Showing posts with label #Nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Nature. Show all posts

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Hometown Memories Part 2

The Seasons at Letchworth

Marti Hurlburt
Carol Groat
Jonathan Lee
Letchworth is a gorgeous park no matter what time of year it is.  In the spring, the water rushing from the thaw has the  tributaries displaying their seasonal waterfalls while the major ones are in their full glory. 

Jonathan Lee
Lori Naqpier
Sandy Sucher
Eli De'Enn
In the fall, nature outdoes herself.  The colors add so much to the experience of visiting the park.  It was my favorite time to go.  The colors seemed to make the entire area glow.  It felt more magical.  Each stop a new palette of color to stimulate your brain while the sounds from the rushing water cleansed your soul.


Joe Pecoraro
Carol Groat

Jeanne Mcnamara
Sandy Sucher








Fall in all its glory just sings of cosy fires and hot spicy apple cider.  It makes me think of friends.





Carol Groat











 
Claire Harrington



 Winter offers its own special touch to the scenery here.  Even in its icy grip, the power of the falls is evident.

John Wilber
 
Jonathan Lee



 
Katie Houseknecht


 
 Colleen Przybysz



I hope you have enjoyed these pictures which bring my memories of this beautiful place to mind.   










Find Cindy on her:
Blog:
https://cindysvoices.blogspot.com/
Website:
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Portfilio Links
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365 narration by Karina Kantas https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d0UNM-QtpvOBS84qlAr9fiEK6by7QkwG/view

Friday, July 12, 2019

Hometown Memories


LETCHWORTH STATE PARK 

THE GRAND CANYON OF THE EAST

Jonathan Lee
Jesse Crowden

Peter Anuszkiewicz
Everyone has a favorite place they went to as a child.  For me, Letchworth State Park was paradise! My family only went there for day trips. I do not recall any sojourn that felt like a repeat, for nature always provided new beauty to behold. The light on the water, the colors of the foliage, or even wildlife making an appearance; something made each trip special.

 

Dan Rittenhouse
Eli De'Enn

So, what exactly is Letchworth that makes it stand out? It is a 14,427-acre park (about 17 miles long) located in Eastern Upstate New York. It follows the path of the Genesee River as it travels north to its outlet Lake Ontario near Rochester.  With canyon cliffs as high as 600 feet, it is often referred to as "The Grand Canyon Of The East".  The northern end is marked by Mount Morris Dam which helps thwart the chance of flooding. There are nearly 50 waterfalls located within the park with three major ones (Upper, Middle and Lower Falls) located in the southern end.

Marian Carloni
Phil Conroy
Many tributaries flow into the river and can be found along the various hiking trails. The numerous smaller falls can be found along these tributaries or by following the hiking trails or by kayak or rafting. One of the more well-known ones is Inspiration Falls, which is a ribbon falls with a drop of 350 ft. Unfortunately, its appearance is seasonal, like many of the other smaller ones.

Jeanne Mcnarmara
It has been a very long time, 26 years to be exact,  since I have been able to enjoy an outing there. My sister and I took my husband to NY so he could see where I grew up.  We also felt the need to prove to him that there was country in NY, since he was not convinced by my descriptions.  While there, we went to Letchworth.  Unfortunately, there was a drought at the time and he did not get to experience the full beauty of the falls. 

 
Jack Geising

I feel a connection to the river.  My troubles seem to fade away with the flow.  I can almost feel the gloom being purged from my heart as the water cascades over the falls, the spray on my skin refreshing my soul. 

From the thundering power of the three main falls, to the tinkling of those along the tributaries, the music of nature frees me.

Ryan Yo-nv Schmidt

Ryan Yo-nv Schmidt kindly shared this gorgeous shot and several other pictures of the falls.  I gathered them into a short slide show,  click on the link to enjoy some beautiful views.
https://docs.google.com/presentation









I am thrilled to be able to share these many pictures with you.  They were all provided by members of the Facebook group Letchworth State Park Lovers (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2218333570/) If you like what you see here, be sure to visit them on Facebook, they have many more beautiful scenes to share.  I find the pictures take me back in time and I am able to relive, re-experience this wonderful paradise.

Remember to check out my next piece where I visit Lower and Middle Falls. 

Find Cindy on her:
Blog:
https://cindysvoices.blogspot.com/
Website:
http://carternovels.com/author-cindy-j-smith.html
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/cindysvoices
FB:  https://www.facebook.com/CindysVoices/
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6505989.Cindy_J_Smith
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/cindyjsmith1/
Portfilio Links
https://view.joomag.com/golden-box-book-publishing-cindys-voices/0568888001561494976


http://pubhtml5.com/ahsh/nmba

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Inspiration Part Three – Weather #OurAuthorGang

The weather has always fascinated me. Living in the UK, we seldom get weather fronts that do more than annoy us for a few days, so when we do have extreme conditions, it becomes a big deal. We love to talk about the weather.

As I write this we are experiencing the chilliest temperatures the UK has seen in many years. This unusual cold snap is causing havoc around the country. With Ireland having snow as thick as three foot and temperatures plummeting to -11ºC, my mind goes into overdrive with endless questions. How would we cope if this became the norm? What if this is the start of the new Ice Age? What would happen if the snow never melted?

What great prompts for exploring themes of survival, courage, fear, anger and philosophical debates on mankind’s ability to cope in the event of a catastrophic natural disaster.


Or, maybe inspiration for something less dreadful?

Now, I love snow, my chickens don’t. Poor things have been sitting with one leg tucked under their feathers, making high-pitched whining sounds. We moved them to the summer house for protection against the raging winds and driving snow, but they hate to be kept indoors during daylight hours and wandered off to seek cover amongst the conifers, shivering. Maybe there is a haiku or a piece of flash fiction in there?

Snow Hens

With fluffed up feathers
The shivering hens flap wings
To shake off-white chill




One-legged chickens
Stand stiff against arctic wind
Ice stares unblinking



Using weather symbolically in fiction is a great device to set mood, atmosphere, emotion and even character development. Charles Dickens description of Scrooge in A Christmas Carol uses weather to great effect in helping the reader to understand how mean and nasty he is:

“External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn’t know where to have him. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. They often ‘came down’ handsomely, and Scrooge never did.”

Of course, we don’t want to start our book with ‘It was a dark and stormy night,’ but using meteorological conditions can give extra depth and colour to your narrative evoking an emotional response from your reader. For example, The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury is a wonderful example of how to use weather to indicate trouble is on the way. The extreme weather conditions he describes in the start of his novel convey the threat of disruption and chaos that is to follow:

Rocket Summer

"One minute it was Ohio winter, with doors closed, windows locked, the panes blind with frost, icicles fringing every roof, children skiing on slopes, housewives lumbering like great black bears in their furs along the icy streets.

And then a long wave of warmth crossed the small town. A flooding sea of hot air; it seemed as if someone had left a bakery door open. The heat pulsed among the cottages and bushes and children. The icicles dropped, shattering, to melt. The doors flew open. The windows flew up. The children worked off their wool clothes. The housewives shed their bear disguises. The snow dissolved and showed last summer‘s ancient green lawns.

Rocket summer. The words passed among the people in the open, airing houses. Rocket summer.
The warm desert air changing the frost patterns on the windows, erasing the art work. The skis and sleds suddenly useless. The snow, falling from the cold sky upon the town, turned to a hot rain before it touched the ground.

Rocket summer. People leaned from their dripping porches and watched the reddening sky.

The rocket lay on the launching field, blowing out pink clouds of fire and oven heat. The rocket stood in the cold winter morning, making summer with every breath of its mighty exhausts."

In The Chronicles of Mayer, the prequel to my dystopian series The Song of Forgetfulness, I use extreme weather conditions throughout the novel. It is the main theme. An environmental catastrophe causes floods to engulf most of Europe, killing millions. How do the survivors cope with the brutality not only of Mother Nature but their fellow man?

"Huddled inside the great doorway of what was once a department store, I watched as the rain poured down like the tears of Krishna.

The water did not drain away, instead, it bubbled up from the overloaded sewers spewing forth great globs of waste matter. Oh, the stench was vile. A sweet, sickly, rotten egg smell that caused my empty gut to contract. I spat out bile.

A small, pink object flowed by. I quickly turned my head. Too late. My eyes could not help but see the mutilated corpse of a baby. Another familiar lump floated past. An arm.

Next, half a human skull. Long black hair trailing from it got stuck between two metal parking meters. I gagged as the half-head swished back and forth between the poles."


So writers, don’t be afraid to use weather in your narratives, it can add to the complexity and richness of your prose. Have a nice day!


All photographs copyright of the author Nicola McDonagh





Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Inspiration - part two - Nature #OurAuthorGang




When I struggle to find something to write about, my inspiration often comes from the visual side of life. As a photographer, I suppose that is only natural. Nature has always inspired me. I live in the Suffolk countryside and am surrounded by fields and wildlife. I only need to look out of a window to see or hear something fascinating and beautiful.


One of my short stories, Scarecrow, from the anthology, Glimmer, was based on a rundown smallholding I went to look at when searching for a new house. The dilapidated interior, weathered outbuildings, and surrounding fields gave me an idea for what became a tale of a runaway girl and a lonely old man.

“Stumbling and falling, she headed towards a low privet hedge at the end of an overgrown meadow. When she reached it, she stopped and peered over the picket fence. The girl saw a house half hidden behind two large fir trees. The garden was overgrown, and the lawn strewn with rusty barrels, ripped tarpaulins, and dented oil drums. She climbed over the fence and looked around. There was a dilapidated outbuilding a few feet away with a large stack of wood propped up against it. The girl ran towards the building and ducked down behind a water butt attached to a cracked drainpipe.
When her breathing slowed and the pounding in her chest eased, she tilted her head to one side and listened. A strange shuffling noise like someone brushing up dead leaves made the girl hold her breath. It was not leaves, though, but footsteps heading her way.”

Once, I found a complete skeleton of a bird. I took a picture of it and the skull became the cover for my second anthology of short stories - Crow Bones. It didn’t inspire a poem or a piece of prose, but it did give me an eye-catching book cover.




The moon has been a favourite with writers for years. Whether in poetry or prose, it has a special meaning and been the subject of folklore, superstitions, and female empowerment. Apparently, it can even drive you mad or turn you into a werewolf. Not surprising it is used frequently in literature. Indeed, our beautiful celestial orb has given  authors something to write about for thousands of years.  One of my favourite moon quotes is by the 17th Century Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho: 

"The moon lives in the lining of your skin."   


It has a strange face that seems to stare at us in wonder at what the heck we humans will do next. Does she judge us from afar? Or merely condemn us with her round-mouthed, wide-eyed look?

In my Dystopian novel, A Silence Heard, the moon is a source of inspiration for the heroine, guiding her with its light, and giving her hope that she will win the battle ahead:

“The moon shone bright. A shock-faced ball in the black sky that looked down on the three of us as if to shout, “Prevail. Stand steady.” The wind whipped around our feet and legs and a swirl of ash and dry earth spiralled up before us. I coughed and spat out the filthy soil that bore the taste of Agro boot.”

But it’s not just the moon that inspires me. Recently, a herd of red deer stumbled into the field opposite my house. They stayed there for about an hour just staring at the cars that went past. They didn’t move until the alpha stag raised his head and let out a hoarse-like moo sound, and as quick as a blink, they were gone leaving heart-shaped indents in the churned up earth. Now, there has to be a story in that.

To end this post on Inspiration, a photograph of my cat Storm, because his beauty, grace, and quirky face will always give me pause for thought.


If you want to know more about my work, please visit my Amazon page:

All photographs are by Nicola McDonagh.

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