Tuesday, September 30, 2014



"not half a mile from the nearest road,
a spot so hard to reach that no one comes–
a hiding place, a shrine for dragonflies
and nesting jays, a sign that there is still
one piece of property that won't be owned."


from Rough Country

by Dana Gioia 

I have been out of touch for some time. a lost internet connection
some work travel etc. I had hoped to share some photos of our big
Sept. snowstorm but they seem to be misplaced somewhere on the 
computer. So I  will start offering some thoughts and photos from 
our trip to  the cabin in Mid August. A trip across the prairie took 
use past some old farm buildings and a beautiful slough. 














When we finally left the grid road it was a steamy 30 plus Celsius and a
moose came out of the tiny slough next to our lane. 




"A moose has come out of
the impenetrable wood
and stands there, looms, rather,
in the middle of the road.
It approaches; it sniffs at
the bus's hot hood.


Towering, antlerless,
high as a church,
homely as a house
(or, safe as houses).
A man's voice assures us
"Perfectly harmless. . . ."


Some of the passengers
exclaim in whispers,
childishly, softly,
"Sure are big creatures."
"It's awful plain."
"Look! It's a she!"


Taking her time,
she looks the bus over,
grand, otherworldly.
Why, why do we feel
(we all feel) this sweet
sensation of joy?


"Curious creatures,"
says our quiet driver,
rolling his r's.
"Look at that, would you."
Then he shifts gears.
For a moment longer,


by craning backward,
the moose can be seen
on the moonlit macadam;
then there's a dim
smell of moose, an acrid
smell of gasoline. "


from The Moose


Elizabeth Bishop

4 comments:

Kathie Brown said...

I was wondering where you went! Welcome back! Love the old barn! Are those Blue-winged teals flying in the photo of the ducks? Is that an Eastern Kingbird where you live? Amazing!

WildBill said...

Good post! The most treasured places I hold in my heart are all little, if at all, traveled or known to others. Some are only a one half a mile off the road (as in the words you quote here), and the others may be in remote regions of Maine or Quebec. the importance of this all is to recognize those places less popular and more beautiful!

Guy said...

Hi Kathie

Thanks I have been out of touch for a while. You are right on both counts. We saw lots of Blue-winged teal this trip they were the most common ducks we saw. We often see the Eastern Kingbirds here they actually nested in our yard once before the neighbour's cat got them

Thanks for visiting
Guy

Guy said...

Hi Bill

I do enjoy the small marginal places, often people have no idea what manages to survive, what beauty can still be found just out of sight of the road. IWe are off to spend a few days in the bald ass prairie with a friend that is a biologist and I am looking forward to what we can discover just tucked away from the highway, the last time he showed us some dinosaur bones eroding out of a bank that are now in a museum lab. The world is indeed full of wonders if you look and see.

Regards
Guy