tramping the trails

settled in, and feeling like the past seven months have fallen away, that I've always been here

just here

the weather the past few days has been a gift - a warm uplifting breeze  with whiffs of pine and woodsmoke, the air freshened by newly fallen snow that has been melting in the warmth of the midday sun

the sun stays low in the sky during these winter months, slanting across the landscape at an angle that makes much of the day feel like a painter's "magic hour", though the shadows are long and the blues more intense... perhaps it's a northern version of it, the magic and blue hours mixed together in the way of a painter

today I walked in the woods, taking the old pathways,  one that used to lead me to a friend's house, then another that was a shortcut to the store

the wooden plank over the stream has been replaced with a proper bridge but otherwise the shortcut is unchanged

large boulders dot the landscape in this area and there are several found along the banks here

I remember sitting on them often, chatting with a friend, listening to the creek flow by, now hearing the echoes of our laughter in the gurgle of the water

the trees are taller and there are some I can no longer encircle with my arms, their bark deeply lined, many leaning

leaning trees are common here... casualties of the permafrost

I've taken several photographs of the flowing water; the swirling marks make for interesting textures - something interesting to play with as transparent overlays

today I began a colour study - other than acrylic paints all I have with me are coloured charcoal pencils but I love the soft texture of their marks

there is a gentle subtlety to their colours but as I think of this landscape in memory more than see it in life it's maybe as it should be

the memories from years gone by have provided their own filter which colours how I see things today