Madison Church

Saturday is supposed to be Adventure Day but with everything on lock down, it’s hard to rustle up things to do. Even my favorite local trail system is closed because the tourists simply wouldn’t stop coming and the trails were too crowded to be safe.

So I got up early and headed to another state park with a nice bike path. It’s been crowded too but was nice and quiet early in the day. With my camera on the seat next to me I went in search of an old Baptist Church that’s been on my radar for a while. It’s on a country road, narrow and wooded. The church was established in 1870 and has a tidy cemetery.

There are some extremely old graves here as well as many new ones including my own cousin – an infant I never knew who died about a year before I was born.

It is one of the most peaceful places you’ll ever go. In fact, you hear nothing but birds and wind in the treetops. A plane went over at one point. Otherwise, it was completely silent so I lingered a bit, just soaking in the cool morning air and bird chatter. 

It wasn’t an exciting adventure but it was a satisfying morning, driving familiar roads and finding new places. This is probably the new normal at least until we make it through these hard times. Luckily I live in an area with lots of roads and things to see if you go looking.

How are you entertaining yourself these days?

 

Repetition

There are some places where I never tire of spending time. Lake Alma State Park falls into this category. My favorite feature here is is the nice bike path that stretches past the lake and into the nearby City of Wellston.

It’s reasonably peaceful most days and easily accessible for a quick walk after work.

I sometimes snap phone pictures here during my walks and the challenge is to find new ways to look at the familiar.

Like these boats.And the road.

Luckily, nature changes daily. The sky and the light are always different. Right now the trees are bare but starting to bud. In a couple of weeks they will look completely different.

Repetition may seem boring to others but I find it calming and even challenging at times. I like looking for new ways to see the familiar.

It’s a skill, I think, being able to look at something day in and day out but still see it from a fresh perspective. It’s a skill that can be applied to situations that require problem solving and to daily life just to prevent boredom.

Perhaps this is why I am never bored. There’s always something to see or learn about a subject – even when you think you’ve seen it all!

Blue Skies

The sky was such a clear, brilliant blue the other day that I had to pull over and grab a few pictures.

Like this great tree and barn.

And these shiny silos.

And this pretty church.

I have more pictures of the church so I’ll tell you more about it another day.

Blue skies and sunshine. They just make everything better.

My Window Onto The World

This was the view from my bedroom window at sunrise one recent morning. Fire in the sky is a nice morning surprise.