Nice, nice topic Tom.
Sorry I missed it, I have been away on business. My places are all wilderness, no ghost towns. I decided to look through my photos to solidify my selections, and I got so wrapped up in looking at all the places I really love, that I forgot what I was doing.
One thing became clear to me as I looked at the photos, and that is that sunshine in the pines is precious, golden, and a strong factor in bringing the best out of the pines. I don't mean to sound corny or romantic (or maybe I do), but sunshine is the most important feature of the pines to me, and the one thing that brings it all together. The way it brings out the green of the pine needles, the pastels of the arethusa orchids, and even the white of the turkey beard lily into sharp clarity. A sharp clarity yes, but softened by the sun. That sun makes these real biological features of the pines both fresh and clean. And then the water comes next (both amber and clear). Water that lifts your spirits when you see it rippling along a small, strong pathway deep in some cedar swamp, so pure you can't believe you are in a state derided by the rest of the country. After that its the white, clean, pure sand crystals, shining along the pathways and byways, and even deep, deep in the woods where no one else ever goes.
Shucks, I'm getting misty eyed now. I believe I truly love the pines more than anyone in NJ. I really do feel that way. There is something in me that ties me to them very deeply, in a pure, elemental way. The culture and history of ghostowns and the people of past and present is just a small piece of it all.
So what are my 5 best? I cannot choose, I just cannot seem to put one place above the other with good conscience. If you were to tie me to a tree and burn me with matches until I fessed up, I'd tell you portions of the upper reaches of Cedar Creek, the Pine Plains, the Oswego River, and anywhere else the sun shines on soft summer days, bringing out the best of the pines.
Sorry I missed it, I have been away on business. My places are all wilderness, no ghost towns. I decided to look through my photos to solidify my selections, and I got so wrapped up in looking at all the places I really love, that I forgot what I was doing.
One thing became clear to me as I looked at the photos, and that is that sunshine in the pines is precious, golden, and a strong factor in bringing the best out of the pines. I don't mean to sound corny or romantic (or maybe I do), but sunshine is the most important feature of the pines to me, and the one thing that brings it all together. The way it brings out the green of the pine needles, the pastels of the arethusa orchids, and even the white of the turkey beard lily into sharp clarity. A sharp clarity yes, but softened by the sun. That sun makes these real biological features of the pines both fresh and clean. And then the water comes next (both amber and clear). Water that lifts your spirits when you see it rippling along a small, strong pathway deep in some cedar swamp, so pure you can't believe you are in a state derided by the rest of the country. After that its the white, clean, pure sand crystals, shining along the pathways and byways, and even deep, deep in the woods where no one else ever goes.
Shucks, I'm getting misty eyed now. I believe I truly love the pines more than anyone in NJ. I really do feel that way. There is something in me that ties me to them very deeply, in a pure, elemental way. The culture and history of ghostowns and the people of past and present is just a small piece of it all.
So what are my 5 best? I cannot choose, I just cannot seem to put one place above the other with good conscience. If you were to tie me to a tree and burn me with matches until I fessed up, I'd tell you portions of the upper reaches of Cedar Creek, the Pine Plains, the Oswego River, and anywhere else the sun shines on soft summer days, bringing out the best of the pines.
