R back from Portland with visits to Tacoma and Seattle. We visited Smith Woods yesterday afternoon. Smith Woods is a true jewel, a fairyland of old growth trees, perfect undergrowth with streams of golden light penetrating the places the old trees have died with the new trees growing. On the web, Smith Woods is described by Marvin Pritts as:
Smith Woods, an old-growth forest next to the village of Trumansburg, now has a trail that allows visitors to access the woods to view the enormous trees that it contains. One trail runs through the middle of the woods and another traverses the perimeter. The combined distance is only one mile, but what a spectacular mile it is! Some sections of the trail are a little wet, especially the eastern side of the woods. Because the trail is new, the paths are not worn so follow the red or yellow ribbons. The trail is mostly flat and easy to walk. The easiest access point is by the Smith Woods sign along Rt. 96 by the ShurSave, across from the Fairgrounds.
Why do you think this walk or trail is special and why would others also enjoy it?
Only 0.6% of forests in the East can be categorized as "old growth" - most forests have been heavily logged in the past. Smith Woods is a prime example of a forest that has been minimally disturbed by human activities. As a result, some trees live hundreds of years and die of old age. A recently fallen hemlock was aged to 1663. The Cayuga Nature Center now manages the woods and established the trail in early 2006. Twenty-three species of trees are labeled and the birthdates of several are included. Along the trail are yellow poplars 130 feet tall, red oaks 10 ft in circumference, and a rare cucumber magnolia that is approximately 100 feet tall. This is a very special trail because it allows visitors to see what forests would have looked like when Europeans first visited North America, and one can also learn to identify trees from their bark in winter. The trail is also easily walked by young children and is very accessible.
Cayuga Nature Center beautifullly describes this lovely place>>
Monkeying with the Hartford Blog. Close. Maybe by end of day tomorrow. Looking good. I am really fired up by the opportunities available with blogging on the Word Press platform. The customizable choices of pre-designed templates for plain blogs up to blogs that resemble complex websites. At what point does a blog touch websites?
I have some Christmas projects on deck! Now we know that I am not crazy when July rolls around and the pen starts scribing angels, santas and wreaths. Maybe I should change my thesis to Christmas Crap. An illustrator could work all day and night , 365 days a year and make a viable living being the king/queen of Christmas. There's a thought. I would rather consider other options (like driving a school bus or working in a school cafeteria).