My calendar for the day mostly was full (for me) and it promised to be comfortable and sunny. What to do before the sun set? Take a simple walk around the block.
My “block” is a dead end road alongside Silver Lake. I love sharing pictures of the lake in spring, summer and fall. But the foliage is gone, the scenery is, shall we say, less than spectacular. I brought my camera along, “just in case” since you never know what might happen at the lake.
The days are growing short, so I headed out around 3 o’clock, enough time to get back before dark, but the shadows were already so long. Lucky for me, the swans have not left, and were near the shoreline, showing off their plumage. They will leave before long, but for now, they add some interest when so much I usually enjoy looks barren and forlorn.
My neighbors perched tiny pumpkins along their fence and surprisingly, the squirrels have not eaten all of them yet! Another touch of color along the way.
When I reached my neighbor’s driveway where the road ends, the sun was shining right through the cat tails just off shore. The light turned their fuzzy remnants into glowing torches.
The birds are busy right now, storing up food and fat against the coming cold. Woodpeckers, chickadees, and sparrows flitted from branch to branch, too quick for me to focus on any single one. The ducks in the lake were backlit as well, mallards, most likely.
Nature is anything but static. We never know what might be right around the corner, but it sure helps to get outside to look. Happy trails!
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
Marjorie Turner Hollman 