28/06: Vantage Point
I'm late for West Virginia Day, but I have a good excuse: On that day, June 20, my husband and I were renewing our marriage vows among the wildflowers of Dolly Sods, at 4,000 feet, the highest plateau of its type east of the Mississippi River. We went to the Bear Rocks area of the plateau, a playground of pink tufted shrubs among pots and piles of lichen-covered boulders. Large rock slabs overlook the layered mountain vistas, and we picked one of these for our vantage point on the surrounding beauty and on our 25 years of marriage.
For a brief "link tour," click the text introducing the image, but be sure to use the back arrow to return to the blog. Our rock looked something like THIS, and the plateau landscape, something like THIS. If you want to see what the view looks like right now, check out the Forest Service’s real time image HERE. There is no substitute for being up there yourself, but the feel of the place is best captured for me by my friend and artist/photographer Bruce K. Haley (bkhaleyphotography.com),
:
courtesy of B.K. Haley Photography.
We had a simple ceremony, with nature as our witness. The bride wore white – cargo pants and simple top, that is, enhanced with faux pearls and a wildflower nosegay from the groom (purchased, not picked from those sacred grounds), and the groom wore a white polo with his cargo shorts and hiking boots. First we sat on a rock “couch” overlooking the view and read greetings, memories and poems sent by family and friends, then we stood and shared the vows we had written.
This was our vantage point. We had driven pitted and potholed roads (note to Forest Service: road repair needed!) to get there, but our marriage has driven through pits and rough terrain as well. In fact, on our drive from Charleston the day before, we had one of our characteristic entanglements: airing feelings, misunderstanding, fighting it out until understanding and laughter emerged. Before our ceremony, I had opened a card from a couple close to us: with tears of recognition, I read the first words of Edward Abbey’s poem: “May your trails be crooked…”
I love our crooked trails, the way Barron and I stretch and challenge and drive each other to higher vistas. At 25 years, the view is breathtaking.
For a brief "link tour," click the text introducing the image, but be sure to use the back arrow to return to the blog. Our rock looked something like THIS, and the plateau landscape, something like THIS. If you want to see what the view looks like right now, check out the Forest Service’s real time image HERE. There is no substitute for being up there yourself, but the feel of the place is best captured for me by my friend and artist/photographer Bruce K. Haley (bkhaleyphotography.com),
: courtesy of B.K. Haley Photography.
We had a simple ceremony, with nature as our witness. The bride wore white – cargo pants and simple top, that is, enhanced with faux pearls and a wildflower nosegay from the groom (purchased, not picked from those sacred grounds), and the groom wore a white polo with his cargo shorts and hiking boots. First we sat on a rock “couch” overlooking the view and read greetings, memories and poems sent by family and friends, then we stood and shared the vows we had written.
This was our vantage point. We had driven pitted and potholed roads (note to Forest Service: road repair needed!) to get there, but our marriage has driven through pits and rough terrain as well. In fact, on our drive from Charleston the day before, we had one of our characteristic entanglements: airing feelings, misunderstanding, fighting it out until understanding and laughter emerged. Before our ceremony, I had opened a card from a couple close to us: with tears of recognition, I read the first words of Edward Abbey’s poem: “May your trails be crooked…”
I love our crooked trails, the way Barron and I stretch and challenge and drive each other to higher vistas. At 25 years, the view is breathtaking.
