White Pine Plantation

As mentioned on the opening page, "for a long time the White Pine Plantation was the most special spot in all of Woldumar for me to visit and pause to embrace its peace and solitude." I suspect that has been true for many Woldumar visitors. The first three pictures below are from my birthday in 1989. I was in the midst of a second divorce and this is where I came to seek out God and ask how someone who does not believe in divorcing could find himself in such a circumstance. Just me, my camera, and the Woldumar pines . . . a common combination to bring myself closer to God in times of struggle.

The camera mentioned above in 1989 was my 35mm Canon. From here on down we turn to the more recent digital camera images. My primary camera is still a Canon, although I have a small Kodak as a backup. Yet, one thing has not changed; God, me, my camera, and nature. That combination remains among my most important and reliable sanctuaries.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made . . ."

Romans 1:20 (New International Version)

If you take the trail head by the administrative offices and barn which leads directly to the White Pine Plantation, you pass through the prairie and eventually come to a small bridge (shown in the two above right photos) which is your entryway into the pines from the north. If you take the roundabout way past the lagoon and woodland pond, entering the pines from the south, you are greeted by the below views. You can see some of the changes over the years as dying pines give way to the sunlight and the deciduous trees take hold. The image below right, which I have used for the clickable icon on both the Poetry & Pictures and Scrapbook Photos Index pages, is of our youngest grandson in 2009. I decided to use a photo of just him, rather than the two of us, because Woldumar, beyond the American Heritage Festival, is truly about the future. By involving each generation with the natural wonders of God's creation, their good stewardship gives us all hope for tomorrow.

If you remain too long in the pines, you might notice the sun getting lower in the sky (photos below). That would be your clue it is time to start heading back. Although, as the above pictures attest, there are those who are learning how to build a shelter, if needed, in the woods. I assume this to be the project of some scout troop or perhaps a Woldumar program.

The large Woodland Pond rests adjacent to the pines on the east, but there is also a smaller wetlands pond immediately to the west. The photos below show us exiting through the pines into this area. The pond is connected to a series of trails leading around it, through the wetland, and across the prairie. A few of those pictures are included below as well.