April Visit to Lake Lurleen State Park: Focus on the Lake!
April 19, 2023 I arrived about noon at Alabama’s Lake Lurleen State Park, then departed April 20 after a morning meeting of the Alabama State Parks Foundation Board. I focus this Post on the splendor of the lake the first afternoon and snippets I captured at sunrise the next morning during a quick encounter lakeside before my departure.
The lake did not disappoint, a seamless drape of sky and water.
My hollow words sometimes add little incremental value to my photographs and videos. Such is clearly the case with the cerulean sky, rippled water, and scenic shoreline. My two-minute noon video speaks volumes.
The chattering barn swallows surging from their nests under the dock add a celebratory touch to the scene.
Every view along the lakeside trail is framed by shoreline trees.
The water and sky offer a perfect complementary match!
My 1:48 video captures the lakeside beauty, magic, wonder, awe, and inspiration of Lake Lurleen State Park.
Never one to miss a dawn in Nature, I found another day of joy at 7:15 AM. One lovely day simply transitioned to another. No, perfect weather is not the rule at any of our parks, yet one should never be surprised when perfection make a repeat performance. John Muir expressed the day’s radiance:
The sun shines not on us but in us.
My 1:36 sunrise video simply amplified the ambience.
Wisps of morning mist rose from the still-spring-cool water (below right). A single swallow, among the many greeting the morning, is silhouetted against the sky (below right).
Edward Abbey likewise appreciated the magic of brilliant sunshine:
There is beauty, heartbreaking beauty, everywhere.
I suppose the domestic grey geese, cavorting noisily near the park headquarters, likewise saw value in the new day.
My 30-second video captured their new day welcome.
My Lake Lurleen Post offers little ecological insight, explores no wildland mystery, nor reveals any deep forest secrets. Instead, it highlights the special delights of a brief late spring amble lakeside at Lake Lurleen State Park, a west-central Alabama gem.
Alabama State Parks Foundation
Thoughts and Reflections
I offer these observations:
- There is beauty, heartbreaking beauty, everywhere. (Edward Abbey)
- The sun shines not on us but in us. (John Muir)
- Nothing exceeds the magic, inspiration, and sacred spirit of a placid lake surrounded by forest.
Inhale and absorb Nature’s elixir. May Nature Inspire, Inform, and Reward you!
Note: All blog post images created & photographed by Stephen B. Jones unless otherwise noted. Please circulate images with photo credit: “©2023 Steve Jones, Great Blue Heron LLC. All Rights Reserved.”
Another Note: If you came to this post via a Facebook posting or by an another route, please sign up now (no cost… no obligation) to receive my Blog Post email alerts: http://eepurl.com/cKLJdL
And a Third: I am available for Nature-Inspired Speaking, Writing, and Consulting — contact me at steve.jones.0524@gmail.com
Reminder of my Personal and Professional Purpose, Passion, and Cause
If only more of us viewed our precious environment through the filters I employ. If only my mission and vision could be multiplied untold orders of magnitude:
Mission: Employ writing and speaking to educate, inspire, and enable readers and listeners to understand, appreciate, and enjoy Nature… and accept and practice Earth Stewardship.
Vision:
- People of all ages will pay greater attention to and engage more regularly with Nature… and will accept and practice informed and responsible Earth Stewardship.
- They will see their relationship to our natural world with new eyes… and will understand more clearly their Earth home.
Tagline/Motto: Steve (Great Blue Heron) encourages and seeks a better tomorrow through Nature-Inspired Living!
Steve’s Three Books
I wrote my books Nature Based Leadership (2016), Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading (2017), and Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits: Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature (2019; co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Wilhoit) to encourage all citizens to recognize and appreciate that every lesson for living, learning, serving, and leading is either written indelibly in or is powerfully inspired by Nature.
I began writing books and Posts for several reasons:
- I love hiking and exploring in Nature
- I see images I want to (and do) capture with my trusty iPhone camera
- I enjoy explaining those images — an educator at heart
- I don’t play golf!
- I actually do love writing — it’s the hobby I never needed when my career consumed me
- Judy suggested my writing is in large measure my legacy to our two kids, our five grand kids, and all the unborn generations beyond
- And finally, perhaps my books and Blogs could reach beyond family and touch a few other lives… sow some seeds for the future
All three of my books (Nature Based Leadership; Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading; Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) present compilations of personal experiences expressing my (and co-author Dr. Wilhoit for Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) deep passion for Nature. All three books offer observations and reflections on my relationship to the natural world… and the broader implications for society. Order any and all from your local indie bookstore, or find them on IndieBound or other online sources such as Amazon and LifeRich.
