Photos by Robert Brune

It was a brisk, frosty morning in the northwestern Catskills. In New Kingston at 6 am the rolling hills were carpeted with frost, and the deer had come down from the mountains to dot the quiet landscape. The stillness carried the feeling of an earlier era, recalling the unhurried Sunday drives of John Burroughs, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone, whose excursions through Delaware County blended friendship, curiosity, and a deep appreciation for the countryside.

Cutting along New Kingston Mountain Road, the sun pierced the tree line and cast long bands of light across the valley. The descent into Roxbury revealed trees forcing their way back to life with tight buds despite the lingering chill in the air. Ponds and streams, adjusting to the temperature shifts, released ribbons of drifting foggy mist. By mid morning the daylight settled in, bringing with it a gentle and reassuring blanket of warmth across the awakening landscape.