Photo of the Day: ‘Boughs Which Shake Against the Cold’

“That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.”—William Shakespeare, Sonnet 73

I took the photo accompanying this post in early December nearly two years ago at the Tenafly Nature Center, a couple of miles from where I live in Bergen County, N.J.

Quote of the Day (Alice Meynell, on the Origin of All Things)

“I am like a stream that flows

Full of the cold springs that arose      

  In morning lands, in distant hills;    

  And down the plain my channel fills           

With melting of forgotten snows.”— Alice Meynell (1847–1922), “A Song of Derivations,” in Preludes (1875)

I took the photo accompanying this post in December 2010 at the Tenafly Nature Center, not far from me in Bergen County, N.J. From what I see of the preserve’s Web site, its trails and visitor center are closed following Hurricane Sandy. Here’s hoping that it—along with other parks and preserves where you and I live—re-open soon.

Quote of the Day (William Wordsworth, on March’s ‘Life in the Fountains’)

  “Like an army defeated
   The Snow hath retreated,
   And now doth fare ill
   On the top of the bare hill;
 The Plough-boy is whooping—anon—anon:
  There’s joy in the mountains;'
  There’s life in the fountains;
  Small clouds are sailing,
  Blue sky prevailing;
The rain is over and gone!”—William Wordsworth, “Written in March While Resting on the Bridge at the Foot of Brother’s Water” (1807), from The MajorWorks: Including the Prelude, edited by Stephen Gill (1984)

I took the photo accompanying this post this past weekend at the Tenafly NatureCenter, not far from where I live in Bergen County, N.J.

Photo of the Day: Upward Climb

Still another photo I took this weekend, while walking through the Tenafly Nature Center near me in Bergen County, N.J.

Photo of the Day: Pond Peace

This is another photo I took two days ago, while walking through the Tenafly Nature Center near me in Bergen County, N.J.

Photo of the Day: Damage

I took this photo accompanying this post two days ago, while walking through the Tenafly Nature Center near me in Bergen County, N.J. I hadn’t been to this lovely site in several months, so my guess is that the tree in this shot came down during Hurricane Irene.