Summer Into Autumn

Autumn is making its presence felt and I love taking walks down country roads this time of year.  Sunday drives were once a popular way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  However, I spend enough time in my car now that I want to take a walk.  I am happy walking alone or with my husband, with a friend, or with the dog.  I prefer walking on country dirt roads that are overhung with oak trees.  I like peeking over the split-rail fences and seeing the horses or the cows grazing in the pasture; smelling the last cut of hay from a freshly mown field; or watching cranes in the corn field filling up for the flight south.  I hear cicadas buzzing and the clip-clop of horses as they and their riders trot by.   I may even smell smoke from indoor fireplaces or from brush piles as property owners start to clean up their land before winter sets in.

The sun is lower in the sky so the light is filtered through the trees that line the roads.  The filtered light adds additional texture to the landscape.  Some yellow leaves may start fluttering to the ground, but it is just the beginning of the change of season.  The height of the color is not due for another six weeks.