Laura in the Woods - 50with50 No. 8
Enjoying Nature
Laura enjoys some time in nature during a recent walk in the woods at our house. This is the 8th entry in the 50with50 series.
Over the past weekend, we had a Saturday to ourselves, as Jaylin was away on a church youth group trip. We had talked about what we might do. We narrowed it down to a couple of choices: going hiking somewhere, or staying home and watching movies. It was a tough choice. But in the end, we decided to combine the two into one.
Instead of driving away to a state park somewhere, we decided to just go for a walk through the woods behind our house. And then after that was done, we watched Frozen II, too. Hiking and a movie, and we didn’t even have to leave home!
It has been quite a while since we went for a walk in our woods. During the summer months, everything is overgrown, and it is difficult to get around in there. Plus, there is poison ivy everywhere, and probably snakes, too. In the winter, it is usually too cold and too wet to be able to stay out there for any time at all and enjoy it, because we just are not cold weather people.
But on this particular Saturday, it was just about perfect. As you can see, it was warm enough that we did not need to wear coats. It was actually just a little cool, but once we started walking, we warmed up nicely. And there was no poison ivy that we saw. And no snakes, either.
Leaving Nature Natural
From the time that we moved out to where we live now, we have talked about putting in a walking trail through the woods. We have even made a slight start of it a time or two. But there are a couple of problems with that:
- It takes time and work to clear a path.
- It takes time and work to keep the path clear once you have cleared it.
We are not opposed to working at all. That is not the issue. Our issue is having time to do it, and then having time to keep doing it. Maybe one of these days when we have fewer responsibilities, we can try it again. But right now, we just enjoy having the woods there, and we enjoy the times that we do get to go walk through them. Nature in its natural state.
At times like this, I usually find myself saying, “Stupid Adam and Eve.” After all, if you read the story of the fall in Genesis 3, thorns and thistles were apparently not in the Garden of Eden until after Adam and Eve messed up. I think of how nice it would be to walk through the woods without the growth being so thick (or poisonous).
But then I remember that we are all weak, and none of us is totally immune to temptation. If it hadn’t been them, it would have been someone else. Or even me. So we can’t blame them for the growth in our woods and the need for lawnmowers.
But we can enjoy those few days when we don’t have to worry about those things (as much, because we did still have some run-ins with some thorns). God’s creation is still beautiful. Just like he intended it to be.
Bible Verse
For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. - Romans 5:17
About the Photo
All that shiny stuff behind Laura is actually not water. That is the sun reflecting off the leaves that fell off of the trees in the fall. The bokeh effect of having the aperture of the 50mm lens wide open makes the background blurry so that you almost can’t tell what it is. But yes, those are leaves. Not even wet leaves just leaves reflecting the sunlight.
I knew when we went walking in the woods that I wanted to get some 50with50 photos, and I thought Laura would be a perfect subject for some of those photos, with nature as a perfect backdrop. This turned out just like I wanted.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Aurora HDR. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: SonyFE 50mm f/1.8
Date: February 29, 2020
Location: Home, Williston, Tennessee
