Autumn in New York is just as spectacular as a trip to Vermont this time of year. This is especially true when the Adirondacks are at peak. Even a little rain can’t dampen the spirits when leaf peeping. The two and a half hour ride north to Tupper Lake was spectacular.
After Tupper Lake we traveled to Fish Creek Camp Site in Saranac Lake area. It was a perfect day for kayaking. We had to wear a light jacket and it sprinkled a little yet it was perfect. The colors were an eye candy treat. There were two other kayakers who stopped their journey at a campsite around the corner from where we started and one lone kayaker out in a secluded section of the pond. It was quiet and very peaceful on this cool Autumn day.
Entering Fish Creek in Saranac Lake
A little eye candy while kayaking
To live in New York – not NYC – is a wonderful experience with all of the changing seasons. Sometimes it seems as if seasons change within the day. You may start out in the morning bundled and by mid afternoon be down to shirt sleeves, then throw on a rain coat, take off the rain coat to enjoy a beautiful sunset while wearing a jacket. Dress in layers and be grateful that you are alive enjoying such an experience.
There are a lot of tragedies occurring all over the world, even close by there was a tragic accident with twenty losing their lives in one useless car crash so if you are alive and well, be grateful. Take in the beauty of nature we are blessed with even if it is a weed growing up through a crack in the sidewalk. Everyone has a story and by remaining grateful and hopeful we can help raise the vibration of the world.
“A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” ~Henry David Thoreau ~
Take a seat at the edge of the water, release anything weighing on your mind, breathe in the fresh air and enjoy Mirror Lake. Some run by quickly, others drive by, and some go into their houses never to notice the beauty. On this bench one only has to sit and hear the call of the loons, look to the right and left to absorb the beauty of the mountains. When its time to get up you will feel like a new person.
Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, NY
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
~ Albert Einstein ~
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“Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed … We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in.” ~ Wallace Stegner, The Sound of Mountain Water ~
The first time I stood at the edge and looked out at the frozen lake I didn’t really notice the house. The house is built at the edge of the rock formation and made with stone to resemble the natural habitat. The occupants must have a wonderful view of the mountains and lake below. Across from the home a tree grows on a rock, almost in competition with the home as it shouts out, “Look at me.”
In winter the Preserve is quiet. The roar of the waterfall could be heard from quite a distance while hiking through the woods. Once you get a little closer your heart beats a little faster in anticipation of seeing the rushing waters. As you walk down the stream you will first reach the edge of the falls. The water is so powerful that you don’t want to get too close the edge.
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A trail that leads down the mountain to the bottom of the falls. The photos above are a mix of two visits. As you can see one is later in the year when the I’ve has thawed and the other is in the midst of the freezing weather. It was breathtaking.
This location is a perfect place to slow down and enjoy the winter weather. Sitting on a rock listening to the falls is a great place to meditate, get in touch with nature, and just allow your mind to quiet for a short period of time. Time seemed to stop for a while as we sat enjoying the sounds of nature.
We spent hours at the edge of the waterfalls capturing ice melting, green life poking through the snow, leaves caught in the rocks and other amazing gifts of nature.
“We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods ~
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Wishing you all a Terrific Tuesday. Take time to enjoy the little moments in life that diminish before your eyes. They will not return for a later day.
Spending time walking on the pier with my daughter and grandson (2.5 years) reminded me of when my daughter at the same age. We would walk together holding hands enjoying the day. At home she would follow me around the house singing “I’m watching you, watching you…” while we prepared meals together.
Those were cherished times – holding hands and cuddling were my favorite times of the day. My grandson didn’t want to cuddle as much on this visit so we shared special moments playing, enjoying nature walks, and watching Curious George. Yesterday before heading back to San Diego he wanted to repair the tire on our McDonald’s toy. I gave him a roll of tape and he worked on repairing the tire. It was adorable. While watching Curious George they would show George’s antics and then children would try to replicate the cartoon by drawing maps of their park and finding their way around, learning about pulls bringing items to the second floor of the porch, and repairing things. Tanner was absorbing everything the entire time he watched the movie.
Thankfully I knew during our visits as we explored nature, laughed and played that these were precious moments. Exploring with children can open your eyes to things you may have long forgotten to notice. Watching them absorb their environment, observe the adults actions and listen to stories is amazing.
For today, enjoy those you are spending time with, get out in nature, check out shadows, the sound of trees rustling in the breeze, water dripping, and all the wonders of life. You don’t have to travel to enjoy your day – there is beauty all around you.
This week’s theme is simple: share a photo of something fun! Let’s all shake our booties, literal or figurative.
This week I had the privilege of having some fun with my two year old grandson in San Diego. We went for a walk to Rite Aid so I could pick up a pair of flip flops and my grandson wanted an ice cream. Two year olds love colorful ice cream so we went with the Bubblegum flavor. San Diego is experiencing a heat wave which resulted in some melting ice cream as soon as we left the store. Two blocks later this was the little face under the cover of the carriage. Oh what fun Tanner had. Check out his nose:)
Later in the day we headed to the water park for some fun in the water and a picnic.
Tanner had fun running in the water while his mother and I had fun watching him experiencing running through the water. As he became a little more comfortable with the water fountains he climbed up and stood over the water flow. Pure joy and fun was had by all.
While watching Tanner, Channel 9 San Diego newsman stopped to ask me my thoughts on the heat. As I was in the moment, the heat was not really bothering me and coming from high 90s in upstate New York, the 80s in San Diego wasn’t bothering me. Not sure my response was the response they were looking for as they were discussing the heat wave across the country. Guess if you are in the midst of having fun at a water park you don’t really think about anything else.
There is a time and place for everything. Sometimes in the midst of having fun it is better to release thought about problems that you haven’t any control over anyway. Do you live in the moment? Or, is your mind always focused on what you have no control over?
It has been such a fun week visiting my daughter and her family. I look forward to more fun for the remainder of the week!!
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This morning I had the pleasure of waking at my son’s home to a light rain. I grabbed my camera and headed out the bedroom door into the woods and captured the beauty of nature.
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~ Marcus Aurelius ~
“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.” ~ J. B. Priestley ~
Thursday morning I also woke in the morning at my son’s home and after witnessing the morning light shining through the trees grabbed my camera and explored the paths behind his home. It is like awaking into a dream world here. Feeling blessed.
“The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us. Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.” ~ Henry David Thoreau ~
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden ~
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden ~
Wishing you the joy of adventure and enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures. Open you eyes to the beauty around you.
After a day of walking in the woods at my friend’s camp we were gifted with this beauty. This was the first time that I witnessed a damselfly eating. The cherry on top of this wonderful day!
If you open your eyes, you will see the beauty in the world!
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For this week’s challenge, take a moment to look up. Whether it’s the fan above your head at work, your bedroom ceiling, or the night sky, what do you see? Is it familiar? Or does it show you a new perspective on your surroundings? Looking forward to the peeks into your worlds!
Look up or you will miss some of life’s beautiful gifts. Bubbles floating into the air, tree canopies, vibrant reds in autumn, birds in flight or flying in circles protecting their large nest hiding in the tree.
When sitting in a traffic jam or driving down the road are you focusing on what you are going to do once you arrive? Or, are you living in the moment paying attention to what is before you? Do you ever look up and notice the rainbow after a storm? The moon looking down in the daytime or filling the night sky?
Traveling with my daughter
Sitting in traffic on my way home from work
Red moon
I am always amazed to learn when people have become oblivious to their surroundings. When living in California I was always amazed at all of the flowers. They were every where. When driving in Irvine, Costa Mesa, Laguna – flowers of all colors and sizes. Walking into my shared office I told my coworker how lucky she was to have grown up where flowers grow year round. She said, “What flowers?” I shared where I saw the flowers and couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed. The next day she came to the office and said that she had never noticed how many flowers there were. I bet she is still noticing those flowers years later. Sometimes, a visitor needs to refresh your senses to all the beauty and hidden treasures in your community. Tomorrow when you leave your house, pretend you are visiting the area for the first time. Maybe visit a local site that draws visitors or walk around your neighborhood as if for the first time. Then write down what you noticed that you had ignored or not noticed before. Walk slowly around you neighborhood with a baby or a dog. Both the baby and dog bring new things to your attention because they are living in the now and paying attention to everything in their environments. Have fun with this.
Have you ever noticed how often children look up to notice the world around them. My grandson was on guard while walking through the corn maze. My daughter held him as he looked up at the scary masked scarecrow. Once he noticed all the scary decorations hiding in the corn he was ready to leave. While sitting in the swing he would point up to show me the birds, leaves dancing in the breeze, and, most recently, sunsets. He loves to watch the sunset. My 9 month old grandson is always looking up because everything is above him. He loves to watch the fan spinning or the shadows dancing along the ceiling.
Looking up can be scary at times
We are looking for the bird in the tree
Looking up is all you can do
Beautiful rays of light filling the sky
Be childlike, look up. Notice the world around you and live in the moment. Pay attention to the shadows on the ceiling, the rays of light shining through the clouds, or the leaves dancing in the breeze. Enjoy the different phases of the moon and its varying sizes and colors throughout the year. Look for the hidden birds nests, look up when under the tree canopies, and discover other treasures hidden right in front of your eyes.
May tomorrow bring you more joy, fun, and inspiration. Do yourself a favor and notice the beauty in nature and in your home. Learn to live mindfully. Look up, down, to your right and left. Pay attention to the things children are looking at. Get down low and look up without judgement. Look for a new perspective on your surroundings and notice the miracles that exist in your world. Stop the constant mind chatter. Learn to live in the now because that is all we have, might as well add some playful living into your daily life.
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