A sense of place
People vary in how they perceive the spaces around them, whether it's their personal place in their homes, their gardens or landscape, or the natural places that are accessible to where they live.
Talking to a brilliant and talented young woman today out skiing, she expressed that it was the people that she connected to, wherever she is in the world, that was important.
I found that so interesting.
I like connecting with people, certainly, but the kind of place where I am, in terms of the natural landscape, is so important to my own sense of place and resonance of being "at home," it gave me pause to consider that.
I've loved mountains, forests, and streams since childhood.
Of all of the places we've traveled, when I began writing posts on this site, about places of the spirit, I was remembering Patagonia, Ireland, and the Schwarzwald first of all. We've been to many other places, too, that were remarkable and noteworthy, but weren't personally places of the spirit.
Migrating from Southeast Georgia to Upstate South Carolina to Asheville, North Carolina in my decades of paid-work life, and now for the few years of post-paid life, marked transitions from boring pine forests in the coastal plain, to the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, to finally being in the Southern Appalachians, in the Asheville basin, surrounding by mountains, forests, and streams.
It felt like coming home to me.
So it was equally magical last year to bumble on a place in Quebec that equally feels like home. The national park nearby is key; it has everything, mountains, forests, the river, and diverse habitats. I was so delighted to walk the trails on a daily basis, especially the trail from Ferme Rioux out to the Cap d'Orignal.
We had loved Parc National du Bic on our previous visits, so we knew we'd like being here, not to mention our fairy-tale house where we feel a sense of stewardship.
Our friend asked me this morning, "did we hike a lot in Asheville?" Well, not as much as we could, but we do get out. It's magic to be a 5-minute drive from the park here. This is a special place.
Talking to a brilliant and talented young woman today out skiing, she expressed that it was the people that she connected to, wherever she is in the world, that was important.
I found that so interesting.
I like connecting with people, certainly, but the kind of place where I am, in terms of the natural landscape, is so important to my own sense of place and resonance of being "at home," it gave me pause to consider that.
I've loved mountains, forests, and streams since childhood.
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| My gardening and skiing buddy and me |
Of all of the places we've traveled, when I began writing posts on this site, about places of the spirit, I was remembering Patagonia, Ireland, and the Schwarzwald first of all. We've been to many other places, too, that were remarkable and noteworthy, but weren't personally places of the spirit.
Migrating from Southeast Georgia to Upstate South Carolina to Asheville, North Carolina in my decades of paid-work life, and now for the few years of post-paid life, marked transitions from boring pine forests in the coastal plain, to the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, to finally being in the Southern Appalachians, in the Asheville basin, surrounding by mountains, forests, and streams.
It felt like coming home to me.
So it was equally magical last year to bumble on a place in Quebec that equally feels like home. The national park nearby is key; it has everything, mountains, forests, the river, and diverse habitats. I was so delighted to walk the trails on a daily basis, especially the trail from Ferme Rioux out to the Cap d'Orignal.
We had loved Parc National du Bic on our previous visits, so we knew we'd like being here, not to mention our fairy-tale house where we feel a sense of stewardship.
Our friend asked me this morning, "did we hike a lot in Asheville?" Well, not as much as we could, but we do get out. It's magic to be a 5-minute drive from the park here. This is a special place.
Lisa, your writing about your travel and your sense of place have a certain romanticism in them. I have enjoyed coming along for the ride.
ReplyDeleteGlad you've enjoyed them. We've been so fortunate to have traveled to so many places. Some places are special.
DeleteThere's a similar feel to more urban areas as well. Here it's Lake Michigan, the distant skyline, the elevated trains, and the polyglot storefronts in multiple languages.
ReplyDeleteIt always seems to me to be the combinations of landscape, skyscape, and human imprints that make those special combinations. Thanks for prompting me to think about that!
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