Strength and Tranquility – Photo: L. Weikel

Strength and Tranquility

Adding an extra leg to my journey, I took a detour from my usual walking route and paid a visit to an anchoring source of both strength and tranquility: the Tohickon Creek. In spite of the cold, I felt drawn to her soothing presence. It’s been a while since I had a chance to just be with her and listen to her voice.

Along the way, both coming and going, I encountered a number of deer. I didn’t even try to take any photos of them. It was as if they moved just enough to reveal their presence, grazing amongst the trees and weeds of the rocky hillside. Then, entering stillness again, they melted back into their surroundings.

Perhaps it was the rather specific amount of leftover mini-piles of snow sporadically strewn about the hillside that made me appreciate how well-suited deer are to blending into their milieu. Up until now I was pretty sure the white tails of our ‘white-tail deer,’ were more a ‘tell’ than a tool. But today? Today I was fascinated to see that the glimpses I caught of their tails resembled the random pockets of snow scattered amongst the dead leaves and other detritus of the forest floor.

Huh. I never noticed that before. And I’ve seen a lot of deer in my time.

Cormorant? – Photo: L. Weikel

Icy and Cold

When I got to the creek itself, I could make out a single large-ish sized bird standing on a boulder further down the creek. My gut tells me it was a cormorant, even though that’s not a bird I routinely associate with the creek.

The ice forming along the banks took on the blue-ish hue of the overcast sky. Even though the sun had set and snow crystals were just beginning to spit from the thick blanket of gray above me, I see hints of magenta and green in the geometric forms of the freezing water. Or maybe its my imagination as I view these photos now.

No matter. My beloved Tohickon worked her magic. My heart found peace.

I offered her some strands of my hair in gratitude for the comfort she unfailingly provides me when I need it most.

Serpentine Currents of the Tohickon – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+40)