October 17 at Wahlfield Park

Sunday:  It's been a very long time since Emma and I have taken a stroll through the woods--many, MANY weeks too long! It's just been one thing or another I guess: rain, too hot (according to Emma), mosquitoes, more rain ...

This week after church and lunch, we decided that conditions were PERFECT for taking a walk in the woods. I can't tell you how much I NEEDED this! Emma says she did too! We needed to drive over to Alpine for some business Emma had to take care of, so we drove to a park just a few miles up the road from there. This is Wahlfield Park--not a new place--just one we haven't visited in a very long time.

Here it is--mid-October and STILL there is not much color! Perhaps it is because of our extra DRY summer? Many of the leaves that are down on the ground are colorful--but not the deep reds and golds of last year by any means.

BUT ... an October day like this was just next to being perfect ... we both brought our cameras to enjoy the challenge of getting just the right picture.

Emma is going to forward me some of her pictures in the near future. Her camera does a lot of stuff that my camera does not do (with focusing and lighting). She was able to get some super good pictures of tiny white flowers and dark purple ones too. I took my usual woodsy pictures. I love pathway pictures, don't you?

The shadows were out to play this afternoon ... all of them very friendly and welcome!

I have never walked this part of Wahlfield Park before--so it was a little bit of an adventure for me. I love new places ...

I truly love the woods. This place has paths everywhere ... it is very easy to get turned around back in these woods (if you are the type that has no inner compass) ...

These few hours out in God's great creation was such a refreshing time. I took deep breaths and could NOT keep the smile from my face. God is so good!

We got to this huge wild field with winding paths all through it ... I kept thinking (hoping) the paths would circle back to the woods ... but we walked and walked and walked ... and the sun was getting lower in the sky.

Thankfully, Emma had her phone along (with its flashlight) so we would at least have a little light for our path in case darkness came and we weren't back to the parking lot yet!

We DID make it back to my car in plenty of time before sunset. I am so thankful we did this today. Both of us really needed this fresh air, the walk and the drinking in of God's creation. Thank you so much Lord.