Some things are simply beautiful; others are beautifully simple.

On a recent walk around One Mile, I had time to contemplate this concept. We are surrounded by so much natural beauty on such a grand scale in this valley that it takes some special circumstances to see the smaller details. The frequent rain storms of the last week presented those circumstances. I’m glad to have resisted the urge to stay inside.

The cottonwood leaves displayed in their ice frames are beautifully simple for the colour has faded, leaving nothing but shape.

Over against Signal Hill, the moss covered rockslides are captivating on their own-able to soften the landscape to a velvet green. Hidden in the crevasses are strands of jewels where spider webs display the raindrops they have captured.

Where a creek runs into the lake, the turbulent high water paints an ever changing image in white foam. There is nothing plain about this beauty.

When the sun breaks through for a second or ten, the path ahead tempts us further with its extravagant light show.

Back at the lake, the heavy rains have flooded the boardwalk and created a whole new canvas on the calm water. While the dog gazes down I see how the submerged path conveys the complexity in the simplicity; under this view lies another view and another beneath that-all of it is beautiful.