On the Face of It

Putting a friendly face on the dangers along the way: Signs to show you the way and keep you in line.





When I looked up the word "face" in the dictionary, I found no fewer than 45 definitions of it. It seems that face is almost indefinable. And I kind of like that a word can be so elusive, so ripe with possibilities. Faced with another beautiful Sunday, May 4, hubby and I took to the trails of southern Illinois once more to see and capture another aspect of areas already familiar to us: Ferne Clyffe and Devil's Kitchen.



I love the artistic rather than conventional representation of the Rocky Bluff Trail on this map.



These trees in Ferne Clyffe will find a way to reach the light, even if it means crawling on their bellies and looking ridiculous!



Here you see a tree actually growing upside down, precariously propped against a rock, gathering nourishment and moisture from the porous sandstone. It somehow manages to sustain its own life and that of the ferns growing among its hairy roots. If you look closely beneath the "hairpiece," you can find a face in the rock peering out at you.




This rock seems to be surprised to see us.



So what if I'm lopsided? I'll sing anyway.



Here is a friendly (dare I say goofy?) face along the path. Maybe it's embarrassed about its complexion. I can remember feeling that way as a teenager.



Here we are, the two of us, face to face with another difficult but defining season in our life together. We'll weather it somehow. We always do.