Thanksgiving

One of our family traditions is a morning 'hike' on Thanksgiving. Sometimes this is a long hike, in our nearby mountains; sometimes, it's closer.

A favorite place is the Clemson University Experimental Forest, created by a federal program during the Great Depression to purchase farming land worn-out from the demands of cotton and corn on hilly slopes.

It's now an excellent forest, a mix of ~ 75 year-old oak-hickory forests, planted pines, and lots in between, thanks to succession and forestry rotations.

The area around Lake Issaqueena is especially nice, as it's an unofficial natural area - a great place for a morning walk.

A early morning walk

The University's Fall break (timed with the November election) gave us a bit more time to enjoy some balmy November weather.

Along the dikes, separating Lake Hartwell from campus, we didn't see anyone else until late in our walk. But we admired a cormorant diving, several great blue herons, a green heron, and gulls recently arrived from the coast.

The camera caught a striking reflection of fall color surrounding the sand spit, which we hadn't noticed, being focused on the herons, but was a nice surprise.

I've been wishing I had a chipmunk photo -- this one gave me a perfect opportunity, foraging for seeds along the dike's rip-rip banks.

Early morning color

We've had just enough cloud cover lately to tinge the early morning sky. The view of our side garden (from my study and out the bedroom door) is always welcoming.


But it didn't always look like this, and the power of gardening transformed it from a bleak view to one that soothes us.