It might be a bit early still. I had it in my head that by Columbus Day weekend, western Massachusetts was usually ablaze in the colors of fall. I wasn’t able to find much photographic evidence in the archives on my computer. I searched dates around this time in 2010 and 2009, without luck. My 365 project on Flickr showed a bit of color on October 10th of 2008.
When the forecast for this weekend said sunny skies and temperatures around 80°, I knew a walk in the woods would be on my “to do” list. The forecast proved accurate, and the doggy duo and I set out for an afternoon walk yesterday. I reveled in the warmth and sunshine, telling myself to enjoy it, knowing this was likely the last New England weekend to enjoy such weather. Hoping to spot hints of pretty color, Mr. Andre Rebel came along for the walk too.
While I didn’t see vibrant shades filling the trees, I was able to find some hints of the autumn palette:
These little cuties reminded me of Michaela’s post from the other day:
I also found something new along our familiar path. While rounding a bend, this popped up:
Bridge? I thought to myself. What bridge? Lo and behold:
A new footbridge had appeared along our walk, at Daphne’s favorite spot to take a little rest. Normally, this is the place where I have to figure out the best spot for a little leap across the running water while the dogs happily slog across. The dogs still slogged through, but I happily made use of the new addition.
In some spots along our walk, and in general about town, I’ve noticed some of the trees seem to be skipping their autumn display and going straight from green to brown:
In the pleasantness of the afternoon, we ambled further along the path than we’d been in quite a long time. As the sunlight peeked through trees in the shadowy section of our walk, it suddenly came to my consciousness that I had possibly obtained my own form of quiet contemplation and meditation. If meditation is the absence of active thought, then I think it happened, if only for a short time. For a short time, I wasn’t thinking about chores that awaited me at home, the trials of the previous week at work, or the tasks ahead for the week to come. It was just me, the dogs, the woods and breathing. And it felt really good.
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