a braid, of sorts

well.

yesterday.

i live about an hour's drive from tupper lake.

to visit the park (adirondack forest preserve)

i drive through vast stretches of forest,

known as the five ponds wilderness area

when i moved to the north country

35 years ago, i landed in star lake

down the road from tupper lake.

where, yesterday, i journeyed

to wind up at the WILD CENTER.

the meander path 

is human made and 

tinted with the iron of our geology

(there were iron ore mines closeby)

and textured with the trees.

  i left the camera in the car

so when i returned later to photograph, the bright light had 

turned to 

rain, so photos were challenging.

 the attention to detail everywhere

shake you up.

 these hold my hand nicely,

which surprised me.

 this!

 it's simple really

 but so beautiful

this architecture...

 so like outside

 in the small theater 

i sat in a fine seat

ready for a talk

given by robin wall kimmerer.

she spoke in story and science words

and read from braiding sweetgrass.

she held a braid of sweetgrass as she spoke to us, 

showed us pictures, 

asked us for our questions,

prompted some answers...

i introduced myself after

 (i'd brought my book)

but i'm afraid my copy is full of book marks and notes 

and from her talk i made more notes

 i did ask her to sign it for me

 she graciously did. 

i thought about her words

all the way home

through cranberry lake

and to my new home near the blue line.

when you get to meet someone you 

respect so much,

well it can be a watershed moment: 

it was.

it became evident to me that this woman 

is a teacher, and it would be such a fine thing

to be her student

at ESF in syracuse.

but for me, i will read her words

try to

remember her words, 

and talk to the plants with the respect that they,

our first teachers

must have.