Tag Archives: beauty

The Eye Of The Beholder

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They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, a statement I believe to be true.

Take, for example, this image from Hillsboro. The chipping paint, the doors and all those windows, the sliver of blue sky, and that vibrant flag held up by the breeze make for a beautiful sight by my estimation.

This place isn’t shiny and pretty by traditional standards but it has a story to tell. Perfection is overrated, friends. It’s the chips and the oddities that make life interesting. I’ll take patina and character any day.

Flat Land, Tall Sky Perspective

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I come from hill country. Here we have hills and hollers and far more trees than people. There’s not much flat land and the farms are pretty small.

That may be why I’m so fascinated with flat places. The western part of Ohio is very flat and fertile. Here you find large farms and expansive lawns. Everywhere you look it seems people have landing strips for their small aircraft.

One thing that always amazes me about flat places is how big the sky seems.

I live high on a ridge but tall trees block the view so the sky I see doesn’t appear that expansive. In places like Highland County, Ohio and in the western states, the sky goes on forever.

The other great thing about this kind of farmland is the abundance of barns and silos. I saw many on Saturday’s journey and stopped to admire more than a few.

The barn pictured above was among my favorites because of its simplicity. It’s nothing fancy but has been around a long time and looks sturdy. It gets the job done and proves that utility can be beautiful. As big as this barn is, it seems dwarfed by the sky as well.

I offer all of this as a reminder that we all live under the same sky but it doesn’t look the same for everyone. Mull that over as you go about your business today. It can be an eye opening exercise to think about the world from someone else’s perspective.

The Korean War Memorial

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The National Mall in Washington, D.C. is filled with monuments meant to inform and move. Of these, none personifies the humanity of war like the Korean War Memorial. It features nineteen stainless steel statues representing Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force members who served. At around seven feet tall, they are just slightly larger than life and look like they could step through the junipers and begin talking to you.

Look closely at the wall and you’ll see the reflections of those statues.

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The dedication stone summarizes the significance beautifully.

Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.

 

Still Waiting For Snow

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This winter has been extremely mild. So mild, in fact, that we’ve hardly seen any snow. Everyone is ecstatic except for me.

Ohio is bleak and ugly in the winter time. Trees are stripped of leaves. The grass is dead and things are muddy because we’ve seen lots of rain in lieu of snow. It’s depressing.

Snow makes everything look pretty, as though the world has been tucked in for a long nap under a fluffy white blanket. One of my favorite pastimes is stomping around in it with my camera, trying to find new ways to make the trees and hills of my yard look fresh and new in pictures.

I also enjoy hiking in it.

And, of course, spending a quiet weekend cozied up with a book in a chair where I can glance up at the falling snow Is nice too.

We often have snow for Martin Luther King weekend so I was hopeful. Nope. More rain.

So I continue to wait. . .

Just a Cool Picture

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This is a close-up of details on a friend’s biplane. I love the color and the shapes and just think it’s a neat picture. If you’re an airplane enthusiast, it’s a 1929 Travel Air that he calls Ace and you can take a ride in it if you’re inclined. I rode in his other plane this summer and thought it was great! Read about that here!

Have a pleasant day, friends. And don’t forget to look closely for the beauty in the world around you. It’s there – you just have to see it!

Winter Hike

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I am fortunate to live close to several Ohio State Parks but have struggled to get outside this winter. Rain, cold, early darkness, my busy life and occasional laziness have largely kept me inside.

This week I’ve been dying to breathe some fresh air and stretch my legs. There’s nothing like a hike to clear the mind and help reframe troubles into something better.

So I headed out to Old Mans Cave in the famed Hocking Hills yesterday. There were flurries in the air and it wasn’t quite thirty degrees but proper layers kept me warm enough. Unfortunately, the entire park was basically a sheet of ice. There’s no preparing for that.

I hiked about 2.25 miles and didn’t fall despite the fact I was wishing for ice skates most of the way.

It was a short hike but quite challenging and indescribably beautiful. I’m glad I went and was equally glad to get out safely.

People often say they don’t like winter hiking because of the cold and I’ll never understand that. Despite the cold and ice, yesterday’s hike was far more pleasant than the hot, humid ones of summer in Ohio.

If you’ve never done it, my advice is to layer up and plan to reward yourself with some pancakes afterward like I did!