An unapologetic plant geek shares advice and opinions on gardening, the contrived and the natural landscape, as well as occasional topics from the other side of the gate.

July 20, 2011

The Prodigal Church-goer

I work just about every Sunday and miss out on my favorite day of the week.  Even today in the age of 24 hour everything, it still feels like the least stressful day of the week.  Growing up, my family usually slept in later on Sundays, without a list of chores awaiting us like Saturday.  My father would take us to church around 10 for Sunday school, and mom would follow later, as she was always on the choir's schedule.  After Sunday school everyone would go to the sanctuary for singing and preachin',  which was normally over around noon (always an eternity for me). We would then head home, shed stiff clothing and eat Sunday dinner, usually the best meal of the week.  For most of those years Virginia still had Blue Laws, and the only businesses that could open on Sundays were restaurants and convenience stores.  I am not an especially religious person, but I fondly remember this quiet, family-centric day.  These days working Sundays means missing some great brunches and discounted Bloody Marys (one of my favorite beverages and a legitimate excuse to drink before noon) at local restaurants.

So on the last day of my mini-vacation earlier in the month, I found my self with the rare Sunday off, my first of the year.  I did not wake up intent on attending church, but on my morning walk, church found me as I walked along the shore of Metompkin Bay.

Between the Cedars

Metompkin Sunrise (3)

Spartina

Penny Looks

Shadow Cedar 2

Glowing Spartina (3)

Webbed (5)

Loretta Under the Hackberry

Lang Farm Road

If you would like to see all of my recent Eastern Shore pictures just click here.  I have also added a new label to this blog called "Making Time for Church" which will take you to other places or times where the spirit moved me.

29 comments:

  1. Morning walks are the best and your post shows this perfectly. The quiet, the dew, early morning neighbors.
    wonderful
    nellie

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  2. Extraordinary morning, extraordinary photos.

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  3. That was a great sermon, Brother Les! The choir did a pretty good job too.

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  4. Splendid light, like a dream...

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  5. Gorgeous morning. Gorgeous photos. That's my kind of church.

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  6. Les, really amazing photos and homily.

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  7. Les,
    These are wonderful and soothing images.

    I spent my last Sunday painting Meg's classroom, not my ideal of relaxing. We should be raising taxes so classrooms do not have to be painted by teachers and their family! Pretty sick of the whole situation. School started today....

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  8. My idea of church! I don't why anyone would want to be stuck indoors when you have this instead.

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  9. Best church ever. I do like the shot of the spider web with the sunlight gleeming off the silk. Beautiful. Happy Sunday off!

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  10. Amen! Church always finds me on the Eastern Shore...

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  11. Now that is the kind of church I would happily go to every day. Beautiful images, you capture the light so wonderfully.

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  12. Heavenly Les! A new day song. Gorgeous photography. Cherished moments. Sweet companion too.

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  13. Incredible photos, as always. Sounds like you had an amazing day!

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  14. your dog beside the cornfield with the sun coming through the trees on the other side of the road is just perfect. i really love that. early in the morning is a good time to hear the angels sing...thanks for the beautiful reminder.

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  15. Lovely as always. We all need to take time to relax and smell the roses. Maybe you should rename one of your actual days off Sunday.

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  16. Did you find John in the wilderness?

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  17. You were definitely up early! I remember and to some extent miss Blue Laws. Certainly you had to do more planning ahead since stores were not open but it also meant more folks had a Sunday kind of experience. I loved the quiet and slowness of the day. And I personally attend the Church of the Back Garden.

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  18. Queste foto sono una poesia! Bellissime. Ciao Audrie.

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  19. Oh my goodness what beautiful photographs. Really reminds me of walking my first dog and how wonderful it was to go out early before the rest of the world woke, just me, her and nature. Thanks for the memory nudge.

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  20. Stunning photos, Les! I'll take Nature over any manmade structure for spirituality.

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  21. Wow, you outdid yourself with the photos on this posting. Talk about inspirational! I haven't decided if you only take excellent photos or you only share excellent photos. Either way, I come away admiring your art...

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  22. The Eastern Shore has never looked prettier. There's something special about having a do-nothing Sunday. I try not to schedule anything on Sunday and to turn off computer and iPad. I like to make calls to friends and family I haven't chatted with in weeks. Otherwise, no agenda. Thanks for reminding me how good those days are and how we need them more often that we think.

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  23. You were provided with inspiration from nature but your photography is National Geo quality! Any of them could be the magazine's cover. Wow!

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  24. These are your best pictures ever!!! I remember Sundays well growing up--roast beef and pork in teh afternoon with frozen dinner rolls, canned cranberry, and warm 7up in plastic cups. Then swimming. Good family memories. Thought you'd like to know. Right.

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  25. I'm a member of that church! Beautiful series of photos.

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  26. Thank you everyone for taking the time to comment. Your compliments make my head swell.

    Les

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  27. I found your blog in an internet search but almost didn't visit because the summary extracted words that made it sound ultra-religious. Well, I'm glad I came -- I'm with you and many other posters on finding the spiritual in nature. (Once, when I told a kinda-friend that a tree in my backyard moved me in a way that no cathedral man has erected to honor God could, she made some trite comment that "naturist" views or the like were a hallmark of primitive, i.e. inferior, religious beliefs.)

    Your photos are outstanding!

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  28. bfish,
    thank you for pushing past the summary extractions. you will find no dogma or creeds here.

    les

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  29. Les, One of your strengths as a photographer has to be composition. I am always blown away by the way in which you compose a scene. Amazing!

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