Eastern River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna concinna (I think))
Button Bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
The Sherpa Girls
In places there were swamp rose (Rosa palustris) petals littering the water's surface. Many of the plants found a home in the rotting trunks of trees long gone.
Common Spatterdock (Nuphar lutea ssp. advena)
Your Humble Blogger
Although I did not take any pictures of it, the new visitor's center at Merchants Millpond is worth a mention. It is an LEED building that harvests its rainwater, is built with recycled materials, takes advantage of passive solar, has no-flush urinals (that do not stink), has a great view and is quite attractive. If you are interested, here is an on-line article about the building with a slide show. This is the same building where you rent canoes and kayaks, and the Sherpas were able to enjoy 4 hours in a two-person Cadillac of a kayak for a mere pittance of $14. Bargains like this are few these days.
The pond can be lovely at night too.
Normally when I make time for church it is a solitary affair, occasionally a dog may join, but it was nice to have some company in the cathedral.
Wonderful! My great-grandfather Michael operated the mill at Merchants. He and two brothers immigrated from Wales around 1865, and he somehow made his way to Gates County. My aunt says she still recalls the lilt of his Welsh accent. Thanks for this great photo set!
ReplyDeleteWow, How beautiful and calm looking! Your photographs are fantastic. I would think that in a place like that you might be eaten alive by mosquito's.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos indeed! This is worth to visit. Thanks a lot for sharing such page.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was mosquitoes too, but the scenery is worth a bite or two. Interesting tress grow there.
ReplyDeleteI can why you'd worship at that cathedral. Stunning! The trees appear to be floating. I love that image of the dragonfly on the kayak. I'd sooner the gators kept their distance myself. I'm camping in Baxter State Park in Maine later this summer for some hiking and canoeing. Nothing like communing with nature.
ReplyDeleteLove the Spatterdock! Is it a relative of water lilly. Also, I imagine there is an entertaining reason for that common name.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, know it was a great trip. Those nightime pictures are really nice...love seeing the stars.
ReplyDeleteI never thought you'd have swamps like that in North Carolina ! Reminds me of the everglades. I'm sure your guests were suitably impressed.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous, but is that last photo really night or the previous photo turned upside down and cropped? I think you cheated to see if anyone would notice.
ReplyDeleteOh, Les, this is my kind of church. Hallelujah!
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat to come along on your divine journey. It was spiritual.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious whether you took your good camera on your paddle. I've lost a couple of cell phones overboard while kayaking so just wondered!
That's quite a beautiful outing. So much to see for sure! It looks quite tranquil too.
ReplyDeleteNot sure why but your comment on my blog this morning disappeared. Thanks for letting me know what happened at the nursery.
The trees are just so wonderful with those unique shapes. Beautiful pictures you have captured for us and at that price, I am surprised the water is not full of floaters!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are beautiful -- they definitely make me want to visit Merchants Millpond.
ReplyDeleteI'm dismayed by your last photo, though, which is clearly not a nighttime image, but as Carolyn pointed out, a manipulated copy of the previous shot. Things like that can really compromise a reader's trust in a blogger's reliability.
Michael,
ReplyDeleteI am glad I could prompt a family memory for you. When I was a young teen I had a grass cutting business and one of my best customers was Welsh. I loved to listen to her speak.
Ruth,
Believe it or not there were no mosquitoes. However, we stopped for lunch at a campground and despite me being very careful with what I touched, and a heavy coat of DEET, I still came home with chiggers.
OS,
Thank you for your comment.
Donna,
Many of the trees are not necessarily aquatic, but have learned to adapt.
Sarah,
I do not so much worship as I commune. I hope you have a great time at Baxter. Please take lots of photos for blog fodder.
Jason,
Unfortunately I do not know the spatterdocks origins, but is has many other common names and seems to be fairly widespread.
Janet,
I was indeed a great trip.]
Sybil,
We have swamps like this in Va. too, and I have seen this type of ecosystem as far north as Maryland and Delaware.
Carolyn,
It was a friendly cheat with the photographer taking artistic license. But apparently not everyone appreciates such gestures.
Chavliness,
Nice to have you in the choir!
Annie,
One of my delayed Christmas presents was a waterproof case for my good camera. This was its first test, but I was still petrified that something might happen to the camera. Fortunately this body of water is for paddle traffic only, no speed boats or jet skis.
Tina,
Who know the ways of blogger comments? We will need to ask the wizard when we get to Emerald City.
Skeeter,
Some of the trees looked too much like people.
Anonymous,
I am glad you took the time to comment. However, I thought it would have been obvious that the photographer was taking a little license. There are several examples throughout the history of this blog where I have only shown the watery reflection as a subject and not the actual subject. It is just how I see things.
Les
Hi Les, Thanks for taking us along with your guests. Great images as always. I find the bulbous looking tree trunks fascinating. Is that to do with the fact that they grow standing in water? Whatever the reason they look quite pre-historic. I love that last shot of the stars.It is the perfect ending for your post.
ReplyDeleteThese are great photos, Les. I really love the subject.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely my idea of church:) The trees and area are pieces of art....but the star filled night is the icing on the cake. Very magical.
ReplyDelete