“I’m laughing at clouds so dark up above.” No offense to Gene Kelly, but that is not how this last day goes. Rain, rain, and more rain. I am fortunate. I bailed from walking an exposed ridge line in the Lake District because the rain and the cold made me leery that the rain might …
713. Trees
Richmond tree In Atlanta, we have six Oak trees, five Japanese “Red Cedar” Cryptomeria, a Gingko (the oldest living species at 200 million years), and a Dawn Redwood (also probably million years old). I’m not counting the seventy Japanese Maples from dwarf to mature twenty-five year olds. Maybe growing up with mature, stately street Elms …
712. How To Get to White Horse Farm Inn
Frank, Joy, Wolfgang Wolfgang doesn’t know. “If I tell you how to go to White Horse Farm Inn, I’d be lying.” “I’ve owned the Buck Inn for fifteen years, but I still don’t know much about the surrounding area.” The night before, I talk to two locals in the pub. “White Horse Farm Inn, for …
711. Parish Church Interiors
An English village without a parish church is inconceivable, unimaginable. It is as if small town Georgia had no Dominos or Subways or high school football stadiums more grand than county courthouses. Google informs me that there are 16,000 English churches, approximately 9,000 from the medieval period. Yikes! Entering a small church, my nose picks …
710. Sheep Thoughts
There are three sheep related facts that I know. First, I like socks and shirts made from Spanish originated Merino wool. Second, I know that in the late medieval and early modern periods, numerous English cities became wealthy centers of the wool trade. Third, I don’t know any children or family that have pet sheep. …
709. How Far Have the Stones Moved
Yesterday from Kirkby Stephen to Keld, a walk shaped by clouds and fog. The ubiquitous gray. Family room, bedroom, kitchen walls painted a gray going out of style. The gray as close as the end of my walking pole. Little to be seen. Wonderfully eerie. A gray day walking past the stones of Nine Standards. …
708. Vikings to Sheep Farmers
At 5AM, I look out my window onto Kirkby Stephen’s market square. The market has been around awhile, in 1361 a royal market charter was granted. I see a very early morning hiker already heading out of town.Yikes! I also see a Viking longboat in the middle of the square. Bread Shelf Loki Chained Late …
707. The Path in and through the Lake District
“No man steps in the same river twice.” Heraclitus “No person walks on the same path twice.” Lindquist One way to appreciate the Coast to Coast trail in the Lake District is through William Wordsworth’s classic metaphor in Guide to the Lake District. Place yourself in the center of the district, an area probably 35x45 …
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706. The Wordsworths and Grasmere
Specific individuals link to specific places. Since I was born in Springfield, Illinois, I live with images of Abe Lincoln. Tending store in nearby New Salem; living in the only home he owned on South Eighth Street; giving his sad farewell address to friends at the Western Train Depot. The Wordsworth are forever linked to …
705. “Ramblers for Rory” along the Way to Grasmere
Suzanna Cliff Christine The Borrowdale valley is beautiful in that representative English way. Stone walls. Stone bridges. Stone houses. Cold streams. Green pastures. Sheep centuries old. Lambs born yesterday. Seatoller, morning rain Today, I walk from Seatoller to Grasmere. Upon reaching the pass, I have to choose which route to follow. Once again, the High …
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Journeys: Explorations in Body, Mind, and Spirit 