Do you have a favorite spot that serves as a refuge, a place to which you can retreat and just sit and absorb the natural beauty that surrounds you? This winter I found such a place at a beaver pond in one of the remote corners of my local marshland park, a location reachable only by following a thorny, informal trail that was often muddy and/or icy.
Often I would sit on one of the logs that surrounded one end of the beaver pond for extended periods of time and listen and observe. On occasion I was lucky and managed to get shots of an otter and a red fox from this spot, but mostly I would try to relax and clear my mind and reflect on life (I never managed to see any beavers here).
This spot has really beautiful light and sometimes I would marvel at the beautiful reflections that the trees across the pond would cast onto the water. I tried several times to capture those wonderful reflections with my camera, mostly without success. Last week, though, I took some photos that I like and here are a couple of them. They have an abstract quality that I find to be really appealing.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
These are really nice, Mike. It’s hard to explain the contentment we can achieve… alone with a little bit of time and our cameras.
Everyone needs somtehing like this!
That sounds absolutely wonderful. Not only does look good but you have created some great memories there with the captures you’ve made. How fortunate you are to have a place like that so close to your home. If I lived in the neighbourhood, it would be fun to sit and watch with you for awhile.
That looks like my kind of place,nice to have somewhere like that to just sit and look in peace
I have a few places like this one, and I’m glad that you’ve found one too. It really is great to just sit and re-charge for awhile. I think John Burroughs might have been speaking of just such a place when he said “I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more. ”
I like the tree reflections.
It’s really difficult to find a spot free of people and their dogs. I have nothing against walking dogs, but they really are antithetical to peace and serenity in nature.
I totally agree. This past weekend I had to be very assertive in ordering some teens off of the boardwalk (where dogs are not permitted). They had a pit bull off leash that they let dive into the water and scare off a whole bunch of Canada Geese. It’s hard to find a peaceful spot, but it’s almost heavenly when you can manage to do so.
Good for you. Enjoy every moment at your special spot. Love the reflections.
Thanks. When I am in other places, I am usually constantly scanning, looking for a photo op, but in this spot, I am absolutely ok not taking many (or sometimes any) shots.