I'm soothed by nature, yet disturbed by its disturbance

Here in Maine, we've been blessed this year with fall color that has lasted right into November. Although many of the leaves are gone from the trees, some color remains. Tuesday I decided to make the most of the lingering autumn color show by driving up to Reid State Park. Anyone who knows me well knows that this park is my idea of heaven on earth. Perched on the beautiful Maine coast and punctuated with grassy dunes, pine trees, outcroppings of rocks, white birch trees, and breathtaking vistas, what more could anyone ask for?

When I go to Reid in the summer, I take a journal and pen, because the surroundings are so inspiring, I'm often having to stop and jot down ideas. Yesterday was a different kind of day. Too breezy and cool to linger at a picnic table under the pines, I walked along Mile Beach instead, snapping pics of everything from the crashing waves to tiny acorns and maple leaves scattered on the sand.

After leaving the park, I made a detour on the drive home, going down a road in Georgetown that I love, enjoying the late afternoon sunlight filtering through the trees. There is a special spot just off this road that I began photographing about 4 years ago. I'm sad to say that it has changed drastically, as someone, for some reason – I presume in preparation for building – has knocked down many of the lovely old trees that I loved. I hadn't been to my special spot for quite some time – more than a year – so it was with trepidation that I drove there Tuesday. Well, no buildings have been erected, but the landscape has changed dramatically, and not for the better. I felt slightly comforted to know that I had captured its former beauty – that the wonderful old trees that reached heavenward are not gone forever – that their beauty is preserved in my mind and also in my digital photograph files. But I'm sorry that after what I think was probably more than a century of gracing this particular parcel of land, they've been bulldozed to oblivion.

I'm someone who thrives on change. As my mother once so astutely observed, I don't just like change, I need it. But the one type of change I have not been able to accept is the change that disturbs Maine's natural beauty. I am struggling with this, as every day I see evidence of building in this place that I love. I know that everyone has the right to buy land and do with it whatever they wish. I certainly would not want to have anyone put limitations on my actions if I decided to buy a piece of property and construct something on it. But it seems to me as though some people do not grasp the essential Maine-ness of this place, if they think the state will benefit from more houses, more stores, and more fast-food restaurants.

Back to the trees… all I can say is, I'll miss those trees. They weren't "mine." I didn't own them or the land they grew on. But I appreciated those trees. I liked visiting those trees. And I respected their long history of giving shade and adding loveliness to the land. I'm grateful, though, that there are more trees for me to appreciate. I'm thankful I live in a state where trees cover about 90% of the landscape. So, kudos, Mother Nature, for blessing us here in Maine with all the wonderful trees and an array of natural riches. I, for one, am not taking Maine's beauty for granted.