Beauty in the sound of silence...
Not long ago, a friend of mine and I did a little traveling. I've mentioned some of it here- my little issues with the hill and the Falls were on that trip- but there is another facet that was not mentioned.
You see, I am not comfortable in cities. Why? I'm trapped in the worst parts of them, 30 or 40 hours a week, every summer. I drive through them every day, see the decay and the hopelessness, and after a while, I learned to loathe it. The ugliness is not something I want to surround myself with any longer.
Well, on this little trip, we stopped at a state park just inside the WV line. I've been there many times, but this day was special. Hot, clear, but comfortable enough with a light breeze.
While meandering, we chose to hit one of the trails. Due to the park's inability to mark trails, we actually likely walked three or four of them, but we wandered until we found our way. Then, on the way out, we saw the kind of thing that really brightens my day.
A deer. A single, young, whitetail doe, as a matter of fact. About thirty feet away in the brush, as peaceful as can be, tail whisking away flies smoothly and easily. She looked right at us as we stood and watched, but was unafraid. You see, this park is huge. It is also a nature preserve, so this deer, along with her ancestors, had never known hunting. They never knew fear. So, she was unafraid. :-)
After watching us for a while, the little deer wandered back into the brush, and we moved on, basking in the beauty and the glow of joy that brought.
Another half-mile, and I wordlessly motioned for my friend to stop. There, about 50 feet away, was a big mama doe and two little fawns. I dropped down, and crawled a little closer, my friend in tow, as mama watched. She was unafraid, though her younguns were fascinated by this white-coated stranger on two legs! ;-) Who knows how long we sat there and watched? Ten minutes? An hour? I don't know. I know my water was warm when I got up, though it was cold when I dropped.
All too soon, one of the fawns meandered into the woods, and mama silently followed. The other little one followed after, keeping mama in sight. As they crept into the woods, I stood, grinning from ear to ear. My friend? Well, folks, if I had a camera, you'd see the most beautiful smile I've ever been a party to. :-D
What once were tired legs and aching ankles from miles of walking were renewed. We'd faced some of the most skittish creatures on Earth, and they saw us as friends. That's something to be proud of, in my book. :-)
You see, I am not comfortable in cities. Why? I'm trapped in the worst parts of them, 30 or 40 hours a week, every summer. I drive through them every day, see the decay and the hopelessness, and after a while, I learned to loathe it. The ugliness is not something I want to surround myself with any longer.
Well, on this little trip, we stopped at a state park just inside the WV line. I've been there many times, but this day was special. Hot, clear, but comfortable enough with a light breeze.
While meandering, we chose to hit one of the trails. Due to the park's inability to mark trails, we actually likely walked three or four of them, but we wandered until we found our way. Then, on the way out, we saw the kind of thing that really brightens my day.
A deer. A single, young, whitetail doe, as a matter of fact. About thirty feet away in the brush, as peaceful as can be, tail whisking away flies smoothly and easily. She looked right at us as we stood and watched, but was unafraid. You see, this park is huge. It is also a nature preserve, so this deer, along with her ancestors, had never known hunting. They never knew fear. So, she was unafraid. :-)
After watching us for a while, the little deer wandered back into the brush, and we moved on, basking in the beauty and the glow of joy that brought.
Another half-mile, and I wordlessly motioned for my friend to stop. There, about 50 feet away, was a big mama doe and two little fawns. I dropped down, and crawled a little closer, my friend in tow, as mama watched. She was unafraid, though her younguns were fascinated by this white-coated stranger on two legs! ;-) Who knows how long we sat there and watched? Ten minutes? An hour? I don't know. I know my water was warm when I got up, though it was cold when I dropped.
All too soon, one of the fawns meandered into the woods, and mama silently followed. The other little one followed after, keeping mama in sight. As they crept into the woods, I stood, grinning from ear to ear. My friend? Well, folks, if I had a camera, you'd see the most beautiful smile I've ever been a party to. :-D
What once were tired legs and aching ankles from miles of walking were renewed. We'd faced some of the most skittish creatures on Earth, and they saw us as friends. That's something to be proud of, in my book. :-)
posted by Tirithien at 7:56 PM
5 Comments:
It's amazing, the things we might see when we are paying attention, isn't it? It was a blessing to see those beautiful deer at such close range. :-)
What a wonderous experience. I hope you both will remember it and cherish it for the rest of your lives. Who knows if it will ever happen again?
Don't know if it ever will again, but I'm grateful it did. :-)
Tirithien,
I have so enjoyed the little glimpses of the wonderful weekend you and your friend shared. It makes me ache to play hookie from work and spend the day wandering the wilderness :)
Then do it. :-) Find a good park, and wander. :-) Heck, WV isn't that far.
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