Not Just for Honeymooners

Writing Taunts – Describe your first memorable experience exploring and spending time in nature. Were you in awe? Or were you not impressed? Would you rather spend time in the forest or the city?

Photographers, artists, and poets: show us NATURE.

Having been born a city girl – Chicago to be exact, one might think I had no appreciation for nature or its power to influence mankind. I have my father to thank for the introduction to nature at its most natural, finest examples.

Every summer during my childhood, Dad would load up the sedan with all six children and head off for Knowlton, Wisconsin to the small farm where he grew up and his mother and brother still lived. There were farm animals, fresh milk and cream, barn cats, acres and acres of woods, cow pastures, the silo, hay stacks, a chicken coop… even an old outhouse. It was a real, true-to-life, operational farm. The woods were virgin and when walking through them, one knew to be aware that we were trespassing upon various wildlife homes, including black bear territory.

The farm is long-gone now, as are the farm animals and possibly many of the forest residents since human encroachment keeps expanding.

I have no photographs of the woods to share. But, I do have a photograph of another, powerful place of nature I visited and was awestruck. It is actually a Natural Wonder, Niagara Falls.