I inhaled the special silence found only in nature. It swept around and through me like a friendly wind, breaking the world’s iron shackles. It brushed out the week’s grime and filled me with new energy to pursue the path before me.
I spent a semester in England in 2007. While there, I visited Scotland, Italy and France. Years later, I’d look back and those photos, dreaming of the day I could capture scenes like this again.
Then, I discovered the Hudson Valley in NY.
I don’t remember what led me to take the Metro-North to Poughkeepsie that first time. I do remember how irritated I was halfway through the trip when I realized I sat on the wrong side of the train. Metro-North’s Hudson line, as the name suggests, travels alongside the Hudson River. And, if you’re sitting on the right side of the train, you get some beautiful views.
Trips on the Metro-North usually last between 1-2 hours but it never feels like because I’d be staring out the window the entire time.
…
(This post has me looking over my old photos. Some are seriously over-edited.)
Fortunately, I can fix them in Lightroom.
…
Sometimes, I’ll hike a trail or visit some Hudson highlight. A few times, I’ll just find a place to write…
…and take some nice sunset shots.
I visited the West Point Foundry Prevere in Cold Spring over the weekend. Scattered across the trails are pieces of an abandoned ironworks.
Good inspiration for a horror story.
Hold on…
That’s better.
It’s also a relaxing place to walk. Some people can live in NY all their lives and thoroughly enjoy all the people and the noise. I’ve been here 10 years and I’m running to nature at every turn. Of course, I bring a journal with me to do some writing and world-building.
Maybe it’s the introvert in me. We get our energy from being on our own. Socializing drains us. Thank God for the Metro-North. Don’t want to think about how I’d be without regular trips to the Hudson Valley.
I started my “hiking” journal when I discovered The Walk Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie. To put it mildly, I took a 3-hour train to go on a long walk over a bridge for the pretty view. I wasn’t thinking about hiking books or even the proper gear. Didn’t need it. Then out of nowhere,…
Apparently, fall is hiking season. The trail was packed on Saturday. The weather’s not too hot or too cold and tress are all colorful. Certain areas gave you an otherworldly feel. It’s magical. This is photography season as well. YouTubers I’m following have started releasing videos with fall photo ideas and tips. https://youtu.be/7FiltAomhro I’ve also…
She used to hunt for silence like you would burried treasure. Now, the forest was quiet. The ruins no longer spoke to her. She thought she’d miss the voices. She didn’t. She missed the stories. …. Even before COVID, I avoided heavily trafficked trails. I hike because I want to be away from people….
You see the hashtag QuarantineLife or the memes that introverts and gamers have been preparing for this their whole lives. They make you laugh, nod your head in agreement. I’m still laughing at this video posted on Twitter. https://twitter.com/keatsdidit/status/1241499048453996545?s=20 Then, you walk outside and the streets are empty. An hour commute now takes 30 minutes…
Today was supposed to be the first time I voted in New York so, I was nervous but excited. I participated in the last 2 presidential elections but was registered in DC, which is not a state. Voting in NY is a whole different animal. Visiting the Board of Elections in the City of New…
I have a complicated relationship with black and white landscape photography. Nature has so many pretty colors. I get distracted by the colors and the scene that I sometimes forget about telling a story through my photos. Black and white landscape photos shouldn’t be an afterthought. Most times, I take a shot and decided if…
These are beautiful shots!