Rock Hollow

Every place has history
if you listen well
rocks and trees whisper
all have stories to tell

From water falls

to swimming holes

flowers, ferns and moss

beauty feeds the soul

I never walk alone

dogs are always there

I can feel the ancestors

in the land and in the air

From deep hidden spaces

to magnificent falls

the place renews my spirit

places both large and small

For Open Link at dVerse~Poets Pub

and Imaginary Garden With Real Toads

Getting My God Fix...

I love and respect the land.  I think sometimes I can be closer to God in the middle of His Creation than in any man made building.  I needed my fix.  I walked to my favorite place, Rock Hollow.

I stumbled.

I tripped

but I kept going.

I looked back and knew life was like this journey.  You may not think you can make the climb, sometimes you trip and think of giving up but somehow you reach deep within yourself and accomplish just what you needed to do.  

That reaching is what makes life good.

My Winter Walk

At The Farm you can't really see the lay of the land unless there is the contrast of snow with the trees.  After viewing the hills around me in the valley I know why it was chosen through the years as a Native American campsite.

Fresh running water and

flat lands with rolling hills on all sides 

made this valley perfect for anyone's home.

I wandered to Rock Hollow.

It was not a safe day to climb.

The snow showed me how hidden

the valley and the people here would be.

It was an Ariat day.

No, still haven't found that new pair of rubber boots.

I'm grateful the foresight of my ancestors

allows me to call this peaceful valley My Home.

After The Rain...

The waters have receded.

The flood height is shown by the leaves.

May Apples are coming up right on time.

Another dry ditch where the leaves mark the water lines.

Rock Hollow

called me.

I answered the call.

We explored.

Returning from my walk

I emptied my pockets.

Trekking

The rains came and came.  The sky filled with light shows to rival the Fourth of July Celebrations.  We oohed and ahhhed with great enjoyment through the evening Saturday night.  Reports of tornadoes flew on radio waves but I centered on the roar of the storm and loved the simple beauty and the power of it.

The modern in me wanted internet and phone but the storms left and took that access with them.  I really didn't mind because I planned on viewing Rock Hollow in the beauty of the rain.

With reports of rain and sleet from Hubby and after a few false starts I headed out. 

I wanted to see the swollen water of Rock Hollow.  To see the full volume I should have explored in the dark.  By the time I reached the stream bed the water had begun to recede.  It was as beautiful as I had imagined.

The sheer majesty of this place seems to make it magical.

I climbed up the hollow, watching my feet carefully.  The waters had washed away  much fall debris.  The wet beauty of the rocks with lichen and mosses was indescribable. Normally a dry hollow it was filled with run-off from the night's rain.  I did not see the fullness that was but could see the path of the flood along the bank.

I like to think once there may have been live water here tumbling swiftly as it does this Sunday.

The dogs explored, jumped the stream and sometimes waded.  I think my enjoyment was contagious. They were smiling with me.

I discovered at the top the path is changing as it has many times I imagine.  The Majesty of Rock Hollow always renews me.  It reminds me that our Earth is ever renewing and ever changing as we should be.

Something told me to follow it to the creek.

So I followed the Rock Hollow run off until there were no more boulders.  The water ran clear and swift and cold on its path to the sea.  I stood at the point where Rock Hollow joined the main creek and wondered how I could survive the beauty of the Grand Canyon if I was this excited over a few rocks here At The Farm.

Rock Hollow Called Me...

So I listened.

Found a feather on the way

and placed it in my hair.

It was cloudy when I started.

All the way I prayed for rain.

I entered my favorite place and was saddened.  The tornado and the ice storms of years past have left damage.  No rains have fallen big enough to wash the debris away.  It's still my favorite place, just harder to navigate.  Rock Hollow carries the rain fall to the creek below and is home for many living things.  I kept my eye out for snakes with camera in hand.

The Poison Oak was healthy and the ferns still grew so there had to be some moisture deep in the ground.  On top it was dry.  I slipped in leaves, I clung to rocks, I crossed logs and climbed to my heart's content.

The farm trio found something interesting.

To give you some perspective,

the rocks here are huge.

Then I fell...

This is the view from where I lay.

I'm still enjoying the beauty

 but now my behind is hurting.

I thinking, Oh, no, I didn't tell anyone where I was going.  I want my ashes scattered here so I was happy to lie there for a minute or two letting my body tell me if it was okay.  I may not have gotten the rain I prayed for but a Higher Power was watching after me.  Above is where I fell...right in the spot that has no big rocks, plumped my behind right into the safe zone.  Guardian Angel or dumb luck?  You decide.  Oh, I'm okay, I'll be bruised but I'm not broken.

My little tumble was from here to there.

I was hot and rested.

Taking in the beauty of my favorite spot...

Rock Hollow.

These puppies were glad to be home.



A Walk

Daddy used to say he was closer to God in the woods than in any church. Today I went to Daddy's church.

I will not speak of the devastation but only of the beauty I saw today. Sometimes we just have to look past that and see the truth of things to come.

My favorite place on the entire farm is the Rock Hollow. Hollow is self explanatory but the beauty is unimaginable. Look past the downed trees.  Look for the beauty.

I went alone but not really.
The dogs kept me company and I felt companions I did not see.

The water moved gently through cracks and crevices, the only source was the past rain. Was it ever live water and did it tumble to the creek on its path to the ocean?

I stopped to look over the valley. Although it has changed, it is still beautiful. I tried not to see what we lost but what we have.

The saddle tree survived and I rode as have three generations or more.

I even played with the timer on my camera.

Wish you could have been there. It was heavenly!