In the Pines, In the Pines

We had bright sunlight in the middle of the day on Saturday and were in need of a little fresh air, so we took a hike up the hill to our local gamelands, the Scotia Barrens.

While the day was on the cold side, we found a sun spot and a relative wind break in the pines. There we sat, with the sun on our faces, enjoying the day and admiring the ice on the closest beaver pond.

One of the nice things about the pine barrens in February is that no matter how wintry gray it may seem everywhere else, there is always color in the pines: the bright green of the live pine needles, and the burnt sienna of the fallen ones.

In honor of these pines, the song to go with this image is an Appalachian folk classic, made famous by Bill Monroe, Lead Belly, and so many others (there are some Cajun versions; and there is also a Nirvana cover on YouTube, for the Nirvana fans).

It's called Where Did You Sleep Last Night, or In the Pines. But the lyrics have got it wrong, at least for this place. The sun DOES shine in these pines, as I can well attest; and now you are all witnesses, too!