Simply a digital manipulation of the town of Gauley Bridge Christmas Tree.
Tag: rural communities
Welcoming
Gauley Bridge West Virginia is a town of just over six hundred people. At one time it was a local center of commerce tied to the railroad. The trains still come to the small village but they don’t stop. As you Enter the city limits this mural welcomes you. It beckons you back to a simpler time along the three rivers area.
Painting by Nancy Coleman Lane of Jodie West Virginia
Morning Drive
Early on the morning of August 21st 2017 I stopped by the roadside park at Summerville Lake in West Virginia. The shot was taken by placing the camera directly on the road. The road crosses the Summerville Dam which is a Flood control dam. My grandfather was a engineer who helped build the dam. Below the lake is the flooded town of Gad. The traditional way of naming Dams and Lakes built during the flood control project had to be suspended to prevent a scandal. The local community just couldn’t allow the existence of “Gad Dam” and “Gad Dam Lake “. The resulting history is somewhat of a local joke today.
I spent a large part of my youth on or in the lake. By the time I was 16 swimming from the beach to the campground was a ritual way to celebrate the opening the summer lake season. Just to left of the road here there’s a cliff where I used to dive. I’m guessing the drop was about 60 feet high from the surface of the water and the bottom of the lake is about the same. We’re not allowed to have such adventures there today. Unfortunately a person was injured because he dove from the wrong spot. The Corps of engineers decided to ban diving altogether.
On the right side of the road is the Gauley River. The outlet for the lake creates class 6 rapids and so that spot is popular with rafters and kayakers. The river is a great place for trout fishing. There’s a local story about a specific DNR officer who came up on two guys fishing. When he asked to check out their licenses one of them dropped his pole and took off running downstream. After a harrowing chase the officer finally corners the fisherman and once more demandsfor the license to be presented. When the fisherman produces the license everything checks out. No laws were broken. The two men are completely out of breath from the chase. Panting heavily the officer asked why the first man ran. “You have your license and there’s nothing I can charge you with ” he said. The fisherman replied “yes, but my friend didn’t have one.”
If you come to West Virginia, Summerville Lake is a great place to have some summer fun. Just don’t jump from cliffs and if you plan to fish you better have a license. The DNR officers travel in pairs now. 😉
Natural Lifestyle
Nature doesn’t hurry, yet everything is accomplished. – Lao Tzu
I have come to despise clocks. It seems like every second of the day is regulated and choreographed according to the clock. Our high tech society should be sophisticated enough by now to allow for a more organic life. I don’t need to go into the details of timecards and obligations or deadlines and expectations. Suffice it to say that that most people these days are so preoccupied with keeping life organized and running smoothly that the joy of living is missed. When it comes right down to it, it seems that most of today’s problems stem from the desire to live in liberty vs the obligations of Society. It’s important to take time out and find a balance.
When I observe the patterns found in nature they are a blend of the highly structured and the organic. And there’s always room for joy.
The small snail shell was found on a trail at the Scenic Overlook of Hawks Nest State Park in Ansted West Virginia. The park is seated on the rim of the New River Gorge above a flood control dam.
As observe the shell I see the highly organized structure. The spiral is formed by a natural process. It doesn’t stress out about the calculations needed to form the symmetry. The snail didn’t consult with an engineer to know it’s shell needed ridges for strength in the structure. It simply grows into what it was meant to be.
Even though the surrounding environment seems random there’s a natural flow of the organic that is based on highly organized. The texture of the stone us formed by complex and organized crystalline structures. The twisted and gnarly branches of the trees and bushes are based on the structure complex sugars and interlinking molecules that determine how much to twist and what part of the tree should be stiffer and where it needs to be flexible.
All of it was accomplished by life growing into the details and patterns granted by God at creation.
Am I suggesting that we need to give up all of civilization and return to the wilderness? Not exactly. But as I stated earlier, I do think that our society is out of balance. And I also think that regaining that balance will depend upon the individual seeking out their own patterns and growing into the details.
Sunday
- Growing up in the Bible belt I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to visit a lot of small churches. In the days before the mega church and when there was nobody selling religion. The churches of small communities were places where families gathered to hear the word of God and not just what the preacher said. We knew good and well that nobody can buy a ticket to heaven with money or goid works. Vain obligations were just that. We resisted judging each other because we were justified by the blood of Christ and not by works or money. Church is a place for bonding not bondage.
- The architecture of small community churches is something special. Everything from little cabins to scaled down cathedrals can be found tucked into Appalachian landscape. Bells and spires are sometimes topped with crosses and sometimes not.
- The ringing of the church bell was a special privilege. Young people (mostly boys) would like up and take turns tugging on the rope. In trutruth we just liked making noise.
- After church service extended family would get together at the home place for a large meal. The cooks would all gather in the kitchen and soon the house was full of wonderful smells the sounds of laughter. During the warm weather the children be outside trying to have fun without getting dirty. That’s a very difficult skill to master for a 10 year old boy. I can still smell my grandmother’s homemade bread when I think about it.
LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 