midnight hole.

 

A sweet swimming spot, back with some old friends, made some new friends, all in the idyllic North Carolina mountains.

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big rocks and a road trip.

Well,  I'm already on the road.  Currently sitting in the morning light, on the westside of Providence, Rhode Island.  I love Rhode Island.  After living in Asheville, this was the first place that I embarked on nesting, completely alone.  I came up here without knowing anyone, how to get or around the city, or what to expect, and after a few tough, lonely weeks,  I began to encounter all sorts of magic.  Since I was so new to New England, everything felt so intimate, like I was a child discovering everything for the first time.  Coming back here, it brings back all of those warm feelings.  I stopped by and gazed at the top floor of the little green house (this was the outside )I used to live in,  have been getting wispy upon seeing the parks I used to dwell in, and all sorts of nostalgia when walking into the bakery I used to spend most of my time.  Most importantly, I have been visiting the people I met who still live here.  After seeing a childhood friend in Boston,  a friend I met in Asheville in Cambridge, and then the Providence friends - I'm reminded of the ways I've changed, the different ways I've connected with people.  I have a special, appreciative feeling for everyone I've met, and it feels good to take the time to see them.

Anyway, these are some photos from a stream in Vermont, with the current friends.  The stream curves and then there are large rocks that jut out or emerge from the stream.  They're the perfect size for jumping off.  Hopefully will be putting up road trip photos soon!

the jacuzzi

You have to walk on train tracks to get there.  The jacuzzi is a local swimming hole where the rocks dip in just the right way where you can sit in a hollowed out area and the water will pour through the cracks - just like jacuzzi jets!  However, with all the rain we've  been having, our tub was a bit flooded.  The day was still lovely for rock jumps and swimming against the current to sand islands, then letting the water carry you back.  It's nearly impossible to be unhappy while playing around at the swimming holes with all the green mountains surrounding you, and I've found that my friends and I are always in our best moods when we're together at these rocky waters.

the jacuzzi.

A rare warm day begged an outdoor adventure to 'the jacuzzi'.  When it's warm there's a hollowing out in the rocks where water rushes in from all sides and creates a natural spa.  The water was too cold for any of that but I did take have one freezing cold dive before retreating to the rocks.  I know these outside adventures are the things I'll miss most when I make the January migration.

bingham falls.

Now that school has started there's not as much time to go out of my way to discover new swimming holes, so Bingham Falls has become an old standby that never loses its magic.  The little pools of water  encased with the tallest cliffs and the various waterfalls interspersed, make it way more fun than any manmade playground I've ever been to.  Every visit means getting a bit more daring and innovative with jumping spots and finding the most secluded water coves to rest in.   

snack & swim.

We made these by the water (but much less pretty) because those are all already our favorite foods.  Swimming at sunset feels like magic - the light bounces off everything in just the right way.  I really, mainly love having my dear old friend so near.

Rocks.

Looking through all my recent photos I realized I just like hangin' out near rocks and water with my friends.  

swimming holes.

...balancing on the train tracks to get to the little wooded paths that lead to the hidden swimming holes is my actual favorite part about vermont so far.