A Walk Through The Woods
I’ve been wanting to shoot a video of our daily walk “over the river and through the woods” for quite some time now. (We left Little Red Riding Hood at home.)
The first day of May was gorgeous here; sunny and mild, not a cloud in the sky.
In the late afternoon we took our walk, and I shot continuous footage during the twenty minutes it took to meander down the path near the barn, then through a protected area where the bleeding heart flowers are in full bloom. The trilliums are still hanging in there, too.
Further along the path, the piles of large rocks are a legacy from the Chinese workers who cleared them from the dredging areas blasted by water, the miners seeking gold. The coolie laborers organized them into neat piles. James is convinced that they did this in a conscious, artistic manner, in spite of what must have been extreme hardship.
The faint echoes of the Chinese blood, sweat and tears still whisper through these woods, but as L. commented recently, “But it’s not as strong as when I first saw this land forty years ago”.
In any case, the huge piles of boulders inspire awe. It feels like a sacred place.
Then on to the river, and up the path leading to L.’s cabin, and back through the meadow to the barn.
I edited the video to about three-quarters of its original length, which is still fourteen minutes long. Since YouTube’s video limit is ten minutes, I split the Woods walk footage into two parts.
Part I:
Part II:
L.’s lilac bush is in bloom in the side-yard north of the Bunkhouse. Shortly after this picture was taken, James cut several sprays of the fragrant purple blooms and brought them down to L.’s house in Nevada City. So now she gets a whiff of The Woods whenever she enters her kitchen.
Tags: bleeding heart, lilacs, river, walking through the woods
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May 2, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I love lilacs. I should post some pictures of ours. They are a very deep purple.
I’ve never had much luck with bringing lilacs inside and having them last more that a day or two.
May 3, 2008 at 5:00 am
[...] Living in the Woods had some pictures of the landscape around his home in the woods of California, including the lilacs growing there. [...]
May 3, 2008 at 11:29 am
The sound of the creek on your video is the sound of heaven.
May 3, 2008 at 2:51 pm
thank you for sharing - it looks and sounds divine but … i guess i won’t be running through the woods in bare feet then??!! xoxo
May 3, 2008 at 5:39 pm
o boy As you know our spring comes later here in Maine so its a real treat to see your lilacs and your woods!
May 5, 2008 at 7:24 pm
my favorite was the lilac; i can almost smell them. I miss them so-they seemed to say “May is here”.
May 6, 2008 at 5:28 am
Simply lovely. I’ve missed seeing your postings and photos in my self-soul-searching as of late. Hope to be back more regularly soon.
May 6, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Speakiing of the toil of the Chinese coolies reminds me of the “Road of Bones” in Russia - Siberia, I believe - where the bones of the workers - who died from ill-treatment -were paved over as the road progressed.
On another note, I love lilacs and have one in my own backyard, but it hasn’t bloomed properly since the fist year we moved here (7 years ago).
Your movies are far better than mine, Cameron. I only have a tiny digiital camera to work wiith - doubtful I can improve the sound.
Kat
May 16, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I love lilacs! And I love it when the trillium blooms. I have one very close to my yard. A purple one. Most are white. But what a treat, yes?
May 16, 2008 at 9:26 pm
new post please.