Dusk at Pleasant View

Old Order Mennonite church, sunset in the Shenandoah Valley — Dusk at Pleasant View.

Photography helps keep my mind sharp. It motivates me to see the beauty that is all around me, to photograph scenes that I couldn’t even imagine existed.

With a few wispy clouds in the evening sky, my intended mission might be to capture a lovely sunset, only to be disappointed as the sun sinks below the horizon with unremarkable results. Nevertheless, I stick to the objective, looking for opportunities for creative shots as I traverse the countryside.

I arrived at the Pleasant View Old Order Mennonite churchyard shortly after sunset. Baren deciduous trees and a few evergreens populated the property, planted in part to shade the horses during the Sunday morning worship service. This was a weekday. I had the place to myself.

I could see the Allegheny Mountains to the west outlined by the evening’s golden light. When I came to this particular spot, I was transfixed. The trees seemed to guide my focus through the opening in their canopy far above and beyond the lovely skyline. There was no irony here whatsoever. The modest, horse-and-buggy driving Old Order Mennonites were spot on to declare this vista a pleasant view. For me, being in this moment was a spiritual experience, one of those spontaneous happenings in life that catches you by surprise and stirs your soul.

“Dusk at Pleasant View” is my Photo of the Week.

Author: Bruce Stambaugh

I am a writer, author, photographer, birder, walker, hiker, husband, father, grandfather, brother, Anabaptist, and community activist. My life is crammed with all things people and nature and wonder. My late father gave me this penchant for giving and getting the most out of life, my late mother the courtesy, kindness, and creativity to see the joy in life. They both taught me to cherish the people I am with. I try and fail and try again. View all posts by Bruce Stambaugh

8 thoughts on “Dusk at Pleasant View”

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing this.

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Bruce Stambaugh says:

December 7, 2017 at 11:14 am

You are most welcome, Joanne. I’m glad you like it.
Bruce

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I get your spiritual experience with this find. Just lovely and your photo frames it so well. Is this near Dayton?

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Bruce Stambaugh says:

December 7, 2017 at 11:13 am

Yes. West of Dayton on Harness Shop Rd.
Thanks,
Bruce

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Just beautiful!

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Bruce Stambaugh says:

December 7, 2017 at 11:21 am

Thank you, Elaine. We need all the beauty we can get in our lives.
All the best,
Bruce

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I always look forward to your photos and writings when I open my yahoo mail. Yahoo is my secondary email account and all else gets deleted when I open it. Thanks again for sharing your gifting with many and in this broken world with so much discord I agree with your response to Elaine “We need all the beauty we can get in our lives”.
(should I stop watching the evening news?)—perhaps?

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Bruce Stambaugh says:

December 9, 2017 at 9:01 am

Thanks so much, Greg. Your words mean a lot to me. As for the news, that’s your call. All I can tell you is that Neva and I seldom watch or listen to regular newscasts. Yet we manage just fine to keep up with what is happening in the world. We try to transform our former “news” time into serving others for the good. It doesn’t always work out that way, but we try.
Blessings,
Bruce

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