In the movie The Wizard of Oz,
the yellow brick road represents the way to success and happiness.
Above, is the larch tree from my previous post on November 26.
It has dropped its needles since my last visit,
creating a yellow brick road that leads to a beautiful view at the top of the hill.
But really, it has made the road itself,
the journey, beautiful.
Today my golden path is lit by red torches
thanks to the dried fruit of the Staghorn Sumac.
So gorgeous against the yellow backdrop!
In the past, sumac was used in the tanning of hides, to make black ink, as a substance to be smoked and to make a drink rich in vitamin C.
On a funny note, one hot day when my sister and I were younger, we saw these ruby red fruits and decided they must taste as juicy and sweet as they looked - what a mistake!
It was the equivalent of eating pine cones, but at least they weren't poisonous and apparently we got a good dose of vitamin C that day :)
As I stopped to take these photos I was passed by a man intent on exercising his way up the hill. His eyes stayed focused on the ground, music pumping into his ears, heavy weights in his hands.
I was quick to judge him as someone who was missing the point to being in such a beautiful place. But if he didn't care about the park, why would he choose to come here for his walk?
Nature inspires each of us differently.
Maybe this is his yellow brick road to good health :)
My yellow brick road disappeared this week under a thin coating of snow. The torches however will continue to burn, lighting the way up the hill
the whole winter long.
I like your yellow brick road lit by red torches! It's puzzling to watch people in parks who sometimes seem oblivious to all the beauty around them. Oh well, it takes all kinds.
ReplyDeleteI guess everyone comes to the park for different reasons, live and let live, I'm glad so many people choose to get outside :)
DeleteBeautiful pictures Rosemary, the red fruits are the best.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day, Irma
Thank you Irma :)
DeleteI would like to walk that yellow brick road of yours. Sumacs are really quite lovely aren't they? They used to be seen all over the place here in the UK, but seem much harder to find nowadays.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gary, there are only a few Sumacs in this park and I am in love with them now.
DeleteIt's great the red torches always be there, so you'll always find the wizard on the top of the hill with or without the yellow carpet.
ReplyDeleteWilly
This is true Willy, they mark the way!
Deletebeautiful and thoughtful...that movie and particularly the tin man have significance to me...you find peace and joy in your own back yard....and you know you have a heart when it is breaking!!......merry Christmas Rosemary!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sharon, that movie is a classic with a wonderful message, the characters stay with you forever :)
DeleteGood grief!
ReplyDeleteI had just written a long comment and I erased it with a stupid click!
Well I was saying I like this idea of a journey about the Yellow Brick Road!
We all have a path to follow the point is to discover what it is!!
Maybe that man will "see" it differently one day!
You made me laugh about your trying the Sumac's fruit! You were lucky it was not poison indeed!
Keep well and warm! ;-)
I hate when that happens, even if you just wrote your comment, it seems so hard to write it again the same way you just did :) You are so right about the path Noushka, and how it is different for everyone.
DeleteBeautiful series! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteThank you Leo :)
DeleteI would love to skip along your yellow pathway lined with it's soft velvet torches guiding the way to the top of the hill.
ReplyDeleteIt was a wonderful moment right between fall and winter and I'm glad I was there to capture it :)
DeleteHello Rosemary!
ReplyDeleteYour autumn photos are great. I like shrubs with red cones.
They are beautiful.
Regards
Thank you Lucia, this is a wonderful park where I go for a walk quite often :)
DeleteGreat serie Rosemary....it's a pleasure to walk over your yellow brick road.
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Joop
Thank you Joop, I'm glad you like the pictures :)
DeleteBeautiful post and beautiful photos. I do like the lovely yellow "brick" road :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, somehow the Yellow Needle Road doesn't have the same magical feel, right?
DeleteRosemary, I enjoyed walking the yellow brick road, thanks to you. Too bad about the overly focused walker.
ReplyDeleteThat staghorn sumac is one of my favorites, as it shapes itself so artistically, freeing me to prune more needy shrubs and trees. I know people who brew the sumac tea, but I never have. You?
Thanks Lee, it took me a moment to realize he must actually like and prefer the park if he took the trouble to end up there :) Well, you read about my unfortunate decision to eat the fruit (yuck) but after reading about the wonderful properties of this tree, maybe I will give sumac tea a try!
DeleteIt's every year a wonder, how Nature changes colours in few days. You were able to "capture" the beautiful yellow brick road before snow changes it!! bravo!!
ReplyDeletecheers,
Dany
You're right Dany, the day after I took this picture the yellow brick road was gone! I'm glad I was there that day :)
DeleteTeraz żółta ścieżka zmieniła się w białą :(. Urocze zdjęcia ze spaceru. Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeleteNow, the yellow path changed to white: (. Charming photos from the walk. Yours.
Thank you Giga :)
DeleteBeautiful post again and beautiful yellow road made out of the fallen needles of the larch trees. During our stay at the Veluwe more than a month ago we were on our bikes while these needles fell, like a yellow needle rain, creating a yellow needle road. O yes, we did stop and took it all in(not literally ;-)), never experienced something like it before. Maybe that road is covered in snow now too, who knows.... No snow around here yet, just freezing temperatures.
ReplyDeleteBye,
Marian
Thank you Marian, it must have been a beautiful sight. I've seen photos of Sumac forests and wow, are they ever beautiful. We've had just enough snow to make things white, perfect for Christmas.
DeleteThe golden road looks like a great place for a invigorating walk. The red torches look so intriguing; eating one sounds like something I would have done as a child as well:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Tammy, this park is just awesome. My dream is to own a property just like this one day. That's what happens when kids don't have internet, they go outside and eat strange things :)
DeleteA great way to think of your yellow road and maybe he indeed loves it too in his own way.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly the conclusion I came to as well, he could easily have stayed alongside the road for his walk, but he chose the park :)
DeleteRosemary, the Yellow brick road is in Russian translated book as Yellow hard road up the hill.And it was hard up for the heroes but for you is a pleasure, looking at the nature, sumac flowers.
ReplyDeleteSomedays Nadezda, that hill is darn hard for me to climb up, so the book is well translated in Russian :)
DeleteI want to walk that golden path, lit by ruby torches!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful walk, curving away into a mysterious point around the bend. Beautiful!
Thank you Laurrie, the hill is not too steep and the view at the top is just gorgeous :)
DeleteHello Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful shots!!
It's so wonderful to see the golden colored leaves at the back and on the ground. Very special!!
The way looks like the poster of the nice musical Wizard Of Oz.
Many greetings and have a good weekend,
Marco
It's true Marco, when I saw the path, the first think I thought of was The Wizard of Oz. Have a wonderful weekend as well!
DeleteThose golden leaves are gorgeous. We are beginning to have our leaves drop here and I love how they create a carpet around the grounds. I like how you put it all together. Definitely has an OZ feel:)
ReplyDelete