Nemophilist

"A haunter of woods; one who loves forests for their beauty and solitude." 

What a fun word to discover via Facebook today.  When I search my digital photo collection for the term "forest," this lovely fall image comes up.  Taken Oct. 28, 2018 in the Sasebo Japanese Garden, it captures the autumn light filtering through maple leaves in the late autumn.  The lantern's exquisite shape and color perfectly complement the trees.  

Even though this was brought up with the search term "forest," the Japanese Garden's few acres can hardly be called a forest.  The same can be said of the Cottonwood Gallery... it seems much larger than it actually is.  Even so, both of those areas in the Botanic Garden truly capture the essence of a forest, each in its own way.  

The paths through these two areas are key elements for access.  They remind me of the term "Yūgen," which I was introduced to in my readings of Alan Watts.  His definition:  "To wander on in a huge forest without thought of return. To stand upon the shore and gaze after a boat that disappears behind distant islands. To contemplate the flight of wild geese seen and lost among the clouds."  

And that "wandering on in a huge forest" reminds me so much of a hike along the Oregon coast.  This photograph perfectly captures the feeling of a rough trail winding amongst massive trees with their age-old nebari.  

"Without thought of return..."

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It's Father's Day and thoughts of Dad come to mind.  Here's a remembrance of him and Paddy during a chess game with me in 2008.