Earlier this month, my wife Sandy and I made our way from our abode in Pennsylvania, USA to a village in the northeast section of New York State. We journeyed there to attend a family reunion at the home of my brother and sister-in-law. Spread out over several days, the event turned out to be as delightful and meaningful as we could have hoped. Most of our close relations, from my side of the family, live far from Sandy and me. So, we don’t see them all that often. Outstandingly, all of them were at the reunion.
The village in question, not far from Canada, is bordered on its eastern side by Lake Champlain. What a beautiful locale. Farmlands and rolling hills abound near the village. And Lake Champlain, enormous, is as pretty as a picture.
The best natural sights we saw during the trip, though, were the Adirondack Mountains, a large section of which we drove through in order to reach our non-mountainous destination, and on the return trip too. Of medium but not insignificant height (46 of the Adirondack peaks are over 4,000 feet/1,219 meters), they possess an aura of composure and stability. Those qualities aside, what wowed me the most about them were their trees. A mixture of conifers and hardwoods, the trees were so thickly massed. And, it being summer in the northern hemisphere, so green. Man, I’m a suburban/urban guy who doesn’t get to see endless expanses of trees every day. You better believe I was duly impressed.
But . . . leave it to me not to have taken any pictures of the Adirondack greenery. Ditto for Sandy. Sue us! However, all is not lost. For, last week I decided to gaze upon and photograph trees in my suburban neighborhood. The density of trees here is insignificant compared to that of the Adirondacks, of course, but is pretty good for suburbia. Thus, after slathering my arms and beyond-wrinkled face with sunscreen lotion, out the door I went on a hot Monday morning. Over the next 50 minutes I traversed many of my neighborhood’s blocks. And got more than my fix of green.
Now, when it comes to scientific matters, I’m almost as dumb as shit. In fact, if you take away the almost from the previous sentence, you’ll be much closer to the truth. Which is why I had, and still have, no answer as to why the tree leaves I saw that morning showed no signs of drying up, considering how brutal the Sun and temperatures had been in my region for the previous four or more weeks. Mother Nature knows the reasons, of course, but hasn’t been in the mood to share her knowledge with me. Up yours, Mother Nature! (Just kidding, my dear lady, just kidding.)
Yes, green was the color of the day. But after strolling around for a while I began to think that maybe too much green was on view. I mean, green’s dominance in my little corner of the vegetation world was impressive and more than deserving of a salute. However, I grew a bit tired of the sameness as my walk progressed. As a result, I found myself thinking ahead to autumn, when tree leaves put on multi-colored spectacles that never fail to totally knock my socks off. Would I also have tired of Adirondack greenery had I spent more than a limited number of hours in the mountains’ presence a few weeks ago? Likely. What can I say? Green, I like you, but I guess I don’t love you.
I’m not quite finished talking about green, though. That’s because of a song — Bein’ Green — composed by Joe Raposo in 1970 for Sesame Street, a children’s television series. Bein’ Green truly is lovely. Its lyrics and melody tug at your heart. First sung by Kermit The Frog, who is one of Sesame Street’s characters, the tune has become a classic covered by numerous performers.
So, here’s the thing: Kermit is green, which is a prominent color in the frog family. But he wishes he were a more interesting hue, one with more oomph. Well, Kermit then gives the situation some additional thought. And, as he is unusually wise, concludes that he will accept himself for what he is. There’s beauty and worthiness in just about everything, after all.
Who am I to argue with Kermit? If green is totally good enough for him, it is for me too. Green, I apologize for not appreciating you fully. I’ll try to do better!
Yeah, Another Blogger 
Green is a good colour. Great photos, especially the sun through leaves and the big trees with the guy and dog nearby.
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Hey there, Audrey. I also like the photo of the trees/guy/dog. That section of my neighborhood has a higher density of trees than the other sections.
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I’m a muted green – metaphorically speaking – since I’m half froggy French. 😉 I’m good with it too.
The lawns in your pictures are showing how dry it is, but older trees with their deep root systems can withstand drought for a long time, especially depending on their type.
The Adirondacks are beautiful. I drove through that area about 30 years ago and have never forgotten it.
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Hi there. The Adirondacks are gorgeous and encompass a huge area. I saw only a small fraction of those mountains on my way to and from the family reunion.
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Green is good but I agree, fall is spectacular.
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Right, the variety of fall colors is what sets it apart.
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Long live the green!
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I’m with you on that.
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When I am out walking, I am often dazzled by how clever Mother Nature is and the broad range of vibrant colours she can generate. We know nothing about colour in comparison and green is one colour she does particularly well. Enjoy. Mel
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Overall, I guess, green is the predominant color among flora.
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I have always been annoyed that green is not a primary color because I picked it as my favorite as a little kid and I have been loyal ever since.
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Hi Geoff. You know what you like!
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Take heart, Geoff. Green IS one of the primary colors of light. In photography, video and other imaging, the three primaries are red, blue and green.
No, I have no idea how they make all the colors with them.
Paz
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That makes me feel better!
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Well, that song matches your attitude to green very well – as with the colour which just didn’t catch your attention, the song is bland to my ear! Nowww, as opposed to your view, I adore green in all its forty shades, as that old song goes! It is the essence of any garden and countryside, the peaceful background to the occasional spots of colour we encounter. Re your trip north – isn’t this the region famed for the wonderful autumn colour of the trees – you will have to arrange another family reunion, witness the autumn colours and record it on your camera!
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Hi Paddy. Right, autumns up there are amazing, with the trees turning color. Ditto for other states in that region, such as Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
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Some gorgeous shots
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Thanks Sheree. I appreciate it.
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My pleasure
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I love trees and green and liked your photographs, Neil..but appreciate the wonderful Autumn show of mixed colours too. Evacuated from a semi-built-up area of England, to a more rural Wales in WW11, I grew to love the countryside, but have, mostly, lived near hustle and bustle towns. I enjoyed Kermit the frog as I used to watch it on TV with our three lads. Aah!
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Kermit is a cool guy. Very smart, wise, empathetic.
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agreed , Neil: Autumn is my favourite season for tree colour: the sheer vARiety is dazzling ; during Autumn I take multiple shots of trees showing off Nature’s variegated palette
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The autumn colors are amazing. It’s good to live in parts of the globe that have four distinct seasons. Billions of people don’t get to experience that.
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I don;t think I could stand living in a country that doesn’t have 4 distinct seasons: I’ve grown used to the rhythm —
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Neil, what a wonderful family gathering and the Adirondack Mountains sound amazing. I like your study of green in your neighbourhood and glad the trees are still thriving. Here in the UK it is so green – and yes, it can be a bit repetitive. I wonder if that is why we go on about our gardens so much and all the colourful plants! 😀
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I think you’re right about that. Flowers liven things up.
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Great write up about your trip.
One of the things l love about where I live in North Florida is the green. So many shades of green, everywhere. I live on a canopy road, so it’s live oaks and Spanish moss everywhere. I never get tired of it.
Well, except during hurricane season when many of those trees come tumbling down. 🙂
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Hi Richard. Spanish moss is alluring. I guess I’ve seen it only a handful of times in my life, and not in ages.
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I’d like to visit the vicinity of New York State you enjoyed. The colors could be green or otherwise, the area sounds lovely.
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Upstate New York has some beautiful sections. I also like the Catskill Mountains, which are south of the Adirondacks. Many big resorts used to be in the Catskills (Grossinger’s, The Concord, to name two). But they all are gone, as far as I know.
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There can never be too much green Dude!
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Oh, I definitely like green. Not my favorite color, though. But, as I say in the story, I’m trying to like it a bit more than I already do!
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Art Blogger is right – never TOO much green!
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Hi GP. Green has got a whole, whole lot of presence, for sure.
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How I love that song! And Kermit is my favorite Muppet. Our house is on the edge of the woods, which means green is the predominant color here. Glad to read you had a wonderful family reunion.
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Morning, Laurie. I guess I like Sinatra’s version of Bein’ Green the best, among the versions I’ve heard. Van Morrison does a good job with it too.
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Cute song. Nice photos but would have liked to see some of your trip. Would have been beautiful l am sure.
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Hi Joyce. I took only family photos on the trip. For privacy reasons, it wouldn’t have been right for me to publish any of them.
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What about scenery from your trip. Must have been beautiful?
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I wish I’d taken some scenic photos. But, I didn’t.
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II can never have too much green. Or too many fall colours. Or too much spring when things all start anew. I even enjoy the snow, as long as I don’t have to drive in it.
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Hi. Yeah, the changing of colors throughout the year is really something. It can keep us from getting bored!
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Green isn’t just ‘green.’ It comes in hundreds of shades; one of my favorite spring amusements is counting the number of greens I see in the landscape. Some last only a few days; most transform into the deeper greens of summer. Of course, given my age, the first song that came to my mind was that gem from the New Christy Minstrels. I listened to it last night, and it still was in my head this morning.
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Howdy. I hadn’t realized that The New Christy Minstrels had so many members. If I counted them right in the video, there were eight of them.
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I agree, you can never have too much green. I came home last night to lots of green. I’d been at our lake house in northern Michigan where it is green and wet, too. This summer has been moist here in northern Illinois and the grass and gardens are lush and thick. I’ve got some yard work to do before I go back tomorrow. Green is good.
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Hi Clay. In our part of the globe, I guess that green dominates from May through September. It’s a powerful color, for sure.
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Aren’t you an Eagles fan?
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I am.
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Ha, then maybe green goes beyond September!
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Beautiful photos Neil! Trees are so smart with their root systems that keep them alive and lovely even in hot weather. Nature is so smart 🙂
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You know, though, in some past years in my area, tree leaves have dried out and fallen much earlier than you’d expect. This summer, though, despite consistently high temps, that hasn’t happened yet.
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Interesting- maybe an undiscovered underground aquifer just appeared, or someone is painting the leaves 😉
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Love the green of summer. Something about it — like a welcoming hug.
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Morning, Brian. “Like a welcoming hug” — great phrase, and right on the money.
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Ha! Every season has its purpose and beauty 💚
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Morning, Kathy. Do you have a favorite season? Mine is autumn.
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I like summer a lot! Climate change is almost forcing me to change my mind, though.
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Glad you received some good doses of green medicine!
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Those doses were very beneficial. Hi Marie. Have a great rest of the week.
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I’ve never been to that part of NY so loved your travelogue. I almost got to West Point, when my daughter considered the military academy there (she ended up at USNA). Lots of NY is so gorgeous, it makes your teeth hurt.
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You’re right — there are many areas of NY with great natural beauty. I’ve never spent much time in the Finger Lakes region of NY, for instance, but I’d like to.
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We’re color-deficient out west in San Francisco. Other than our beautiful Golden Gate Park, we don’t have enough trees in residential areas to provide us with green, and we certainly don’t have autumnal colors anywhere nearby to appreciate when fall comes around. I really like your green-drenched photo with the man and his dog, and I enjoyed the way you tied everything together with your impressions of the Adirondacks as well as the Joe Raposo song. Sinatra’s version of “It’s Not Easy Being Green” was played frequently in our house when I was a teenager. Sinatra was king in the Bocciardi household, and as usual his styling was able to take a (deliberately) bland song and make it a bit less bland.
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I think that Sinatra, in his prime, was as good a singer as there ever has been. I especially like his way with ballads — he could get inside a lyric like nobody else.
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Don’t wish for autumn yet! Put up with the green for a while longer 😊 Maggie
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I’m trying!
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A paean to green! (Well, it ALMOST rhymes). Glad you had such a good time on your family trip, shame no scenery pics though. I’ve never been to that neck of the woods.
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In retrospect, I wish I’d taken some scenic photos. Oh well.
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Neil, you had me laughing with your comment about scientific matters 😀 I love trees, but totally understand how so much green could become boring. For me, the diversity of the green hues and shapes makes all the difference in offering that “totally knock my socks off” moment as you call it 😀
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The huge variety of hues on our planet makes things very interesting and entertaining.
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You wonder whether there was just too much green and were keen to see autumnal colours…..reminds me of brother in law having a stay in a hotel in the foothills of the Himalayas…said that after a couple of days he was bored by the view!
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He needed to get up among the high peaks. Believe it or not, I was in Nepal once. Decades ago. I was part of a group that trekked from the foothills up into the Everest region. Incredible sights day after day after day, especially as we got close to Everest and other giant peaks.
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I always thought that he had missed a lot…such a great adventure you had and I bet you don’t need photographs to remind you of it.
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Seems like you two had a lovely trip and family gathering. What I love about trees is that they help COOL us. As far as I’m concerned, that’s cool. Cheers, Muriel
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Hi Muriel. Trees are so beneficial to our planet in various ways. Trees are magnificent entities. See ya!
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Our green season is winter! Right now our hills are a golden color. Lake Champlain is such a lovely place for a reunion.
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My brother and sister-in-law’s house is right on Lake Champlain. A great location for anyone who loves peaceful views, swimming, kayaking, etc.
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Hey Neil, long time.
Lucky me, I live about an hour and a half southwest of Glens Falls. My camping stories come from Long Lake.
Come back to see our Adirondacks in the fall. You will be dazzled!
The last week of September through the first week of October are the peak.
Take care,
Paz
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I’m tempted to do that. I love fall foliage.
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There’s green in the sunshine state but certainly not the verdant kind in your neck of the woods. We’ve got different varieties of palm trees but I sure do miss “real” trees…the kind which turn all sorts of vibrant colors during the fall and–can’t believe I am saying this– that require the work of raking up and bagging on brisk autumn days.
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Hi. Those fall colors are something else. To tell you the truth, I don’t mind raking up the leaves that accumulate on our property. It gives me exercise, which I often don’t get enough of!
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I really hope to visit the Adirondack Mountains some day! I’ve heard they’re gorgeous. As for the green trees in your neighborhood, I guess they’re just more resilient that we think. And those variety of Autumn colors will be here before you know it……
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Hi Ann. You’ll have a fine time in the Adirondacks. You’d like the Catskill Mountains too, which are south of the Adirondacks. The town of Woodstock, New York is in the Catskills.
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I absolutely love that song and never tire it (nor of lush green environments).
Two of my other favourite versions are by Ray Charles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNwWZvskjq0
and by Sangah Noona (sadly, I can no longer find her version on line. Copyright issue?)
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Ray Charles was one of the best. Thanks for sending that link.
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Very cool! We’re in the middle of a Springer Family Reunion right now. We’re in Minnesota on the banks of Lake Superior.
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Sounds great. Enjoy!
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Good memories. What’s not to love about the colour green.
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I’m on the living room sofa right now, looking through a window at a huge, green-leafed tree. A nice view.
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I do love trees, and they have such a calming effect, especially when walking through native bush or forest. Enjoy.
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Your neighbourhood has a great collection of trees. Never too much green if you ask me!
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Hi. Nature has presented us with untold amounts of green. Ours is a very green planet, for sure.
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I’d like to hear a song from Kermit the Tree. Could make for some interesting lyrics. Out here in the Pacific NW there’s no shortage of green (at least on this side of the Cascade Mtns). It never gets old.
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Hi Dave. Speaking of trees: I’ve seen estimates about the number of trees on Earth. Close to four trillion, I think, is the estimate.
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This article is incredibly helpful. Thank you for sharing!
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It’s not easy being green. 🙂 I live on the Canadian side, just a few hours west of the Adirondack Mountains, and have hiked/skied there over the years. It is a beautiful area in the summer, but Fall is spectacular. Nice to hear that you were able to spend some quality time with your family.
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Hi. Have you skied in the Lake Placid area?
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Yes. Several Mountains there.
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Green has been on my radar all summer, even wrote about it on my blog. Some years we don’t see much of it outside, but this summer it’s been wowsa around here. Color me happy about it.
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🌲🌲☘️🌿
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In my mind, there can never be too many shades of green, shades of happy and healthy trees which keep life on earth going. But it’s nice if the green is complemented by the colors of other happy and healthy plants, such as flowers.
Of course, the nicest shade of green is Kermit’s. 😊🐸
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Trees are incredible. A quick look at some online articles tells me that trees emerged somewhere around 370 to 390 million years ago. That’s more than 100 million years before dinosaurs emerged.
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Yes, they have been around for a long time. And they are wise and venerable. 🌳🌲
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Being a tank-top-and-flipflops girl, I LOVE SUMMER and its GREENS (not to disparage the brilliance of autumn colors at all). I don’t think I can get too much green. I mean, set me out in the Quabbin Reservoir on a summer day where the open sky stretches farther than the eye can take in, and I am in HEAVEN.
I was once given, as a gift, a three-day silent retreat in the Appalacian Mountains at a beautiful camp (with comfy accommodations). I was the only guest that weekend, so I got up the first morning, climbed the short road to the mountain top and read aloud (to the natural world) a dozen poems of Walt Whitman. It was dazzling.
That said, I am glad you had an excellent time in the Adirondacks and (up to a point) enjoyed the beauty of the green world.
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When I was in elementary school, I spent two summers at Camp Baco, which was in the Adirondacks near a town called Minerva. Going to the reunion, we passed an exit for Minerva. Brought back some long-ago memories.
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WordPress is being stubborn and not letting me “like”. So here is my BIG LIKE for your comment!
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Firstly, Neil, apologies for being late, I was away! I wouldn’t miss your post for anything, and this one is wonderful too, as I love nature, green is my color, and Kermit’s wisdom is imprinted in my heart. Thank you, Neil for the post, the picture and the song!
Joanna
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Hi Joanna, and thank you. I agree with what you say about Kermit. If everyone had Kermit’s approach to life, this world would be close to paradise.
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I couldn’t agree more with you, Neil, and I love Kermit!
Joanna
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elphaba is green! I remember coming home from a trip out west and being aware of the green. That’s what I love about the midwest area though, the colors and changes. Sounds like a nice trip.
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Somebody should write a movie that stars both Elphaba and Kermit!
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Sounds like you had a great visit and trip, Neil. I love all the green trees. Who doesn’t just love Kermit the frog, and that cute song.
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I’d like to be as wise as Kermit!
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Well now, if that isn’t just the perfect way to wrap your commentary on green. Glad Kermit helped you come to terms with it! We’re getting a fresh dose of Sesame Street these days taking care of our young granddaughters. Kermit and his pals stand the test of time, with several new characters added to the mix.
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Hi there, Dave. I just took a look at Wikipedia. Kermit has a long history. Jim Henson created Kermit in 1955. And, if I understand what Wiki says, Kermit’s most recent non-rerun appearance on TV or in movies was in 202.
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I’ll bet that drive through the mountains was spectacular! Glad you had a great time.
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Hi there, Jeff. Speaking of mountains, I’ve had it in the back of my mind to visit the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. I haven’t been there in decades. It’s a great area.
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