An October Morning:

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Nothing is better than waking up early and jumping on my mountain bike. I wanted to  breath in the crisp autumn air as I witness the beautiful sunrise across the farm. I don’t do mornings very well so I was feeling especially good when I awoke to the  darkness just before the dawn. I got dressed and headed for the door. A hint of light was beginning to peak through. It was cool but not cold. My mind began to clear and my legs developed a smooth rhythm with my wheels as I peddled up the hill to catch a fabulous few of the pond. “I should do this more often” I thought to myself. I rounded the bend to head into the open field. Here I would catch the cool breeze in my hair and feel it on my face. Wait, something doesn’t feel right. My reliable Trek mountain bike began to slow and it became harder to peddle. Ut ohhh … no wait, it can’t be?! Yep.

I knew that I was never meant to be a morning person. I savored the fleeting moment as I began to slowly make my way back to the house. Maybe I’ll just go back to bed ……

Postponing Our Winter Hike

The count down was on! Four more days until we marched to Springer Mountain via FS Rd 42 to complete our remaining miles of the GA section of the Benton MacKaye Trail. We had originally planned to hike the last week of February.With some excellent weather, spring like days, and some time on our hands, we were struck by Cabin Fever! We moved the date up and planned to begin our little trek on Saturday, Feb 13th.

The days started to grow colder right after our decision was made. I began to watch the weather forecast for Dahlonega, GA and Blue Ridge, GA both are towns that we will be near while finishing out our hike. Yeah, the days were getting colder but still manageable by my standards. We all know the saying for weather here in the south “if you don’t like the weather just give it a minute.” Well, I gave it a little more than a minute and things have not gone the way of being in my favor.

After checking once again this afternoon, it appears that the overnight lows (and the daily highs) are progressively becoming colder. With the low of 11 degrees on Saturday night for Blue Ridge, GA, I caved. With a high being forecasted for the low to mid 30’s, I made an executive decision 😉 to postpone the trip. Though I was really excited about doing a winter hike along the Benton Mackay Trail, with temps in this range it didn’t seem like so much fun anymore.

So all of my, excitement, packing, planning, reading, and studying has suddenly ceased. Now I feel kinda depressed and at a loss as what to do with my time now. I guess that i will move along to the next project on my list. No lack of things to do here, just have to switch gears and point my compass in a new direction. I will get this hike scheduled again for the end of the month and cross my fingers that the weather will cooperate at least a little better. Until then …. Happy Trails!

What is seen and what is said

The New English Landscape

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Derelict barn, Dartford, Kent, 2007

In 1936 the writer James Agee and photographer Walker Evans were commissioned by Fortune magazine to produce an article on the lives of poor sharecroppers in the American South. The ethos of Roosevelt’s New Deal produced a whole series of collaborations between writers, photographers, artists, composers, choreographers and ethnologists, encouraged and funded to portray the lives of everyday American life in all its regions and cultures. The article eventually led to a book which was published in 1941, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, now regarded as one of the great books of the 20th century. In his introduction, Agee wrote quite specifically on the relationship between the words and the images: ‘The photographs are not illustrative. They, and the text, are coequal, mutually independent, fully collaborative.’

The subject of how writers and photographers work together is, not surprisingly, something which deeply interests…

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Glitter

The night slowly drifts by
All of the memories remain.
It’s moments like this … you know
Things will never be the same

Time rolls on,
Ships sail in, Life:
Sometimes you lose,
Sometimes you win

You learn to pick up the pieces
You hold your head high
You say farewell;
But never goodbye

You’re eyes are wide open
As a new dawn breaks
You look towards the future
You learn from mistakes

You only get one chance at this life:
One moment on the stage
Fill your story with music and laughter
Add glitter to EVERY page

Wendy Randall
Dec 7, 2014