Sunday, May 02, 2010

Side of the road

You wait in the car on the side of the road
Lemme go and stand awhile
I wanna know you're there, but I wanna be alone
If only for a minute or two
I wanna see what it feels like to be without you


I wanna know the touch of my own skin
Against the sun, against the wind
If I stray away too far from you, don't go and try to find me
It doesn't mean I don't love you, it doesn't mean I won't come back and stay beside you


It only means I need a little time
To follow that unbroken line
To a place where the wild things grow
To a place where I used to always go


If only for a minute or two
I wanna see what it feels like to be without you
I wanna know the touch of my own skin
Against the sun, against the wind.


A thousand miles there and back to spend a day with friends, old and new, gathered for the New River Birding and Nature Festival might seem crazy to some...

In fact, probably it was crazy to do, but the singing birds, the people, the chance to wander alone looking for wildflowers in those riotously rich West Virginia mountains ... it's all kinda irresistible to me.

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Lyrics from "Side of the Road" by Lucinda Williams.

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Photos:

(1) Windflower (Anemone sp.) Among my favorite wildflowers, Anemones are heartbreakingly beautiful and delicate

(2) Showy Orchis (Orchis spectabilis) I dragged Jim McCormac out in the near dark yesterday to show me where to find this beauty

(3) A giddy me photographing blooming May-Apples

(4) May Apple flower (Podophyllum peltatum) The parasol-like foliage of May-Apples is cool enough, but the flowers are especially lovely; more so cause you have to lie with your face in the dirt to photograph them where they hide beneath the leaves

;-)

(5) Fire Pink (Silene virginica) So named not because of their color, obviously, but because of the scissor-like notches on the petals... thanks Susan!

Fire Pink and silly me photos by MevetS.

17 comments:

Mary said...

Love, love, love this.

Julie Zickefoose said...

Me love it too. Who took the killer portrait of you? Profile pic for the ages.

Were you there when we played Side of the Road? Hope so! Great to see you, Laura!!

NatureWoman said...

I totally *love* the photo of you!!! How wonderful! And the flowers are gorgeous, too.

NCmountainwoman said...

Wonderful post. Nope, not crazy at all. You have to live that life!

nina said...

So glad to see you again, Laura,
and to walk by the side of the road in such a lovely place.

LauraHinNJ said...

Julie: I hadn't heard that song before, but it's beautiful! I turned to whoever was standing next to me to ask what it was...

: )

R.Powers said...

Ya look just A LITTLE happy to be there!
Great post!

Susan Gets Native said...

Make that your profile pic right this minute. That dude was annoying but he sure made you look good!
:)

MevetS said...

@ Laura: Gorgeous shots, ethereal. And very apropos lyrics. Nice.

@ Susan: Annoying huh? Just remember, I've pictures of your good side as well ... and a blog ...

Jimmy said...

I love this too...

Vickie said...

Lovely, lovely. Beautiful image of you with the Mayflowers. You look so happy with them! Fun meeting you.

RG said...

We all thought there was a lot of racket coming from that side of the country .... musta been fun.

dguzman said...

Looks like you had a ripping good time! Great photos!

Webtoad said...

I love that picture of you! (Thanks, Steve -- she usually won't let me get near her with a camera!)

jason said...

Gorgeous shots, Laura, and a beautiful way to present them.

But it's that photo of you that is most delightful! You're positively glowing.

Cathy said...

Wow. This was beautiful. So are you:0)

And I swear I saw your twin at Magee Marsh in Ohio today.

Q said...

Not crazy at all!
You are gorgeous and so are your wildflowers and friends.
Sherry