travel – Page 21 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

Sunrise on Summerville Lake

Color Photography, Summerville, West Virginia

As a youth I spent a large piece of my life on and around Summerville Lake.

Wikipedia has all the statistics (click here) and there’s a funny story about how the government almost named it Gad Dam Lake after the ghost town on the bottom. (Read about Gad) . For me, the lake was a place to escape. There were boats that belonged to friends and eventually my dad got his own boat. Summers were spent fishing and swimming and trying to impress the ladies without falling overboard.

There are stories of catfish in the lake large enough to swallow you whole! Every fisherman in Summerville has a story about how they were almost the one who landed a monster. Some will even have broken poles and fish hooks that have been pulled straight as evidence.

Scuba diving is allowed on the lake however I was never certified.

I have swam from one side of the lake to the other. The lake is three hundred and twenty seven feet deep deep ( just under 100 meters). Young boys would see who could stay underwater for the longest time. This was a game that I was very good at winning. Now as an adult, a person has a fair amount of freedom, but if I could choose I’d be a kid on the lake for at least one last endless summer.

Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park

Color Photography, West Virginia

The Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park in West Virginia is one of our most popular places. It’s especially popular with artists and photographers. I think the reason why we’re so atracted to it. The mill harkens us back to a simpler time when life was more organic. The days when water and horses powered our technology. This allowed for a life that was less micro managed. There was time for friends and family to meet beside a steam and enjoy life. Small stones accumulated in a pool near the bank hold an entire world of colors and shapes. Insects and crayfish dart around in the pool like waterborne fairies performing a dance. This is what real life is.

The mill is still in operation certain times of the year. We have friends who still take grain to the mill and grind it flour. Home baked bread from home raised grain has a smell and a flavor not found in the bleached out over processed chunks of starchy foam that comes in a plastic bag. Real bread is a wonderful experience.

Today the subject of automation is discussed at length. There are doubts and fears as well as hopes and dreams. I look at the image here that represents the automation of the past and I’m reminded that before the mill all that flour had to be ground by hand. There would have been no time for observation of life in the water. No time for pleasant conversations about life. I have hope that automation of the future will provide the same benefits if we are wise with it’s use.

If you’re interested in visiting the Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park in West Virginia you might want to check out the link below.

Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park

Waiting for the thaw.

Color Photography

I’m Setting here in my recliner with my dog and we’re dreaming of warmer temperatures. The Arctic blast has turned my mountain into an icy prison. We’re looking forward to the smell of the moss covered forest floor and a game of chase in the yard. On days like this I like to go into my archive and pull out pictures of warmer times. The image of ground pine here was taken in August at Carnifex Ferry State Park in West Virginia. The trail that leads to the Gauley River passes through a stand of virgin timber. It’s been a little over a decade since I was all the way to the river. Perhaps when winter is over I take you dear readers on a virtual tour.

A Path To Wander

Color Photography, Thoughts and Musing, travel

Our paths are not always easy in life. Some roads are paved others are rocky and then there are the ones that are forbidden. If you’re a curious person like me then you know how hard it is to leave a mystery behind. There’s a locked gate in front of this road. I know from soil survey maps that it’s a strip mine. One of many in my area. And there’s actually a guard just out of sight here. The guard tolerates my stopping at the gate and snapping a few pictures every so often. Sometimes he wants to see how the image turns out. But I’m not allowed to see what is on the other side of the hill. The urge to see what is out there is a basic human drive. We’re all explorers at heart. We need to find out where the road goes and what is out there. It’s not always a physical road like this one. Sometimes it’s an idea or a question that provides the puzzle. Exploring is more than just seeing. It’s experiencing the goal. The sound of the birds in a hidden meadow. It’s the bite of the winter wind and the glimmer of ice while the land sleeps. It’s life in motion. It’s the difference between living and existing.

Cathedral Falls, A Natural Sanctuary

Color Photography, travel

About one mile East of Gauley Bridge West Virginia is Cathedral Falls. The cascade of water is about 60 feet high and the stream that feeds the falls is call Cane Branch. The little roadside park is easy to access so I stop by often. The path to the base of the falls is left in what is best described as a natural state. If you are sure-footed it’s no big deal. I water is only ankle deep in most places and if you can avoid slippery rocks you can walk right up the stream. If you can be there in the right light it’s one of our best photo ops. The image here was taken in the Spring. The air at Cathedral Falls is highly oxygenated due to the cascade. It’s a good place to go and just quietly exist as part of God’s creation. The cascading water seems to carry away the stress and anxiety that clings to the soul after a day of making modern life work. Green ferns and moss grows everywhere in the canyon. Birds and butterflies are often present. The birds sing their songs and butterflies seem to dance to the tune.

Cathedral Falls is one of God’s special spots. I’m happy to share it with you but you should see it for yourself.