Ending the day, with good food, and good company.