I do not normally find the beiges and browns of late-November beautiful … unless it is in the form of potatoes, noodles and dressing. We have had several sun-less days; so this morning when the sun was shining brightly I opted to visit one of my favorite places.
The timber on my Mom’s farm (and my grandparents’ farm before her) ambles along the Kaskaskia River. There are hills and cliffs that drop straight into the river. Hiking the hills can make my thigh muscles quiver. Most importantly, there is peacefulness. It feels like time slows down a bit. There isn’t such a pressing need to hurry.
Although I cannot capture that feeling in a photograph, I tried to capture some of the beauty.
Fern Hill’s narrow deer trail: 
A little holiday decorating?
Hope~Faith~Memories – Standing Watch
Just Make the Coffee 
beautiful.
I enjoyed your post. I do think you capture the peace you feel in your words and photos. I recognize those berries, even though I’m not sure what the shrub is – I cut some branches of these to use as decoration on my Thanksgiving Day table! The red berries looked striking. 🙂
Thank you for the comment! I need to research those berries… Did they hold up well in the house as a cutting? I wondered about that, too.
Yes! I put the branch cuttings standing up in small hurricane vases with a little water on the bottom and some glass beads to hold them in place. They are still on my dining room table and the berries are in tact. When I was working with them some of the berries fell off, but I think that’s because it’s getting late in the season. My husband had cut back the shrub (whatever it is) and some of the branches are in the backyard, still with the berries. The branches of this shrub grow over a little walkway next to the house. There’s no trellis there, but the effect is the same – really cool to walk under in the summertime. My husband was the one who drew my attention to the red berries – very bright and visually stimulating, I think, especially now that most of the leaves have fallen off the branches.
That sounds beautiful! Thank you for the ideas… 🙂