Navigator

0805/7th February 2025

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Despite a sombre beginning, Friday turned into a stunner.

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A trip to the supermarket was poorly timed.

As we waited to turn onto the highway, a string of cars came up the road.

Trees were being trimmed in the village, necessitating single-lane traffic, and we just managed to miss a gap.

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Which could hardly matter less, except that the lead car was a putt-putt, so we drove all the way to Greenwich at 35 miles per hour.

Surprisingly, moaning was minimal!

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Offered an outing, I’d almost declined, thinking I ought to attend to chores, but I am weak-willed and decided cleaning could wait.

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After all, we’d not be gone long…

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But coming back through Greenwich, the man made an impromptu left turn…

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The clouds had parted and it was a day to be enjoyed.

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The snow was looking pristine and bright.

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Heading nowhere in particular…

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…there were plenty of pretty views.

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By law, your barn must be red!

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Well no, that’s not true.

But they do look brilliant when it snows.

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Shadows, fence posts and stalks gave definition to fields of snow.

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Endless avenues of trees.

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Similar, but not the same.

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Snow transforms a landscape, concealing every blemish.

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And reflected sunlight brightens a day.

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Before long we were vaguely lost.

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But with the wonder of GPS, we never have to worry.

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Living on Long Island, I had a pretty good idea of what was where as well as the directions of the various main highways.

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But when I went to Seattle in 2000, I was completely unfamiliar with the area and even knowing compass directions didn’t help because often, when getting on a freeway, you had to head west in order to eventually go south, for example.

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Before GPS, I used to write directions on a piece of paper and somehow managed to refer to it as I drove along, which I suppose is what everyone did.

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It was a luxury to have a driver but when I did, I was a pretty good navigator.

If I do say so myself.

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Using a National Geographic atlas, I planned several long road journeys in the Southwest and in the Midwest.

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Those journeys through national parks were so rewarding.

North America is very beautiful.

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Yesterday we suddenly found ourselves back at the abandoned rail cars again.

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Then we knew we were almost home.

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Windy weather bends icicles!

Friday morning.

5 thoughts on “Navigator

  1. Thank you, Carolyn, for your efforts to present the winter landscape as beautiful, although today I learned something new, the wind can make icicles bend! Your photography is wonderful at any time of the year but in winter you see what makes the picture perfect. Your description makes me see too. Thank you!

    Joanna

  2. Those snowy landscapes look their best when there are gorgeous blue skies above. I think that is the most traffic I have seen on one of your country roads.
    Best wishes, Pete.

  3. Ha, that has to be the most cars I’ve ever seen in one picture on your blog! As you said, ‘plenty of pretty views’ … I hardly know where to look, each photo is more beautiful than the last. I support the “law” of red barns – it fits perfectly with the white snow!

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