Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Take Me to the River


As my buddy Al Green used to say,
"Take me to the river
And wash me down
Won't you cleanse my soul
Put my feet on the ground."

My morning walks by the river do exactly that. I finish a little sweatier, but as my feet walk the ground, my soul feels cleansed. And so does the writing side of my brain.
And get this: the river that runs by our neighborhood is called the Enoree! Isn't that hilarious?
Oh, sorry, you must not speak Cherokee. Enoree = muscadine!
Yes, muscadines ARE TAKING OVER MY LIFE!

But enough about grapes. Let me show you the wonders of the river. It'll cleanse your soul, I promise.
C'mon. Tanner will lead the way.

Sorry it's blurry, but this dog means business.

Here we are. We're early enough to enjoy the mist.


As we walk the trail, keep your eyes open.


There are all sorts of wild wonders along the way.
Like ladyslippers...


And asters.


Goldenrod...

(That is goldenrod, right?)

And my two favorites: mushrooms and moss.


And this crazy looking thing, the American Strawberry Bush, also known as hearts-a-burstin'.


Feel refreshed yet? Let's walk home in the sunshine.


Wait a sec...Do you smell something familiar?

Ack! Wild muscadines. See, they ARE taking over my life!

Have a fabulous Wednesday, y'all.
Love, Becky
PS. Before you rush off, why not drop down to the river once more? The Soooooul Train is waiting to take you there!

16 comments:

Renee said...

Beckie I think I need to go see some water.

xoxo

Anonymous said...

I needed a little nature therapy this morning, thanks for the river walk!

Tana said...

Thanx for the great pictures!

Susan said...

Thanks for the little stroll down by the river. I love the picture with the mist. For some reason all I can hear in my head is the Billy Bass version of Al's song. Remember those silly singing fish? Take care. Susan

David Ebright said...

There's somethin' about water that calms the nerves & inspires clear thinking. We're surrounded down here - ocean, intracoatal waterway & St Johns River. No Tanner. Deb would have a blast w/ her camera & all of those plants & flowers.

R and L said...

You brought the hike by the river right to me. I'm having trouble smelling the muscadines though. Aren't those flowers amazing, even the ones I'm allergic to lik Goldenrod. Nice pics and thanks for the explanation of the Indian word Enoree - I just thought it was named after somebody.
Randy

Barb said...

Hi Becky,

Tanner does look like he means business. What a beautiful place to walk.
We have dirt, cactus....I could use a little river walk.

LOVE Al Green.

hugs,
Barb

Anonymous said...

i think the only thing that could make that river better is if it didn't smell so bad.
this christmas maybe i can come on your walks with you! i didn't know you walked every morning.
love,
Sarah

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Ha ha. Sarah, my sweet, it doesn't ALWAYS smell bad. Come with me in the morning. It's downright perfume-y.

I'll take you up on the walks at Christmas break. Of course that means you'll have to get out of bed before noon. :)
Love, Mom

Adrienne said...

Thanks for the picture tour! I love shot of the mushrooms and moss.
I start my day with a walk by the river, too. I love the sounds - we have some very noisy bullfrogs.

Unknown said...

That looks like a beautiful place to walk! I am envious! :)

~TattingChic ♥

Rosemary said...

You live in a beautiful place Becky.
Rosemary

lotusgirl said...

Yeah. Beautiful! I had to BUY muscadines the other day. It just doesn't seem right. I used to be able to sit under the vines and eat them until I was sick.

Renee said...

Sweet friend, your comment on my blog is exactly how I feel. I don't pray for God to cure my cancer, but I do pray for him to be with me.

Love Renee xoxo

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Lois, you should come pick mine for free. No kidding, we have TONS. If you want to come, I'm serious. Let me know.

Renee, while I don't blame God for the pain in the world, (and don't think there's any reason for the pain--it just IS,) I haven't given up on asking God for help. I'll keep praying for your health and thanking God for being with us whenever life is tough and unfair. Love you.

Unknown said...

Hi Becky, I'm actually from the town of Enoree...cool blog! (P.S. the river does get a little stinky now and then down our way)