Thursday, November 12, 2009

the golden portal

on a recent bike ride,
i was flying along
the trail.

the wind in my tail.

i saw
a golden glow
up ahead.


is this it?
is this the portal?


riding closer
i saw that in fact
it was a carpet of golden needles


and i knew
that it was a portal
~
to beauty
at

38 comments:

  1. KathleenNovember 12, 2009 at 12:36 AM

    I love portals to beauty! Thank you for sharing your find today. BTW: Gave you a little shout-out in my post today. No work involved...just wanted to you to know how much I enjoy your blog! Be well!

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  2. AcornmoonNovember 12, 2009 at 3:35 AM

    A case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

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  3. ellen abbottNovember 12, 2009 at 4:33 AM

    It does look like a glow of light up ahead. What a wonderful picture.

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  4. JinksyNovember 12, 2009 at 6:19 AM

    Lovely!

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  5. Tess KincaidNovember 12, 2009 at 6:32 AM

    A golden portal of beauty! There are a few days in October when the huge pines at WM drop their needles. It's spectacular. The grass is covered in an autumnal amber blanket.

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  6. DelwynNovember 12, 2009 at 6:32 AM

    and you rode through the portal...
    and into a world of splendour...
    Happy days

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  7. Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed.November 12, 2009 at 6:53 AM

    What a magical discovery Steven! The shot from the furthest distance simply glows . . . Did you fall in?

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  8. BarryNovember 12, 2009 at 7:02 AM

    Wonderful post Steven. Nice imagery. It certainly was a portal to beauty.

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  9. Golden WestNovember 12, 2009 at 7:14 AM

    Isn't it nice that we don't have to wait for eternity to spend time with God, but can do it right here on Earth?

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  10. stevenNovember 12, 2009 at 8:04 AM

    hi kathleen, thankyou for the generous mnetion and i'm glad you enjoyed your visit. have a peaceful day. steven

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  11. stevenNovember 12, 2009 at 8:05 AM

    hello acornmoon, there's very little i can't find a degree of beauty in!!! have a lovely day. steven

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  12. stevenNovember 12, 2009 at 8:06 AM

    hi ellen, the day was overcast and chilly but a beautiful ride all the same. i saw this scene going both ways - out and back - and i was taken by the detail of colour inside the mat of golden needles. click on the pics and they'll fill your screen so you can see what i saw. steven

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  13. stevenNovember 12, 2009 at 8:06 AM

    thankyou very much jinksy!!!! i agree. steven

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  14. stevenNovember 12, 2009 at 8:07 AM

    hi willow, i love the drop and i love the time in summer forests when the ground is littered with old warm smelling needles that are actually soft under bare feet. have a lovely day at the manor. steven

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  15. stevenNovember 12, 2009 at 8:07 AM

    ha willow - you read my mind!!! have a lovely day by the river. steven

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  16. stevenNovember 12, 2009 at 8:10 AM

    hello bonnie - i feel when i'm biking along paths or in the countryside - as if i am inside the landscape. really truly, as if i am looking around at the big and the small. it's a good thing that i am able to leave my body alone to do the biking. have a lovely day. steven

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  17. stevenNovember 12, 2009 at 8:11 AM

    hi barry - i'm really glad you got to enjoy what i saw and shared. have a peaceful day. steven

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  18. stevenNovember 12, 2009 at 8:11 AM

    golden west - those are really beautiful words. thankyou for framing all of this so nicely. steven

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  19. Dan GurneyNovember 12, 2009 at 8:32 AM

    ...and instead of riding our bicycles as you do, so many of us blithely hop into our cars, adding to global warming, and thinking ourselves to be fortunate not to have to walk or ride our bikes, blissfully unaware of the poverty of our choices.

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  20. stevenNovember 12, 2009 at 8:53 AM

    hi dan . . . i make no judgements about people who drive cars. we're on a bridge between what has worked, what we recognize doesn't work and what we need to make this work. the bike is a lovely machine but difficult for many in terms of the physical requirements, comfort, seasonal challenges and so on.
    so it will need work, as will cars, infrastructure and so on. i'm eternally optimistic!!!! thanks for this dan. steven

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  21. Verily I go.November 12, 2009 at 9:26 AM

    Magical.

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  22. DervishNovember 12, 2009 at 11:07 AM

    that is spectacularly beautiful. i like the first image best, where it seems surreal and unexplainable.

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  23. Reya MellickerNovember 12, 2009 at 11:48 AM

    Wow! This is exquisite, Steven. I believe it IS a portal, not only to beauty but who knows what?

    Every time I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, when i lived in San Francisco, I felt I was traveling past a big ole portal, whoa! I completely understand why people jump off that bridge. It feels like you could be in the next universe in a flat second. Not that I ever wanted to jump off, but I could feel the proximity of the portal.

    So sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. May she fly high.

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  24. FrikoNovember 12, 2009 at 12:44 PM

    you have a wonderful journey to work and it is even more wonderful, that you have eyes to see the beauty.
    Thank you for sharing these beauties with us.

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  25. KayNovember 12, 2009 at 1:26 PM

    hi steven...where do you want your portal to take you??...we have lots of larch trees about us that make a golden carpet too...have a lovely day..kay

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  26. The Weaver of GrassNovember 12, 2009 at 1:59 PM

    What a lovely way of putting it Steven.

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  27. Stacey J. WarnerNovember 12, 2009 at 2:19 PM

    so amazing what nature offers us...it was a portal.

    much love

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  28. hopeNovember 12, 2009 at 7:25 PM

    What type of tree drops such interesting needles? The only golden glow like that here are the Ginkgo Trees, which turn a beautiful yellow,then all the leaves drop off simultaneously, almost overnight.

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  29. Margaret PangertNovember 12, 2009 at 10:23 PM

    The golden portal is beautiful, Steven! I would love to step through it.

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  30. stevenNovember 13, 2009 at 6:49 AM

    hi veruly, thankyou very much. it really felt that way for me. steven

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  31. stevenNovember 13, 2009 at 6:51 AM

    hey reya, thanks for that! she was a small, strong woman. i really liked her a lot. steven

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  32. stevenNovember 13, 2009 at 6:52 AM

    hi friko - as much as possible i try to ride with my eyes wide open. i'm always looking and watching at the same time. have a peaceful day. steven

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  33. stevenNovember 13, 2009 at 6:54 AM

    kay that's a very cool question - there are many places it could take me. it took me to one - appreciating the ever presence of beauty around me. otherwise, a warm, quiet cabin by a lake for a year hiatus of writing, painting, reading and being would be nice!!!!
    thanks for asking. steven

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  34. stevenNovember 13, 2009 at 6:54 AM

    thankyou very much weaver. steven

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  35. stevenNovember 13, 2009 at 6:55 AM

    stacey j. there are portals of this nature all over aren't there?!!! have a peaceful day. steven

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  36. stevenNovember 13, 2009 at 6:56 AM

    hello hope. i believe it's a larch. the effect at a distance of that tree was amazing - especially through the mist on my way "out" on this ride. have a lovely day. steven

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  37. stevenNovember 13, 2009 at 6:56 AM

    margaret - i bet there are portals of beauty all over where you live. just spend a moment truly immersed in it and - off you go!! have a lovely day. steven

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  38. Crafty Green PoetNovember 14, 2009 at 10:07 AM

    this is a lovely portal!

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