Sunday, October 4, 2009

Quotable Sunday-Our National Forests

My husband and I have been watching the Ken Burns' special  "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" on PBS this past week. The documentary was six years in the making and it is 12 hours long,  It is so beautiful and when it shows Yosemite, its high country, Hetch Hetchy, the Sequoias, and any Sierra vista, I feel a strange longing and pull .
When John Muir speaks and his words are accompanied by period photos and new photography of the Range of Light, I get honestly get goosebumps!
I have seen many of John Muir quotes before, but I never realized how much he contributed in helping to establish our National Parks.
So for this weeks Quotable Sunday, I thought that I would quote Mr Muir and two others, in my tribute to one of Our Best Ideas!
I picked number 5 as my favorite quote this week, hope you have a great week!



1."The parks do not belong to one state or to one section.... The Yosemite, the Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon are national properties in which every citizen has a vested interest; they belong as much to the man of Massachusetts, of Michigan, of Florida, as they do to the people of California, of Wyoming, and of Arizona."
Stephen T. Mather, NPS Director, 1917-1929:

2..Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~
John Muir

3..Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
John Muir

4.How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!
John Muir

5.I never saw a discontented tree. They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do.
John Muir

6.In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir

7.There is that in the glance of a flower which may at times control the greatest of creation's braggart lords.
John Muir

8.How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! ~
John Muir

9.Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~
John Muir

10.Nature chose for a tool, not the earthquake or lightning to rend and split asunder, not the stormy torrent or eroding rain, but the tender snow-flowers noiselessly falling through unnumbered centuries.
John Muir

11."There is nothing so American as our national parks.... The fundamental
idea behind the parks...is that the country belongs to the people, that it is in
process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us."
President Franklin D. Roosevelt


Quotable Sunday is brought to you by Toni, from A Daily Dose of Toni - why don't you join us? Here are the basic and easy-to-follow rules...come on and join in, it's fun! ;)

The rules (for newbies)~Go to your blog and post one or more of your favorite quotes.~Go to Toni's and sign mister linky with the link to your post and then go visit the other participants and leave some comment love.~Spread the word of course...we want lots of Quotes to read :)

17 comments:

  1. I watched the National Parks special from Monday through Friday. I missed the Sunday beginning unfortunately.

    After watching it, it made me want to go back and see everything again. 2010 is going to be too busy for us but instead of going abroad in 2011, we've decided to go see Yellowstone and Glacier again. I loved those parks.

    I didn't realize either just how much John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt did. Wow!

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  2. John Muir had a wonderful sensibility.

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  3. i never got around to watching those specials...but love the quotes...especially cares falling off like autumn leaves. nature can do that...

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  4. Great quotes and we also watched every episode and loved it for not only the inspiration but the political awareness of what made the parks possible and tried to block it. He did a fantastic job with blending in the stories of ordinary people enjoying those parks through the years. It was his best special, I think.

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  5. As a tree lover, I have to agree with #5 although there were so many great ones there!

    Sorry I missed the Burns special, even though I read about it, I got side tracked.

    Have a great week!

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  6. beautiful pictures and quotes I would love to go to Yosemite but at least I can see your pictures till I do. Lovely and thank you for sharing.

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  7. Kay
    Jim and I have both enjoyed this documentary. I have learned a lot and have a strong longing to see it all! Have a great week!

    Laoch;

    I agree, I have a whole new admiration for Muir.

    Lin;

    Nature can do that. Enjoyed researching National Parks alot!
    Have a good week!

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  8. Gosh I really liked every quote, hard to decide on a favorite. But they were great and thought-provoking.

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  9. Thanks Cheryl;

    I really enjoyed the subject matter.
    Makes me want to go to and visit the beauty that we have in this country!

    darsden;

    thank you for your comment. This QS was a joy to my heart.
    Have a good week!

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  10. What a lovely bunch of quotes! I could never pick just one favorite.
    Sounds like it was a great show!

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  11. LT;

    Thank you for visiting on my QS .
    Hope you have a great week!

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  12. I really enjoyed #6. You might want to check your linky url, it seems to have a @ instead of a .

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  13. That photo is stupendous - I wish I could see the tv programme you did! The quotes are all too good to choose a favourite from, and I enjoyed reading them. One of the things I liked best about WV this summer was how every single exit on its highways seems to lead to another park: the state is full of them. It's wonderful.

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  14. Becca;

    Thank you so much for pointing that out, I wondered about why I wasn't getting very many comments!
    Thanks for stopping by!

    Susan;

    West Virginia is so beautiful all by itself. The smokies are breathtaking! Thanks Susan, I sorry that you can't get PBS from over the pond!

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  15. Becca;

    Thank you so much for pointing that out, I wondered about why I wasn't getting very many comments!
    Thanks for stopping by!

    Susan;

    West Virginia is so beautiful all by itself. The smokies are breathtaking! Thanks Susan, I sorry that you can't get PBS from over the pond!

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  16. This is the first time I've missed a Ken Burns special -- he's an all time favorite of mine, but we don't have television any more so I will have to wait until it comes out on video and I can't wait to see it! Particularly now! Love your quotes!! The photo is breathtaking!

    Sorry I'm late getting by, things just suddenly seemed to pile up and somehow I missed this. Great post!

    Have a great week!

    Sylvia

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  17. Sylvia;

    I've had computer prblems thispast week andI'm trying to catch up this week.
    No timetable on wonderful comments!
    Enjoy what must be a beautiful Fall in your world!

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I love your comments, so spill !

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