THE YIN AND YANG OF LANDSCAPE

My methodical tracks through two feet of snow-Peacham Vermont

Dearest Readers,

Before spring pulls apart the curtain of winter in Peacham Vermont, I want to share my observations of some striking dichotomies of landscape that I have witnessed along my walk-route on Hapenny and Mack’s Mountain Roads.  In general the winter white has blanketed my little world in a protective silence. Most birds are gone. The sense of smell–muted. Animals are still hunkered down somewhere to wait out the cold. Humans, like the plants and animals, need to be prepared to survive because winter is unforgiving. What draws me into the landscape, despite the days of cruel cold is a sensation of “pure perception" during this time. Nature is arresting in its singularity of purpose. I often feel sucked into the vastness of what I am a part of–not just an observer, but a participant.

As I sit writing, there is a cascade of snow-melt-droplets pounding from the roof onto the metal ledge outside my window. This feels like a momentous time on the cusp of seasonal change.

So with nine days left of official winter, here is a photo gallery of some of my favorite places in seasonal yin and yang.

My unfinished hut in the field in February

The hut in early November

The Hall of the Mountain Maples in January 

The Hall of the Mountain Maples in July

The wall and creek that runs under Hapenny Road in February

The wall and creek that runs under Hapenny Road in June

Tree and stone friend in February

Tree and friend in June (different angle)

Empty house with two attached barns in February

Empty house with two attached barns in July

Fallen tree pretending to be a couch in February

Me lying across that same fallen tree in the Fall

Painting of me on the tree_8.5in x14in_oil on canvas_December 2014