Nestled

Saturday Mornings

Saturday mornings are for wandering. . .

. . . for morning dew

. . .for flowers the color of sunshine

. . . for wild, golden tipped grasses

. . . for cool breezes, sunshine on shoulders, birdsong

. . . and one good dog by my side.

. .

Belated

Errrr. . . Happy New Year!

I took these pictures bright and early on New Year's morning. (Well, not so bright as you can see.)  It was a beautiful, grey, misty dawn--one of my most favorite settings to photograph.

My favorite way to start off a new year is to wake up very early and get out on a trail somewhere.

This particular trail was perfect and it being super early on New Year's day, Lexi and I had the place almost to ourselves.  I had time to wander and think.  To think about the past year. The mistakes (quite a few), the blessings (way more than I could ever deserve), the plans that worked out and the ones that didn't.  The chances I took and the fears that kept me from taking the chances I should have.

I had time to think about the year to come. The things I want to be different and the things I hope remain constant.  The person I want to become.  The ways I'm going to push myself towards my dreams and goals for my future.

It was a good walk and the most me way to start off a year.

And this post being 4 months late in the posting is sadly, very me too.  : )

Sepia Tone Morning

This morning I took Lexi to a place we love to walk in the summer. I realized we had never been there in the winter. In summer, it is lush and vibrant and colorful and beautiful--echoing with birdsong and the rustling of little critters in the underbrush.





How different it looks in winter. It is stark and sparse and serene and still beautiful. The birds still sing there, but it doesn't sound so carefree now. There's a tone of earnestness--the search for those elusive berries of summer a little more intense.

 

     Now I'm off to fill up my bird feeders.

Looking More Like a Fox than a Foxhound

Wandering

::along the Carolina Thread Trail::

Lexi found a Hobbit chair.

My very favorite kind of morning

Waking up early.

The sweetness of the morning air, holding on briefly to the cool of the night.

A dog's smiling face in my rear view mirror.

Her joyous leap out of the truck, ready to take in all the new scents of a place yet to be explored.

The golden light of early morning transforming dew drops into a field of glittering diamonds.

The appreciation for rising early--for just a short while later it is just a field of damp grass again.

The sound my feet make on the gravel path.

The deep resonance of bird song through the woods.

The flash of sunlight on a cardinal's wing as it flits across the path.

The thought that for this cardinal this morning is the normal.

The hope held deep in my heart that someday, this will be my normal too.

A quiet prayer.

A grateful heart.

My very favorite kind of morning.



Evening Light

What a perfect way to kick off the weekend. This was a great way to end a pretty great day.

Have you ever had one of those days when things just seemed to go your way effortlessly?

I had one of those days today.

Largest. Lichen. Ever.

Seriously large!

Yeah, we had a pretty good time.

Recharging

::Anne Springs Close Greenway::