Snow at the Peaks

We had read online that there was four inches of snow up on the mountain. We didn’t have any snow in Altavista Thursday morning as we started west toward the Peaks of Otter, but as the road started to climb in Bedford County, we began to see patches of snow. And we could see snow on Sharp Top Mountain in the distance.

By the time we got to the Peaks of Otter Lodge, it was clear that for the second year in a row, we were going to have Thanksgiving dinner in a snow-covered natural setting.

You probably know by now that Larry and I love snow. When we visited Mountain Lake in Giles County last Thanksgiving, we were thrilled to find snow.

This year, the forecast for snow caused us a little concern because if it got too heavy, the Park Service would close the Blue Ridge Parkway, and dinner would be canceled.

We made it safely to the lodge, though, and enjoyed a beautiful buffet of roasted turkey, cornbread and apple stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and so many other meats and side dishes.

It seems that now Larry and I have started a tradition: we must eat Thanksgiving dinner where there’s snow.

 Once we parked the truck, I got out my camera and started taking photos. We slowly walked to the lodge as I stopped again and again to try to capture the beauty around us.

This is the first photo I took of Sharp Top.

  

When we turned back around a few minutes later, clouds were rolling in.

 There seemed to be at least four inches of snow resting on the ground around the guest lodgings.

  

This is a view of Abbott Lake behind the lodge.

  

These red buds were a pretty contrast to the brown of the weeds and the white snow.

 Snow on trees—one of the loveliest ways snow decorates nature.

  

Another view of Sharp Top.

More views of the lake.

They already had their Christmas decorations up. A large tree stood in the lobby.

  

I especially liked these decorations because of the bears included.

Our table had a good view of the lake. A small tabletop tree stood beside the table. I took this photo with my phone against the light, so it's not a great shot. But I liked the rustic decorations.

Once we sat down to eat, facing the lake, the sun broke through the clouds and shined directly into Larry’s eyes. So we quickly adjusted our seating at the table. You never know when nature will change.

No, I didn’t get any photos of the food. But it was delicious. And I ate a lot. The first thing I did when I got home was to change into sweatpants. My nice dress slacks seemed to have gotten tighter just since that morning. Wonder what caused that?

A snowy day in spring

March 25, 2014, side yard outside our house

The weather forecasters were calling for an inch or less in Central/Southside Virginia areas on Tuesday. We got more.

So here’s a look at probably the last snow here (but who knows?) until next winter.

March 25, 2014, trees on our street

You can tell I like the look of snow on trees. My camera lens just pulls my eye in their direction.

March 25, 2014, front yard of our house

March 25, 2014, tree on Main Street, Altavista

You know how I love snow. But we’ve had a lot of warm days lately, and it is almost April. So while I enjoyed walking in the snow Tuesday, it’s OK with me if it’s the last of the season.

As we welcome spring, let’s look back one more time. What was the most fun thing you did this past winter?

Counting blessings on a walk

Thanksgiving is this week in the U.S., and I find it’s a good time to remember the blessings I have.

I try to count my blessings every night before I go to sleep, but I think it’s good for me—perhaps for all of us—to take the time to really think about what we’re thankful for.

I am chiefly thankful for Larry and my family, which includes our Chase Bird.

Today’s post focuses on blessings that I thought about as I walked around my yard on Sunday, enjoying the sunshine and taking photos of things that caught my eye.

It was a cold day, only getting into the 30s, with a breeze blowing. Before going out, I put on a coat and a knit cap and slipped on my gloves.

I was thankful that I had warm outerwear to put on to protect me from the elements. I was thankful for the gloves that Larry gave me a year or two ago.

They keep my hands warm, but if I have to take photos, the mitten-like top folds back and my fingers are free.

I was thankful that we had such beautiful trees in our yard and that their shapes were fully visible to admire and photograph.

I was thankful for Larry’s hard work in getting up the many leaves that fall from those trees. This is one batch down by the street, waiting for pickup by the town. Such town services are another thing to be thankful for.

I was thankful that I found a few acorns. There aren’t many this year, but I hope the squirrels and deer are able to find the ones that are there.

I also found half a nut in the yard with the insides gone. Larry thought it was a hickory nut. I hope it fed an animal a good meal.

I was thankful for the blue sky behind the trees. Fall is a time with so much less humidity than during the summer, and I love seeing the true blue of the sky.

I was thankful that I had the ability to walk around. I was thankful that I had a camera to capture some of the beauty. And I was thankful that I had a warm home to return to.

When you go for a walk, what blessings do you see?

Randoms and the changing of the season

It’s Friday, so it’s time for another Random 5 Friday, a fun meme started by Nancy at A Rural Journal.

One

Fall seems to be rapidly turning into winter. The trees are almost bare here, though there are still a few leaves hanging on.

I am fascinated with the shapes of trees underneath the leaves that cover them during much of the year. I enjoy the stark look and the clear silhouettes of the smaller branches against the sky.

A tree in our neighborhood that I admire.

Two

Is it my imagination or do the fall-into-winter sunsets seem to happen more quickly than sunsets during the summer?

It seems like there is a small window of time to enjoy the pretty show of colors. Maybe this will help me appreciate them all the more.

Sunset photo taken from the car as we drove to Roanoke this week

Three

Another sign of the changing season: Christmas lights! Larry and I drove through a dark, rural area one evening this week, and I was surprised at the number of houses that were decorated for Christmas.

It’s still a little early for me to want to decorate for Christmas, but seeing those lights brighten the darkness was nice.

Four

I am steadily getting ready for my freelance editing work. I’m moving towards officially starting after the first of the year. I’ll share more details as I get things in place. I’m so excited!

Five

Though I haven’t yet done any Christmas shopping, I have managed to get Larry to suggest a couple of things he’d like as a gift. That’s an accomplishment. Usually it’s difficult for me to pull any such information out of him. He says I don’t need to give him anything.

Christmas is not about exchanging gifts. But opening up some special gifts on Christmas morning is a ritual that I look forward to.

We sit together by the tree, with Christmas music playing on the stereo. And there’s usually a cat around waiting impatiently for an empty box to become available.

Christmas 2007. Thunder Cat watches as Sam settles into a gift box. Both cats have since gone over the Rainbow Bridge, but we think of them everyday.

Leaves and light

I have enjoyed trees so much this fall.

The leaves on the trees. The shape of the branches as they empty themselves of this year’s leaves.

But mostly I’ve enjoyed the way the colorful leaves reflect the light. Even brown or rust-colored leaves take on a glow when the sunshine hits them a certain way.

One of the things I’ve learned as I live with depression is to enjoy the beauty in life. To notice even the small things that can give so much joy—if we just take a moment to see them, not just glance over them.

Carrying around a camera--or thinking about taking pictures--is one of the best ways I've found to help me pay attention. 

I’ve been looking at trees all my life. I’m living through my 51^st autumn. But the older I get, the more I realize that a big part of contentment is enjoying the moment, savoring the beauty, and being grateful for it all.

It’s part of my therapy.

What bit of beauty have you enjoyed lately?

Leaves falling: Random 5 Friday

Happy November, everyone! I’m starting the month by joining Nancy of A Rural Journal for another week of Random 5 Friday.

One

The leaves seemed to have changed overnight in Central Virginia. Where there was still so much green last week, golds and reds color the trees and the ground underneath. It finally looks like fall around here.

A tree in our neighbor's yard.

The view down our driveway.

The trees across the street from our house.

Two

Larry did the first leaf work this week, blowing the leaves to the curb for pickup by the town. It was the first of many such chores. We have a large yard and many trees, so we have many leaves in the fall. They would smother the grass if we left them.

Trees waiting for pickup.

Three

This week I read about a study that suggests there are health benefits from keeping busy with lawn mowing, home projects, housework and the like.

Four

I also read about a study that suggests being sedentary too much can be harmful to your health. It got me thinking.

I tend to sit a lot on the job. I also sit for too long at one time. When I get up, I can barely walk at first because of stiffness in my legs and back.

So this week I experimented with setting the timer on my iPhone to remind me to get up and walk around every 45 minutes or so.

I find that I get so caught up in what I’m doing—writing, researching, talking on the phone—that I forget to get up. So here’s hoping a little electronic reminder will help.

Five

The sound I’ve chosen for the timer to go off is a Zen-like, soothing sound. My ringtone is similar. Larry’s ringtone? He picked one he said he could easily hear: the opening bars of “Bad to the Bone.”

The occasional Saturday photo: The tree

“Why are there trees I never walk under but large and melodious thoughts descend upon me?” Walt Whitman

“There are rich counsels in the trees.” Herbert P. Horne

“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” Mahatma Gandhi

I love trees. What is your favorite part of the natural world?