A secret place...

I am still 'on the way to Christmas'. In the last time I was touched by the story of somebody I met on one of the garden forums I like to read. I opened a thread about making more lively the habit of visiting 'other gardens' and I 'met' somebody who twenty-something years ago was coming here, to Komorow (place where I live now) and had the best vacation ever.

With the help of my camera I helped her to identify which house it was. Seeing it on the pictures for the first time after so many years was very touchy for her.... and moved my heart as well.

That story made me think about places from my own childhood, which I remember best and which shaped my sensitivity to natural beauty. It is a small town in the Western-Northern part of Poland. Scent of meadows and scent of lake, that I will always remember. Today entire region is under protection for its special natural values.

On the picture above you see the island, placed on the lake. It was taken from the plane by my bro (thanks bro!).

The heart of the region is the lake, clean and beautiful.

It was so great to watch birds and fishes swimming in the water. They are not affraid of you, even if you walk around in the water - they even like to touch... (ee... not everyone would like it I guess)

The water is still crystal clear.

That is the road from the town to the beach, 2 km long, it was beautiful and dreadful in my mind - trees were big, there was no people, so you could be always surprised by the genius loci and littlle forest fairies or little forest animals.

Best time was, when season was ended and tourists were gone - I was owning the place again. If it would depend on me, I would keep it in secret.

Water, fishes, boats, fishing, water birds, water plants etc. that is still part of me.

This above is the best sunset I ever photographed - colors were unique by the end of October.

I still visit that place from time to time and maybe one day I will move there... who knows...

It is far enough from any bigger city and close enough to any forest.

I do not want to say i don't like where I am now - it is just not only the beauty of the kid's memoires. I still love this place and still I am enchanted when I have the chance to see it again..

My brother loved this place more than I did, or at least I always thought so - he decided to live there and he did continuosly for 40 years. He used to say "I can not imagine my life somewhere else". I admired him for that. In comparison - I was like a wind - always somewhere else.

3 months ago he decided to change it, leaving many people puzzled, and I am still trying to understand...