The Boathouse

One of my favorite images from last weekend at Bernheim. Mac's Lake was bright and sunny with touches of Fall color starting to make an appearance. Don't you just love the canoe in this image.

This beautiful Great Blue Heron was visiting Mac's Lake also this weekend. As I walked the path that follows alongside the lake, several hikers well ahead of me scared him up and he took flight. I saw a huge shadow on the ground in front of me as I was walking along. I knew it had to be a large bird. I didn't think I had time to get an image before it disappeared behind the trees right off the path, but I lifted my camera anyway, looking up quickly right through the viewfinder and pressing the release button. As I lowered the camera the bird disappeared behind the trees. I didn't know what it was or if I'd gotten the image until I dropped it in my software later that day. I had never ever seen a heron at Bernheim before Saturday. I hope he'll come back and bring friends. ENJOY!

Spring, Mac's Lake

Walking along the path at Mac's Lake, you see wildflowers . . .

and Blue Dragonflies hanging out close to the lake . . .

and beautiful bright green foliage back lit by the evening sun.

Although you can't really see much of Mac's Lake, which is located inside Bernheim, in these particular images, I still wanted to share them. I love the bright green foliage in early Spring. As Summer approaches the bright green turns a darker green which I like to call Summer green. But for now it's light and bright. ENJOY!

Wooden Bench!

Wooden bridge over a stream along the Bent Twig Loop. Wooden bridge across Lake Nevin. And now, a wooden bench sitting idle waiting for a visitor to sit upon it as I walked down to the water's edge at Mac's Lake. Wood. To me wood is a living thing even after we have cut down the tree. Because we take the living tree and create something new. Something lasting. Something beautiful. ENJOY!

The Boathouse!

I know what you're going to say, "Another image from Bernheim." Well, here's the thing you don't know. There are several areas of Bernheim I've not frequented and this happens to be one of them. There are several lakes at Bernheim. You've seen many images of the largest lake, Lake Nevin, and the waterfowl and birds that frequent that lake. There is the lily pond next to the arboretum with many varieties of flower gardens situated all around. And you've seen Two Ponds which is situated next to the Visitors Center and Cafe.

But last weekend I took a long walk, more like a hike, back to Mac's Lake. Mac's Lake is situated in a far northeast corner of Bernheim and actually buts up next to the highway that leads to Bardstown, Kentucky. The trail to Mac's Lake crosses the main access road which carries all of the traffic to the many areas within Bernheim. As you walk along the trail, the lake appears about 250 feet to the left of the trail. The lake stretches out alongside the entire length of the trail.

If you want to photograph the lake you have to walk through slightly high grass to reach the lakeside which I did on this particular day. And what to my surprise did I see, a cabin up on a hill on the opposite side of the lake and a tiny boathouse sitting right on the lake down from the cabin.

The whole scene was so serene that I wanted to capture the serene feeling it left me with so I took several images. The first image shows the boathouse and the lake with the forest reaching down all around it. It is such a tiny quaint boathouse. There was just a hint of Autumn in the foliage around the lake which I tried to capture in this image as well. To my joy I was all alone in this less traveled area of Bernheim and that made it more special to me.

I realized when taking a closer look that while I captured the boathouse sitting by the lake that I also had captured its beautiful reflection in the water. So I've cropped the original image to come in closer so you can get a better view of the reflection. It's amazing the things we photograph and don't realize they are there until we take a closer look.

If you are anywhere near Louisville this weekend, I urge you to drive in and visit the St. James Court Art Show. It starts today and lasts until Sunday evening. It is one of the top art shows in the country with hundreds of artisans and craftsmen and is a sight to behold. Have a great weekend everyone. ENJOY!