47 Comments
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marina van laer's avatar

.. 'when I’m alone I can become invisible' … I love that .

Beautiful. Thank you.

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Mark Minassian (Renegade Poet)'s avatar

Ah Erik, you inspired me.

The Visit

I stopped along the wooded path,

I stopped to visit silence,

but lo, it was not at home.

Instead, the wind, birds,

and woodland creatures,

the trees and thickets

with dew upon their leaves-

they whispered their stories,

told me of their carefree lives,

how the simple truth

of living with the harmony

of what's given,

taking no more than needed,

leaving the rest to prosper

for tomorrow's wants-

that this was their way,

this was their story.

Go visit and listen and they will tell you too.

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Jim Owen's avatar

“You can take the body out of the Appalachian Mountains, but you can never take the Appalachian Mountains out of the soul.” ~Jim Owen , author of In Search Of A River.

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jude's avatar

i am so very fortunate to live in the appalachian mountains full time. deep winter is truly my favorite season but the first signs of spring and her unfolding is magical. thank you, erik. The Forest Unseen by David Haskell is a wonderful read to add to this mix.

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gail smith reynolds's avatar

Thank you for the gallery.

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Michael Roy's avatar

So often, our region is spat upon and reviled. Thank you for shining a warm and loving light on it. 💙 💛

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BornAlive's avatar

the monied crowd loathes rural people. ironic since they themselves descend from rural. we all do. cities are open and air prisons designed for indentured labor siphoning off youth and beauty and enriching the coffers of the bagmen and their controllers hiding in the shadows.

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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

Really nice. I Like where you put the camera (low).

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Allison Schnackenberg's avatar

Thank you for invoking the spirit of the southern hollers, and of Mr. Crews in particular. I am anointed.

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TalesandTunes by Sinem's avatar

I really love how the beautiful photos you took complement the quotes you chose. Thank you!

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Mankh's avatar

Thanks for the overall photo tour. And i agree with O'Connor, when i drove through the south in 1990s it felt kinda spooky with all the churches. And that's perdhaps the most telling Dylan quote about Dylan have read.

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Julie B. Hughes's avatar

Beautiful, thank you.

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Ruth's avatar

I loved this. Thankyou.

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Deborah Nolan's avatar

Enchanting. I don’t know American and now, sadly, never will. But this journey could equally be experienced in the bothies scattered through the glens and moors and forests of my Highland home.

Thank you.

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BornAlive's avatar

you are so right since most white appalacians came from the irish and scottish plantations. intermarried with cherokee women who were adaptive and welcoming. not to mention the melungeon people from whom my fathers people descend. that mixed race group often referred to as colored until laws changed and everyone became black or white. modern culture and law are narrowing and deficient in poetry and nuance.

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Sunship Nonduality's avatar

the Highlands... sounds beautiful tbh.

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Michael Portelance's avatar

Enchanting. A happy subscriber.

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Gregg's avatar

In case you haven't read his work, Harry Middleton wrote some fantastic books on the Appalachian wilderness and trout fishing. I just finished reading "The Earth is Enough" and enjoyed his recollection of a childhood spent in the Arkansas Ozarks, near where I grew up. Enjoy!

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Meet Vekariya's avatar

could live here all eternity

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