“New Year’s Day. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand. Only dreams give birth to change.”
-Sarah Ban Breathnach
The sun coming up over the hill behind my house on a beautiful New Year’s Day.
And so it’s here, the night of nights,
Our friends are so festive and hope knows no heights.
But as the clock strikes twelve, tick tock is the tune,
After a long night of revelry you’ll probably sleep until noon.
But when you wake up and your head feels like lead,
Just give it a rest and go back to bed.
But sooner or later the day has to start,
The routine is clear, you know it by heart.
So what did you learn, with your head kind of hazy,
That drinking too much is just too damn crazy?
So the new year has started and you have much to resolve,
People to see and problems to solve.
So take the day slow you have a whole year ahead,
To shake off the cobwebs and get out of bed!
“Days of high temperature are almost disposable. Time gets pureed in the swelter of it all. Cold-weather hours drags, days and nights become small epics. I welcome the bleakness!”
~Henry Rollins
“While I relish our warm months, winter forms our character and brings out our best.”
-Tom Allen
“Winter is not a season, it’s a celebration.”
-Anamika Mishra
The last hike of 2016!!!! Since it was already 2:30 by the time I got to the trailhead, I decided to go ahead and do the quick loop in Fahnestock State Park.The loop ensured that I would get a good work out and more importantly, that I would be out of the woods before it got dark.
As soon as I came down off of Route 301, the sound of cars passing quickly disappeared and I was quickly embraced by the silence of the woods. I was lucky enough to be alone in my endeavor and I relished every minute I was out there. The sound of my hiking poles mixed with the crunch of the ice under my boots made for an interesting soundtrack as I made my way through the woods.
Although it was cold and the wind was blowing, the solitude was bliss!
Enjoy the photos!!!
Happy New Year and Happy Hiking in 2017!
“Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.”
-Robert Frank
“To see in color is a delight for the eye but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul.”
-Andri Cauldwell
“Color is descriptive. Black and white is interpretive.”
-Elliot Erwitt
Rushing into the house just a few minutes ago after walking our elderly neighbors dogs, my daughter exclaimed, “Dad, quick, you have to get a picture of the sunset.” Walking to the front door, I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the sunset that I saw before me. Most people think of sunrises as being a period of renewal, but after a morning of snow that turned to a drenching rain that lasted more than seven hours, the sunset today was amazing and a great way to end the day. To me, a period of renewal.
Waiting for the end,
When hope is still alive and
Our future seems so
Bright, Another year is done,
Renewal is the answer
That time of year is here again, in just a couple of days,
When resolutions will define us, our minds are set ablaze.
But why do wait we to change, to make new amends,
When we have the entire prior year, I guess it all depends.
Lose some weight, be a little nicer, these are things to strive for,
But why doesn’t it ever last, despite the steady roar.
So here we are, and in this time of renewal,
All I really ask for, is just a little time, to think and to refuel.
So I hope that when I wake up, in oh so many days,
I’m still on a steady course, to mend and change my ways.
Whispers in the dark tell a story of
Hidden thoughts cascading over silent screams.
Silent screams that mask the torment of cerebral chaos,
Chaos that teases reality.
Teetering on the razors edge, where is the sunrise?
Being lost they say,
Sand slips through empty fingers,
Recalling scenes of
Where we were and where we are,
Found in the grains of today
The Zen Hiker 