A place in the forest...

No internet. Spotty cell service. 
A comfy tent bedroom.

Peace.
No walls, open air.

Stars.

Magical blinking lights.

Surround sound.

Coyote calls.

Barred Owl songs.

Deer whistles.

Songs from a Brown Thrasher.

Bird calls.

Campfire.

Smells.

Fog in the meadow.

Dew.

The sound of leaves sighing in the breeze.

No noises other than those made in the forest.

A light show like no other.

Morning mists in the meadow.

A stunning morning view.

Good company.

Where the Earth Breathes

The morning mist hangs low and still,
Upon the green and silent hill.
The ancient trees hold back the wind,
And leave the busy world behind.

A hidden creek flows soft and slow,
Through mossy stones and fern below.
No hurried step, no frantic sound,
Just quiet grace upon the ground.

The golden light begins to fade,
Across the cool, protected glade.
The forest rests, the shadows fall,
And peace settles over all.

~~~Author Unknown

Hiking for colors and distance...

Surprise ... 

Surprise...

I finally feel like I got my physical mojo back.

I don't want to brag, but heck, I'm going to anyway. 

I went back to my map my hike and also tallied up the miles I've hiked since June when I got a pretty plain smart Garmin watch.

Miles hiked this year? 698! I have not been tracking it each day or month. In fact, I figured with all the heat and humidity and BUGS we had this year, that my hiking would be pretty lame. I had two weeks that I did not walk or hike at all when I was sick.

So what am I doing with that Mojo? 

I'm moving again. If I can't go to the Reserve and hike, Charlie and I head out to the wilds next door. 600 acres of wild woods with old cattle trails that are now faint deer trails. If I can't find a trail, I wait and let the Trail Master find the easiest path.

We cross ravines, dry washes, and hike up and down steep hills.

OH Come ON Ma!

The fall colors are not always so prevelant inside the deep woods as many of the trees are fairly drab. Portions of the woods have been heavily logged for the really good trees. What is left in the understory are some pretty junk trees along with invasive barberry brush. 

Hint: If you walk here with me, wear heavy long pants so the barberry doesn't poke you so hard!

Photo of one of our hiking areas through barberry 'prickles'.
Charlie can find the deer path through this.

Hunting fall colors can be frustrating when you walk through a thick forest. Since we live in an area of steep hills and valleys...

Wonderful landscape views are rare here unless you can get on top of a bluff or you can stay on top of a ridge.

That has probably influenced my photography quite a bit.

It also means that I hike and hike miles to find a pretty shot or perhaps something very tiny to see. 

So what is the point of keeping track of how far I hike? Well, I don't know but it is fun to have a goal to reach.

Of course, I take Mini-me and Mini Charlie along. We love our outdoor time. The hikes in the forest next door will end in a few weeks when the gun hunters invade. 

But until then we will stack up the miles or as I call it...

time spent breathing air and chilling out.

Meanwhile, Charlie and I are going to see if we can reach a 1,000 miles by December 31st. 

Meanwhile

I keep enjoying the weather. It is cold, and earlier this week it was wicked. The Winds were blowing hard and this light and beautiful snow was falling.

I decided to take an early morning walk with Charlie. We hadn't been out in the woods for over a week and my feet were getting 'itchy' to wander.

The winds were so brutal in the open areas that I wore a balaclava and a pair of over the glasses goggles to keep my eyes protected from the cold winds. We made it to the Creek and enjoyed our time just wandering about and enjoying the fresh air out of the fierce winds.

There we are in our safety vests. I'd made some adjustments to Charlie's vest and now it doesn't impede his running or jumping. He and I are ready for winter hiking.

I took some of my characters with me. Big Foot wanted to find a nice tree for the village so he took one of the Polar Bears along. It looks like they found one!

Hobby, the photographer went along too. Gosh, it looks like her hair is getting grey just like mine! She always has her camera. [I painted her hair...]

[Hubby says she is me. She always has a camera in hand and is searching for something little to take photos of.]

I'd promised to make chocolate chip cookies for us [ewwww...baking!] so after shooting snowflakes on moss sporophytes, I headed towards home.

When I started putting together the cookies, I decided to see if my Lego folks could help. I discovered that I'd left Hobby in the forest! 

I was sort of elated that it would give me a second chance to head back out.

I know. I am crazy.

It was amazing that I found her exactly where I left her.

It seems someone needs to keep an eye on the Lego Village....

Uh oh, no one is watching the 
bears!

Looks like everyone is

gathering candy cane

decorations.

Snow Warrior and

a snowperson watch

And so it goes. Hope you are all having a good weekend.