Scenes of the Season

If I needed a snowy scene for a Christmas card, I'd be out of luck.  No snow out there.  But I did find a few things that were Christmassy-pretty today as I prowled the mountainsides along the Hudson River near Spier Falls Road.

I often pull off the road by the dam, to explore the rocky cliffs that rise steeply up from the roadside there.  The niches and cracks and shelves in these cliffs support lovely gardens of mosses and lichens, watered by springs that seep down the rocks, which today were cold enough to turn that dripping water into cascading icicles.

Some of the mosses that grow there have put on their Christmas colors of red and green.

Nestled in among the moss were pretty rosettes of Early Saxifrage, next spring's flowerbuds tightly furled and tucked at the center of a ring of rosy ruffled leaves.

This Beech leaf was sealed to the face of the rocks by a thin sheet of ice that intensified its rich golden bronze.

Further along the road, a sprightly little waterfall tumbled down the mountain, its splashing waters reinvigorated by this past week's frequent rains.  I made my way into the woods at this point to follow the waterfall's course up the mountainside.

The splashing droplets created glistening icicles along every overhanging streamside branch.

This streamside boulder, covered with Greenshield Lichen, appears to have been decorated with frosted Christmas greenery.

Carpets of moss appeared as festive as patterned Christmas wrap.

Even this dead baby pine seemed to get into the spirit of the season when a sunbeam turned its normally dull-brown needles a startling red.











Normally, I truly hate Asiatic Bittersweet for its terrible habit of overwhelming native trees with its masses of strangling vines.  But who could not be struck with delight by the sight of these ruby orbs turned luminous as Christmas lights by a ray of late-day sun?

A River Road Ramble

We've had such a nice stretch of blue-sky days, but I've been too busy at home to really get outdoors, except for a quick walk along the Hudson where Spier Falls Road hugs the banks at Moreau.  The river lay smooth as glass late Saturday afternoon, with the water reflecting the trees and hills and sky.  I was torn between letting my eyes rest on that serene sight or turning to explore the roadside cliffs that rise steeply into the mountains, the boulders watered with tiny springs.  Here and there a little rill splashed merrily down tiers of rock.

Those roadside boulders are veritable rock gardens, presenting a fascinating array of lichens, mosses, and the wintering-over rosettes of perennials.  Although the sun was bright, the air was cold,  and frost still clung to many of the plants, such as these little Pixy Cups furred with a fine fringe of ice.

I loved how this pretty pink sprig of Strawberry was nestled into a thick cushion of lush moss.

Where springwater seeped through thick mats of moss, glassy garlands of icicles sparkled in the late afternoon sun.

Thin sheets of ice coated the face of some boulders, enhancing the rich red of this ferrous rock.

When I reached the stretch of the road that looks out on this lovely river island, I sat for a while just to take in this scene, overwhelmed with gratitude that I live near forests that are left to grow wild and a river that runs clean and clear.

Taking the slow road home to Saratoga, I stopped by a farm to say hello to this sturdy pair of enormous Belgian horses.  Now that is a HORSE!

A lowering sun bathed the walls and roof of this handsome old barn with a golden light and cast the shadow of a little black goat against the siding.  And oh look, the buds on that Red Maple tree are as rosy and plump as if it were spring, and the grass looks like emerald velvet.  Stunned by the beauty of this scene, I had to pull over to gaze upon it, and also to let my eyes clear of tears.  Sometimes the gorgeousness of this world fills me with more joy than I can contain.