The cabin in the Georgia mountains. The veranda at the rear of the cabin commanded a tranquil view deep into the surrounding forest. From here we observed wild deer, possums, chipmunks, toads, various small forest birds, and enjoyed the green shade cast by the tall hardwood forest trees. A short walk along the track brought us into a clearing beside a neighbour's cabin, which had spectacular views across a valley, of the mountain folds stretching into the distance. One day we took a short walk into the forest itself, down the hill behind our cabin, and found wild orchids, sassafras trees, a sleepy box turtle estivating under a semi-rotting fallen tree trunk, and golden-silk spiders guarding their wide webs amid the deafening sound of the cicadas. These surprisingly small insects could make more noise than a workshop full of power tools.

At night, various insects were attracted to the cabin's lights, and I spent one evening "playing" with several large katydids hanging on the window screens.