Of Nature's Works

A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable.  ~William Wordsworth

Footsteps

Yon ledge of rocks, 

Like a wild staircase over Hardknots brow, 

Is ready for my footsteps and even now,

Wastwater blackens far beneath my feet, 

Sh, the storm-loving lake. - Christopher North

If there is not struggle, there is no progress

Winding between the Cumbria fells the Kirkstone Pass, locally referred to as “The Struggle”, rises steeply from the valley floor connecting Ambleside’s Roth Valley to the Ullwater Valley.   Pausing several nights just over the crest at the Kirkstone Pass Inn (highest inn in Cumbria and in service since 1496), a backpackers paradise, I spent my days roaming the majestic hills and evenings among a myriad of evermore kindred spirits.

"Who comes not hither ne'er shall know

How beautiful the world below;

Nor can he guess how lightly leaps

The brook adown the rocky steeps."  - Willam Wordsworth

The descent...

Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits...

 

Like all good bunnies...they multiply...Hill Top Farm Near Sawrey

 

"I was a child then, I had no idea what the world would be like. I wished to trust myself on the waters and the sea. Everything was romantic in my imagination. The woods were peopled by the mysterious good folk. The Lords and Ladies of the last century walked with me along the overgrown paths, and picked the old fashioned flowers among the box and rose hedges of the garden." — Beatrix Potter

 

"There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know were they'll take you."  — Beatrix Potter 

Ambleside - Where Dreams Transend

'From Wansfell you look down upon the richly watered garden of the land...a glorious region of which I have only seen the similitude in dreams, walking or sleeping.'
~Charlotte Bronte (Ambleside, 1850)

A treasure of a quote I have carried for many years guided me in this direction.  Completely poignant and true. Such a place really does exist where inspiration through the centuries has produced magnificent masterpieces.

To move freely you must be deeply rooted.

When I was younger I would listen intently when relatives would tell stories of our family from yesteryear and “the old country”.   These tales are family heirlooms held close to my heart and I try to share them with nieces and nephews to assure their life will carry on.  This past weekend, in an impromptu set of circumstances, I now have my own tale to contribute to our lineage as two families separated by a century and ocean were reunited.  

Earlier this year my father was contacted by a distant relative living in Atlanta, researching his ancestry.  A newspaper article had been written about a recent performance my father had given and through an online search he was found.  It turns out the connection was not too far off since my father had fond memories of his grandparents.  A special bond immediately forged and they were off sharing stories.  

When it was shared that I would be traveling to the UK he produced a list of names and addresses of relatives in the UK  his parents had kept in touch with through the generations.  I considered my travel route and selected the family living closes to my great grandfather’s birthplace, Hereford, to contact.   I imagined a polite, quick conversation and maybe a quick greeting followed by a swift nod farewell.  I could not have been farther off the mark.  

Arriving in a small village just outside Stradford-on-Avon, I was greeted by a gracious loving couple who opened their home and hospitality to a perfect stranger that happened to share their name.  The love and kindness so generously given was humbling and definitely a precious moment that will be forevermore cherished.   

My great grandfather and his grandfather were brothers.  Just prior to the turn of the century my great grandfather and several other brothers immigrated to the United States eventually setting roots in Cleveland, Ohio.  None of the brothers ever returned to the UK.   Being the eldest son of the family in the UK he was given the family bible and a generous series of correspondence passed down over the years.  To see the carefully hand scribed birth of brothers together in a bible and to be handed photographs from a stranger that includes both my great grandfather & grandmother, grandfather as a boy (approx. 1912-14) and aunts is an exhilarating experience.   

In the time spent with them we not only shared our family tie, but I experienced their garden allotment and was beautifully guided on a tour deeply rooted in Elizabethan and Shakespearean history.

I can confidently say I come from the salt of the earth, deeply rooted in love and kindness.

 

 

 

Eventually, all things merge into one...

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.”

~Norman McLean

Simon, my heart is filled with such gratitude for your beautiful incite in creating a perfect day to showcase your home. Here's to another 18 years of love and friendship.     

I'd better make hay while the sun shines.

I am incapable of passing a bookstore without going in, and rarely leave empty handed. The smell and feel of a good book send shivers of delight down my spine. Seems in Hay-on-Wye I found my Mecca; the town with more second-hand bookstores than anything else.   

The town lies on the east bank of the River Wye and is within the Brecon Beacons National Park, just north of the Black Mountains.  The town is situated just within the Welsh side of the border with Hereford, England (birthplace of my great grandfather), Hay-on-Wye is a small Welsh town considered the world’s first official “book town”.  

Sounding something out of a fairytale where the streets are paved with novels and the residents speak in literary quotations I spent the good part of three days wandering around in a book-blind daze, meandering through the quaint small streets and surrounding countryside.  Magnificently Majestic!

Glorious Magical Coast

North Cornwall's historic castle on the cliffs, Tintagel, has a magical tale of being the birthplace of King Arthur.   Whatever the truth of King Arthur and the ruins of Tintagel Castle, the glorious coastal scenery is certainly the stuff of legends. 

To conclude my journey of Cornwall I perched myself high upon the farthest tip of the cliffs to watch the Atlantic breakers crash against the rocky shore.  Solitude surrounding me, as the throng descended the cliffs seeking cover from the wind and rain.  I find a majestic place dripping in myth, dreams and inspiration as hours pass me by watching the water entwine the rocks carving out this wondrous precipice as it has for centuries. 

Stillness has a purpose, and we have to be still before we can grow.  To sit with nothing to accomplish but to notice what’s around me and what’s within.  A magical excursion finale in a legendary corner of England.   

Onward to old friends…Wales awaits...till then...peace

The comings and goings of me...notes from my travels

Hello All, rather than checking in individually over the next several weeks, I plan to try and post a few highlights along my journey.    I will post on my new blog when the mood strikes or like today I have a quiet morning.

Most of you know my wish to actually check-out for awhile as I step forward on a new path. So far my travel companion, my inner child, has a beautiful adventurous imagination and has taken us on a magical ride off the beaten path a time or two already.  I can’t wait to see what she has planned for today.   

Best wishes to you all and that you have abundant smiles & laughter in your day.  

Love to you all   

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Having recently dusted off my little brain and feeling my creative cogs were beginning to turn again, I wanted a project that would inspire me to look for the beauty that can be found in everything, or the simple pleasures that could make life shine.  A place that keeps me on my toes, taking me to new places with new inspiration.  I’ve found that I wake up fresh each day with more creativity, zest and motivation than ever before, sparking a deep happiness in life.   Living in the moment, appreciating the simple things, and being so thankful for life are all things I strive for.  They really are what make life worth living .  Writing about things that make me smile always seems to ground me when I lose that balance and somehow brings me back to center. 

 My life is far from perfect.  There are struggles in each day and things that are beyond my control .  But I choose not to focus on them, and by doing so they tend to just flow through me like air.   I take them in, as I would anything, and let them out just as easily.   

I’ve traveled down a most interesting path over the past several years, a path that has shown me how to “slow down” time, capture a moment to appreciate my surroundings and the journey I’m taking through life.    So now with an inspired mind, geared for creativity, I want to write about and share the journey in this simple space where I hope to pay tribute to the little things in life that bring  joy. 

As I sit here waiting for the next leg of long awaited adventure I write this...I wonder...hmmm...what magic will tomorrow bring. 

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” – Mary Lou Cook

One and Only

Half a century ago my parents said “I do”. A pair who have triumphed over time, over challenges, over all,and continue to bond, serve and love. You two are role models for everyone who believes in eternal love,for those who trust that there really is a "one and only."

Happy Fiftieth Anniversary Mom and Dad! May your love continue to be a golden beacon for the rest of us. CELEBRATE & CONGRATULATIONS!

Get Lost

In today’s world, no one gets lost anymore.  We type in our destination on our GPS and get step-by-step directions to where we want to go.   Many of us also have a mental map, a personal GPS as it were, telling us where we want to go in our life.  It’s great to have an idea of where you want to go and how to get there, but you can gain even more when you veer off your map.   Something unexpected, a failure perhaps, pushes you off your map and becomes the catalyst the leads you to a more exciting, challenging life path. 

Imagine if you never jumped off that path, the adventures you would miss.  The missed joy of finding a new path.  I’ve found, through a million mistakes, in life the best possibilities are often those that come when you wander.   Embrace the opportunity to get lost, to turn back, or to turn in a new direction.  Explore, try something new, and take chances. 

So today I give myself the freedom to “get lost”.  I will launch forward into the world with my own personal trajectory to experience the endless possibilities.  I will close my eyes and jump all the while enjoying the free fall.  Experience, Dream, Risk..Wend One's Way...

 

 “You can only understand life backwards, but we must live it forwards.”  ~Kierkegaard