Saturday, December 23, 2006

Lines


You would think, from looking at this picture, that I took a can of spray paint and made some LINES so I could take a picture for today's Photohunt theme. But I assure you, this is a natural formation. I took this at the Cheltenham Badlands last October. I probably blog about this place far too much, but I can't help it. I'm so smitten by the place and it's only 20 mins from home, so I visit a lot. About a hundred years ago, farmers cleared this land, but when they realized the earth was not arable, they abandoned it. Over the years, the elements have formed the undulating pattern we see today. The earth of the Cheltenham Badlands is rich in iron, hence the red colour. And now, to the lines.... they represent what is believed to have been circulating groundwater. The water of these streams reacted with the iron in the soil to form oxidized iron, which is grayish in colour.

I've contemplated this land formation many times, and it has made me think of how Humankind has been plowing lines into the face of the Earth for centuries, sometimes in harmony with creation, but most of the time not..... The badlands also remind me of the many times when I've realized that I've made mistakes drawing lines in my own life, and when faithfully abandoning them to the Creator's hands, my mistakes are transformed into a thing of beauty.....
Happy Photohunting Folks and a very Merry Christmas!

TECHNORATI TAGS: cheltenham badlands, , , ,

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! Fantastic and so beautiful! And it's all natural. Great photos!

May you have the merriest of holidays. Be happy and be safe. :)

Thank you for stopping by.

srp said...

Thanks for the visit.
These are lovely pictures. I particularly love the last one with the fall colors that blend in with the red iron in the soil. Such a stark difference too.... the dense forest and the undulations bare of vegetation.

Have a blessed Christmas!

Anonymous said...

Holy neato! That's way cool - I've never saw anything like it and it's beautiful to me.

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Hope your holidays are fun filled with love.

Sara, Ms Adventures in Italy said...

Nice pictures, and informative too!! Thanks for taking the time to fill us in - Happy Holidays!

Anonymous said...

I knew it was Badlands :)

Beautiful!!The lines of the earth and the lines of our lives :)

I may say Badlands is one of a kind.why it was named badlands?because the farmer found out that it wasnt capable of growing plants?

The place is awesome,though,and its near to you.at least you have somewhere to contemplate.oh,i prefer it a good place to.

Are you excited for the xmas eve,Angelo? :)

Anonymous said...

Wow thats just beautiful.

Mine is up too

Caylynn said...

Beautiful! :) That must be an amazing place to visit. Just lovely. Terrific choice for lines. :)

Happy Holidays. :)

Barb said...

We were there last summer and it was awesome!

Mine's up :)

Anonymous said...

Very awesome lines for sure! Such beautiful country I can see why you like it so much! Great take on the theme! Merry Christmas!

Girlie said...

This is beautiful! It did occur to me that you might have taken a spray paint and had yourself a merry day. :)

What camera did you use for this? It's nicely done.

Have a happy holidays!

Anonymous said...

Spectacular shots and great for the theme of lines.
Merry Christmas to you.

YellowRose said...

Those are great photos! I love the narration you gave also! Thanks for sharing such a beautiful place with us!!

Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

Stunning. It's nice enough to see the pictures, but you saw it in person which must have been amazing. Thanks for dropping by.
Have a fabulous holiday,
Frances

Anonymous said...

You are right - we have done things to this earth that is not acceptable - but the is only my personal opinion.
I think I visit this place a lot too - great subject for photography. Great take on this week's photohunt.

Anonymous said...

Forgot to wish you a very Merry Christmas...

Anonymous said...

Very nice photos!! It is amazing how spectacular nature can be.

My photo is up too.
Happy Holidays!!

Leah said...

Beautiful Angelo.

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Anonymous said...

What beautiful pictures and great meditative thoughts to go along with them.

Thanks for visiting and for your encouraging comments. :)

LibertyBelle said...

You just can't beat nature! Beautiful and the colors are so wonderful!
Happy holidays and happy Saturday hunting!
Mine's up too!

Teena in Toronto said...

Cool pic!

Mine's up too :)

dodong flores 도동 플로오리스 said...

Happy Festivus, too. :-D

JO said...

I've been to badlands last year by accident. We were actually lost when we found this place. And the place was simply awesome!!!

Just hopping from Leah's blog.