Sunday, September 9, 2007

Escaping from Noise

One thing I miss about this Central New York area is the beautiful outdoor hiking trails they offer. Now that I'm back for the semester, I decided that I needed to return to the woods to center myself. My good friend Megan and I went on a fun trip the other day to the upper part of Buttermilk Falls. It was really breathtaking and refreshing. We brought along her little puppy who really had some great adventures with herself.

One reason that I love hiking, the woods, and waterfalls is that they provide such a calming experience away from the noise associated with everyday life: cars, sirens, screaming, crosswalk beeping, etc. You really get a great chance to clear your mind and think, and you're not bothered by outside noise. Instead, you hear really cool noises of the outdoors, like running water, wind through the leaves, and sticks crunching under your shoes.

The atmosphere provides for great thinking and conversation. Megan and I really had a great chance to sit down and think outside the box at a beautiful clearing near the water. Everything does happen for a reason.

I am going to post an array of pictures from the experience. Feel free to comment on any picture or my above post on the calmness and thinking atmosphere of the woods. Where is your calming place?







Here's Megan and the puppy (adorable shot)











The swimming series (her first attempt at swimming!)













Check out the puppy posing for a portrait shot (minus the fact she was scared and partially crying/wimpering...)





Megan found a heart-shaped rock. She has a really good eye for finding really cool things...



Awesome shot of Megan--one of the best taken that day



This is the best picture though, by far. A good one to end on. This is what I love.