Life in the Bristolwood

 We have lived in the Bristolwood for nearly 16 years and we have frequently been to Naples. I was always curious about a little sign along Main Street indicating “Grimes Glen” was to the right….

Carly has a book full of hiking trails throughout New York and Grimes Glen is amongst them. She and her kids explored this little gem last year, so after our first adventure, the kids were agreeable to hike this gorge!

This sign greets wayfarers entering the head of the Grimes Glen trail. I am unsure what, exactly, it means…but, there you have it!

Anyone with an eye for flora would find this area a delight! Of course, how could I pass up a cluster of *blue* Forget-Me-Nots?

Within just a few yards of the entrance (across a bridge in need of a bit of repair) we came upon the most magnificent Trilliums! I have seen these in different colors and I have seen white flowers with red streaks, but this burgundy-colored flower was gorgeous. AND, there were many of them!

 There were so many “Kodak moments” along this pathway! Just look at this stream flowing so beautifully!

And since we are looking, take a gander at this nosegay of Wood Violets! Are they not wonderful?

So, enough of the flowers…How about another waterfall

We wandered a little farther, taking in sights and just enjoying this experience so immensely! One of the boys had to be home to babysit his sisters, so we turned around and headed back….

But as I turned back to drink in the beauty, I whispered, “Oh, I shall be back here again…..trust me!”

The following are more photos from the area I showed last night.  I mentioned we were surrounded by walls of shale and the next two photos are pretty good depictions!

The next photo is of the waterfall we walked to….it was really beautiful, but the kids were tired from the (somewhat) strenuous walk!

Silly me….while the kids rested near the waterfall, I tried out my mountain goat capabilities and climbed upward, thinking perhaps I might get to the top! I did cheat some, using tree roots and trees as “grab bars” to help boost me upward! The problem, however, is clearly evident in the next picture….

 Yeah….I would have to cross over about 5 or 6 feet of loose shale. There were trees below to catch hold of, but I really didn’t think it would be too cool for me to be sliding down this grade if the shale let loose on me! As it was, when my foot wandered on a slippery rock during our excursion, the kids thought I might fall….hahaha  I never even came close!

After a rest, we discovered another ravine next to the first. This one, however, was filled with boulders and tangled messes of trees that had washed along it. As we climbed upward, one of the kids wondered aloud something to the effect that, what if there was a dam  above us that was stopped up and it suddenly opened as we climbed! Needless to say, I wasn’t laughing!

We all stopped and looked, in awe, at this unique waterfall……

It was more of a “veil” than a waterfall!

This was the point where we turned back and went to grab some food. But, our adventure wasn’t over….oh no! Not yet……

Today is Mother’s Day here in the United States, so to all the mothers reading, no matter what part of the world you find yourself in, Happy, Happy Mother’s Day!

It was on Mother’s Day, 2003, that I found myself scurrying about outside, gathering little sticks and branches to use as kindling for a fire in the woodstove. It was raining and a right miserable day! As I walked along one of the paths in the woods, I came upon a small piece of Fabric lying in front of me.  My mind wandered, wondering what the kids were doing with fabric….my fabric!….in the woods!

As I moved closer, I realized that what I was seeing was *not* fabric…..there, at my feet, lay the tiniest little fawn! I stood, peering down upon this perfect little animal, it’s eyes and ears seeming ridiculously huge for the tiny body. It didn’t move a muscle, but looked up at me; I just stood, feeling as though I was looking upon something so very “sacred”….

Since then, I have seen fawns……that same year, I nearly stepped on another one out front along a path. However, I never saw the likes of one seen on that very special Mother’s Day.

It was then that I purposed to always have a camera in my pocket, as my greatest regret was that I was not able to capture that precious experience….only in my mind and with words that seem so bankrupt!

So, I will leave you with a fawn I did capture in June of 2004. This little one was nestled in tall grass beside the drainage ditch in our side “yard”.  It was found there for a few days, and every time I saw it, each time was just so exciting!