In Search of a Wall...

I've enjoyed using Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus as my inspiration for my Saturday blogging. This week's cue was The wall was built long ago. It seemed easy enough...I should have been able to find an old wall to photograph. 

So off I went in my mind, thinking about where I might find an old crumbling stone wall...something with character and lots of history. A wall in which the stones were so old that they were shattering into thin layers with small plants growing in the cracks.

A typical Saturday with more things to do than hours in which to do them, the day seemed to be getting away from me with no photos. Finally I asked my husband, who is my best photo scout, to help me find something old and dilapidated, but picturesque to photograph. As we headed off to find my wall, he suggested that we go see a stream he had seen earlier in the day while taking his dirt bike for a ride. I have to admit I was something less than enthusiastic, as I was feeling driven to complete my self-imposed assignment, but I agreed.

He took me to a spot I had not been before. It is less than a half mile from our house...it was stunningly beautiful in the early evening light. The trees curved gently up and back to the ground creating almost mystical arches. The ground was soft with blue bells growing everywhere. A stream was coursing down the hillside toward the valley below. I was immediately captivated by the beauty of this secret place.

I still hadn't found my wall, although this magical place had been planned as a development, and the trees in a way were intended to be a wall, separating individual properties from each other. And in a way, created by unseen hands, the wall was built long ago. Thankfully (from my perspective), when the economy took its downward turn, the development never came to fruition, and there was no need for any wall. 

The dogs, as always, loved the freedom to explore. They bounced through the field of flowers, ran through the stream, sniffed anything and everything they came across and even sampled a plant or two. 

And my husband, my friend, my scout, my greatest supporter, enjoyed sitting in the sun while I lost myself in photographing this lovely scene. He truly is a blessing in my life.

Satisfied even without the wall photo I had been seeking, we headed home, making a quick stop at the store to pick up some items for dinner. As we left the store, I looked to the right and saw an old garage with a badly sagging side... it was clear that the wall was built a long time ago.