Words from the Woods – Autumn Arrives

Friday, September 11, 2015

Autumn has arrived here in Catoctin Mountain Park.  Yesterday’s rains have cooled the forest down and that might have been the topic of conversation as the Pileated Woodpeckers got going this morning.

Last evening’s program at the Thurmont Regional Library found twelve of us on the wonderful outdoor terrace discussing and working on nature journals.  The terrace is built over a wetlands and includes interpretative signs about wetland habitats.  It made a perfect setting for reflecting in words and sketches. Thank you to Erin Dingle, Branch Administrator, for helping set this evening up. This is the second of four programs I will do as part of my Artist-in-Residence experience.  

After yogurt and granola breakfast, I taped a sign up on the log wall to show the maintenance person where the water came in yesterday, then drove down the mountain to the library to post my blog.  I find that I don’t like coming down to town and leaving the serenity and beauty of Cabin 16 and surroundings, but can only get phone and internet here, so need to make the drive.

Later, back at Cabin 16, I made more journals for the weekend programs.  I will add a photo of one of these when I post next.  I will provide these for each journaling session.

It is a beautiful day to work plein air!  I did more work on my altered book journal, writing and embellishing pages.  The next step will be to sew the signatures (pages) into the binding.

As I work outside, I have my stack of identification guides close by – birds, insects, trees – to name a few.  While here, I am trying to identify and record each living thing that I observe.  For me, this enhances the experience. Each day as I do this, I realize (and appreciate) the intricate processes and cycles that are going on and what a small part of the big picture I am out here. This space becomes more special each day.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”      – Lao Tzu