May 26, 2008

This Is Why…

…I haven’t posted anything new in several days.New York ForestI’ve been the house guest of my oldest and most beloved friends and their awesome (and I mean awesome!) family in a heavily wooded town about fifty miles outside New York City since last Monday.

I’ve taken to awakening with the dawn here, and what you see in the above photo is the view from the patio at 6:30 a.m. or thereabouts. Uninterrupted miles of dense forest filled with just about every kind of critter imaginable.

It’s great, sitting on the patio early in the morning, staring off into the woods and listening to a hundred different kinds of birds calling out, the occasional caw of a crow, the staccato ministrations of a woodpecker on a dead tree.

That said, I find it somewhat difficult to devote any attention to the quagmire of modern political issues just now. However, as all good things come to an end, I’ll be returning to Manhattan tomorrow, and after reaclimatizing myself to the city and the unending swirl of daily life, well…

by @ 5:09 am. Filed under America The Beautiful
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20 Responses to “This Is Why…”

  1. BB-Idaho Says:

    Looks like the Hudson valley.

  2. Shoprat Says:

    I too have been away from blogging. Part good reasons and part laziness. I need to change that.

  3. Seth Says:

    BB –

    It is the Hudson Valley, specifically Putnam County.

    Shoprat –

    I feel the same way, I’d like to blog more than I have been of late and hope to begin doing so. Sometimes, though, for one reason or another, we can all use a break.

    The past week has been a great break for me, far away from any concerns of any kind, surrounded by woods and superb company. I even got to watch my friends’ son and his hockey team clean another team’s clock 8-0. :-)

  4. wordsmith Says:

    Sounds like you’re having a great time!

    Stay safe this Memorial Day weekend.

  5. Seth Says:

    Wordsmith –

    The best time I’ve had in a long time.

    Thanks, and you, too have a safe one.

  6. Ken Taylor Says:

    Seth, please give directions so that I may come and join you ! What a view and what relaxation! I can almost feel the breath of air that one feels when they find that moment that allows one to get away from life and enjoy the beauty of America and the rest that comes from getting away from the rat race.

    Am I envious ? Absolutly ! Enjoy my friend!

  7. Seth Says:

    Ken –

    It’s pretty special here, both the surroundings and the company, and while I hate to leave, I know I’ll be bringing great memories with me, along with the knowledge that I’ll be living in proximity to visit more often. :-)

  8. BB-Idaho Says:

    My daughter and son-in-law lived on the other side of the Hudson, in rural New Windsor, for five years. Their back yard looked almost exactly like your photo;
    terraced verdant hillside, many birds. Remarkable, the
    almost solitude so close to a huge metro area.

  9. Seth Says:

    BB –

    Aha! So that’s how you knew!

    The feeling of solitude is incredible, especially when considering that when my friend was still commuting to Manhattan to work, it was only a little over an hour’s drive in.

  10. Angel Says:

    gosh it looks downright stunning Seth! :)

  11. Seth Says:

    Angel –

    It is.

    I spent an extra day, and am returning to Manhattan this afternoon instead of yesterday, but I’m already beginning to miss it!

  12. Always On Watch Says:

    Until a few minutes ago, I’ve been taking a break from blogging too, but not as nice as this break you’ve been having, Seth.

    Mr. AOW and I are lucky in that we awake to songbirds every morning here, where we have a bit of country in the D.C. suburbs. If not for the sound of traffic here, we could imagine ourselves in the wilderness.

    The downside of our sylvan existence (somewhat) is that the birds we attract with birdhouses and feedings use our cars for target practice. ;)

  13. Seth Says:

    AOW –

    LOL!

    I know that feeling only too well.

    I never had a problem with birds showing their gratitude until I put a bird feeder in the backyard at my place in Charlotte, then “BAM!!!!”, the back deck and the big umbrella over the table there became a bombing practice range. :-)

  14. Jeff Says:

    The pic sorta reminds me of the Charlotte Estate, only the bushes are not as well maintained.

  15. Seth Says:

    Jeff –

    It’s amazing the difference when an institution employs a full-time staff to maintain the landscaping, isn’t it?

    As far as the woods beyond, wild trees would look plastic and it would take away from nature’s own effect if the trees were “maintained”.

    Taking one with the other, I’d rather have a slightly wilder look.

    Then, of course, N.Y. has only just come out of a cold winter and a rainy spring, and this is about the time people start working on their gardens, etc.

  16. Gawfer Says:

    Seth,

    That photo really is breath taking.

    Growing up (questionable) in Northern California, it was easy to take scenery like that for granted, and it wasn’t until I moved to the high desert of Southern California that I came to appreciate the ‘Greenery’. As far as the East is from the West, is the comparison to where that photo is and where we are right now. :|

    I am slightly envious but I’d imagine living in Manhattan is nearly the same in its lack of natural beauty so enjoy your friends and the landscape.

  17. Americaneocon Says:

    Good for you!

    It looks very nice there!!

  18. Seth Says:

    Gawfer –

    Northern California is one of the most beautiful places in the country, I have always enjoyed spending time up there.

    New York City is largely underrated for its own green interludes. Manhattan is sprinkled with small and medium-sized green parks of varying kinds, not the least of which is the mammoth Central Park.

    At present, I am in the midst of choosing from a number of pics I took of the latter the other day for a post. I thought that I’d be done by now and already posting it, but this is not the case, it looks like it will be a few more days before this happens.

    Americaneocon –

    It was awesome there, moreso as I was staying with people I love and whom I rarely ever have the opportunity to see. :-)

  19. MariesTwoCents Says:

    WOW! What a gorgeous picture.

    Now that’s my kind of vacation :-)

  20. Seth Says:

    Marie –

    It was great in every way. :-)