“Autumn’s Divine Glory”

Hello folks and welcome several newcomers! It’s been a few weeks and yes I am still in the middle of telling my story from out West back in August! I assure you that will be completed soon! I’m just getting back from an Autumn adventure up in New England the past few weeks and will have another story to tell🍁😁 But, for right now, I didn’t want this image highlight to wait any longer, as scenes like this are fully consuming my mind of late…

I have been blessed to gaze upon and revel in such Autumnal beauty throughout my life so far. One of my inspirations in life, Rodney Lough, Jr., once said “to view a leaf turned color at the height of Autumn is purely divine.” The more I think about this quote over the years, the more I couldn’t agree more. It just fills me with such pure joy!

From my journal on October 6th, 2016 from where I made camp off of the Long Trail hiking up Mt. Mansfield in Vermont. I came upon these beckoning Sugar Maples late in the day and made camp right here to catch the dawn’s light setting them on fire -

“Earlier today I smelled Fall distinctly for the first time this season. Halfway up this mountain, on the Long Trail, the delicious smell of Autumn leaves in the crisp air! Mixed with the strong scent of pine and fir and the Earthy aroma of damp soil in the coolness of shade towards sunset, the smell evoked the spirit of the season!

Within this forest of Maple, Birch, and Evergreen, I sit with my eyes and thoughts fixed upon the stars and the silhouetted giant trees. Leaves tumble down upon me in the breeze as I drift amongst the stars.

I await the morning light to cast it’s glow upon these mountains, ablaze with Autumn fire like I have only ever imagined…

I awoke this morning to a magnificent pre-dawn glow, accentuating the orange glow of the maples with it’s pinkish-purple hue. The first rays of light to touch these beauties were purely divine. Highlighted Birch bark and fiery Sugar Maple leaves contrast against the shadow of the Green Mountains. What a majestic scene in this golden light!

The heavy smell of fir mingles with the unmistakable scent of Autumn. The leaves, the cool air, the dampness in this refreshing light. It is so peaceful as birds softly chatter and it lulls me back to a dreamy state…

Autumn’s glory, so fleeting and so precious.”

“Autumn’s Divine Glory” - Brandon Kline

A Winter’s Dream

From my journal - January 30th, 1:09am

Alder Brook Cottage, A Tiny House in the Woods of the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont

         These past few days have been something out of a pure Snow White Winter dream, void of time and space. I don’t think my words can or will really ever be able to comprehend its beauty. Chalk it up to being just part of Vermont’s rustic charm. 

         Anna and I arrived in Vermont Saturday evening January 26th after spending the day on the road from our Pennsylvania home with a pit-stop to deliver my artwork for a family in Massachusetts. We found Kingdom Taproom in Saint Johnsbury for dinner and local brews before getting to the Inn by the River in Hardwick, VT. A lovely little Inn in the quaintest little town, the likes I am convinced only New England can produce. On the morning of the 27th, we dined at the Village Restaurant, reveling in our Jasper Benedicts - eggs Benedict covered in one of the world’s best cheese-makers Jasper Hill cheese sauce! All the while, snow falling down on this beautiful, charming town as we watched out the window.

         After picking up our firewood and a few other things, we arrived... facing a rolling ridge dense with Spruce, Cedar, and Birch, our Tiny Home Cabin awaited as we carried our supplies across the little bridge, up the rocky snow covered steps and through the forest. The fact that it snowed that entire day and evening upon our arrival only added to the quintessential Vermontness of our adventure!

         These three days have been everything one could want Winter in Vermont to be... Snow, fresh powder sticking to the Evergreens and Hardwoods. Cold, crisp clean air. Single digits to negatives in crystal clear blue skies and a dark, rich star filled night. Sitting by the wood-stove, cozy and warm with my love. Eating world-class cheeses, drinking world-class beers. Cooking meats, grilled sandwiches, and beef stew all upon the wood fire stove. Playing Scrabble, reading and drinking coffee and tea while eating Maple cookies. Relaxing, reconnecting.

         Snow, falling down again. Sparkling diamond-dusted snowflakes adding inches to the feet already piling up upon the forest floor. Hiking, or rather trudging, through ankle-high, knee-high, waist-high snow depending how deep I might fall in with each step. I explored the forest of this ridge amongst blissful quiet, peace, and solitude. It makes one feel like a kid again, buried this deep in snow and calming silence amongst this wooded Winter Wonderland. It all seems like a dream...

         Yet, I have the accutest awareness that I am living it, living this life. This snow-draped dream, one of magic in this Kingdom of Winter. 

2019 Nature’s Grandeur Calendar

         Looking for a little bit of Nature’s Inspiration for the upcoming year? Well, I am proud to present my first ever, self-designed Wall Calendar, which I am titling Nature’s Grandeur! I have completely designed every bit of this calendar myself and with the help of a local printing company, I can happily share it with you!

         The calendar is 8.5x11 inches, showcasing the beauty each month of the year has to offer (and with a few exceptions, photographs have been taken in the proper corresponding month, those that aren’t are very close)! I also had some fun researching significant dates and the calendar has several fun, noteworthy (in my opinion) observances to coincide with traditional federal and religious dates.  What about Moon Phases you ask?... Yep got ‘em! Add a little biographical info, Artist Statement tidbits, and a few pics of me doing what I love and that’s it in a nutshell. 

         The 2019 Nature’s Grandeur Wall Calendar is $17.50 flat rate (shipping factored into cost). Just give me a call or shoot me an email to place your order! I am accepting orders until January 11th, to coincide with my Holiday Savings Print sale! Below is the direct link for more information on the Artwork Discounts -

http://www.brandonklinewnp.com/holiday-savings

🌲🎄❄️🌨☃️🎅🎁

Sierra Club Event

         I want to share this for anyone in the central Pennsylvania region that may be interested in going...

         Sierra Club Moshannon Group hosting a free forum on Sunday March 26, 2017 from 4-6pm at the Katz Auditorium, Penn State Law School.  The event is co-sponsored by American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, Penn State's EcoAction, and Penn State Law School.

         There will be four successful environmental advocates speaking - Jim Slotterback (Responsible Drilling Alliance), Cricket Hunter (Interfaith Power and Light), Peter Buckland (Penn State Sustainability Institute), and Lara Fowler (Penn State Law School)

         The forum centers around the question - "What can I do to help save our planet?"

         It sounds like a very informative event and I am looking forward to it!  In the very Spirit of the Sierra Club, here is a John Muir quote which I feel echoes strongly in regards to our current matters at hand -

         "The wrongs done to trees, wrongs of every sort, are done in the darkness of ignorance and unbelief, for when the light comes, the heart of the people is always right." - John Muir, John of the Mountains:  The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, (1938) page 429.

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On the trail in Glacier National Park 2016

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Looking up in Olympic National Park 2016

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Autumn Maple sunrise along the Long Trail, Vermont 2016