Photography in the Deerfield Valley
~A Deerfield Valley Saturday~
Sun up to Sun down,
Come along with me
there’s so much to see
and you don’t have to be a pro at photography.
From sun rise on Ray Hill to
Sticky Fingers bakery
The sights and smells are delicious as can be.
Search for somewhere to sit and eat the sticky cinnamon bun, with icing running down the sides
Maybe by the lake where you can watch the steam rise off the water
Or by a tinkling stream enjoying the scenes,
Green rolling hills and bird trills
Horses graze and flowers blaze
Purple and pink across the fields
From sun up to sun down
So much beauty all around
Our beautiful valley.
I grew up coming to Vermont in winters, and we had a place we shared in Lake Raponda. I knew way back then I would make Vermont my home someday, but life has a way of taking a round about road to things, kinda like we do here, and it wasn’t until four years ago that I came to Vermont in springtime and I fell head over heels in love with her emerald mountains and violet lupine and knew I was finally ready to root here.
And as someone who loves taking pictures almost as much as I do painting with words, this place makes it easy. It’s nearly impossible to take a bad picture, you don’t even need fancy gear. Every time you turn around a bend in a road is a painting . I understand why so many artists and writers call Vermont home too.
Deerfield Valley in particular has such magic, there’s a few perfect perches for sunrise and sunset pictures, Ray Hill Road is a fav of mine, Dover Hill and Whites Road another, but it’s fun to go off the beaten path and find your own magical places.
Valley Trail is an amazing photo spot, with sunlight through the evergreens and beaver dams and lilly seas, cold brooks and butterflies and bees abound.
Harriman Reservoir is another great spot to take some fantastic nature pics and if you’re lucky you’ll catch a glimpse of our resident eagle family in flight.
If you head out of town you can hit our Wilmington Flea Market, where you can find your marbles and cure what ails you and meet some awesome vendors who sell everything from old house fixin’s to flowers and everything in between. If you’re fortunate you’ll see someone walking their goat, and leashed dogs are always welcome. So many colors and sights and sounds to be had on market day.
Boyd’s Farm, Wheelers Farm and Adams Farm are all beautiful places to capture farm life scenes and pick up some farm fresh eggs, produce and Maple syrup. If you’re lucky you might catch a porch picking Bluegrass jam in progress too.
Let yourself be drawn down the dirt roads like Auger Hole, where you’ll be rewarded with fields of day lilies and rushing streams and old leaning homes with gingerbread trim, always it’s a step back in time in this valley, where life is slower and simpler.
No matter where you decide to wander here, I promise you’ll have so many opportunities to point and capture our magical place, and maybe stumble onto one all your own.
Written by Karen Mangold. Karen is a Wilmington resident who grew up in Jersey, wandered the world, and rooted in Vermont. She is an educator, writer, and herbalist who enjoys long drives, making music and art, and all things nature.
Photography provided by Karen Mangold and Nicki Steel Photography.