I live in the Hocking Hills region of Ohio where we have countless visitors come for the fall foliage. The trees are mostly bare now so the flow of visitors has slowed some, leaving the trails pleasantly quiet.
While the brilliant golds and reds of fall are gorgeous, I think there’s still something beautiful about the landscape after the leaves fall. It’s stark and basic. It’s quiet and calming. The beauty is subtle but lovely, even on a gloomy day.
This is one of a series of photos made on the Moonville Rail Trail over the weekend. We had the trail mostly to ourselves except at the end when we arrived back at the historic tunnel where people gathered to ghost hunt. I wondered if they would venture out of the tunnel to appreciate the starkness of the transformed landscape.
Yesterday found me on a section of the Moonville Rail Trail that I hadn’t explored before. Technically, we intended to visit the haunted Moonville Tunnel and walk a few miles from there on the rail trail. Unfortunately, that area was extremely busy and we were looking for a more peaceful experience in nature. So we opted for a plan b.
Turns out that was a terrific idea!
I live in Vinton County, Ohio where a growing tourism industry has resulted in some truly good things that deserve exploring. A winery, lots of new cabins and airbnbs, a new park district and other developments have been drawing a lot of new visitors into the community.
But I think, as residents, we sometimes forget to go check out the new or different because we keep returning to the old.
This was a fun walk and it was a gorgeous day to get out and enjoy something a little different than we would normally do. It was a fantastic reminder that there’s adventure to be found near and far from home and that every day is a good one to get out and see something!
Want to visit my community? Learn more here. If you’re a resident, there’s plenty for you to explore as well!
This weekend will be one of forced rest. I hurt my ankle earlier this week and ended up making an unscheduled trip to the chiropractor yesterday. While I can walk on it, it has some issues and I’ll be spending most of this weekend with that leg elevated.
So, I did what any rational book hoarder would do and popped into Wheatberry Books to pick up a page turner of a book to help me through my convalescence. Mind you, I could be crushed under the weight of my to be read pile but I didn’t have this book and that’s an important distinction.
I needed this book.
I was dying to get out of the car and walk around Yoctangee Park. I yearned to soak in the Autumn colors and walk through the leaves but didn’t trust myself to walk far. So I had a car picnic and enjoyed the view.
Today I’ll make a little veggie tray for snacking, use up some stray potatoes in a soup, and spend the day with my feet kicked up and a book in hand. If I’m lucky, Scout will curl up next to me to make sure I don’t get lonely.
He’s an attentive little caregiver.
Happy Saturday, friends! Stay home and be cosy or go forth and adventure. Whatever you do, enjoy your day!
This church is located just a few miles from home. I pass it often, typically on my way to the Dollar General on a quest to acquire some random thing I forgot to buy.
I hate those store runs but always enjoy passing by this country church.
There’s an elementary school and playground behind the church. That school is new, built after the schools I attended grades K-8 were torn down.
Now bigger kids from the surrounding townships attend the middle school in town while the younger country kids still have the benefit of being closer to home.
While the schools are different, this church hasn’t really changed in my lifetime.
I remember having an end of year picnic under those trees in second or third grade. The shade and comfort provided here on that warm May day has always been a happy memory. I normally had chips in a baggie but that day I had Doritos in the little tiny bag from the store and drank a lukewarm can of pop wrapped in foil that never really kept it cold.
Isn’t it funny the things we remember?
There’s a little free library in front of the church as well as a Blessing Box where you can leave non perishable food items to help folks in need.
I need to weed out some old books and think I’ll leave them there. Owning a book of your own is special but it’s not a priority when food insecurity is the only thing you can think about. That’s a common struggle for many in my community meaning that even a $3 Goodwill book is not a smart investment.
I like the idea of passing along something extra to anyone who wishes to read. This has been on my mind lately because I’ve been reading a book that discusses Nazi censorship and book burning. It also talks about the impact of placing books in the hands of American soldiers in World War II and what that did for morale.
I’m glad this little country church with its backyard full of trees has a place for our neighbors to receive these gifts of food and books. Hopefully these things will brighten their day and lesson their load.
When a leaf falls from a tree, it is committing an act of defiance. It no longer holds fast to its limb but lets go and trusts that what will be will be.
After what feels like weeks of battling bronchitis and lingering symptoms, I finally made it out for a hike yesterday. We encountered just a handful of other humans on the trail and I was grateful for the peaceful experience.
Clean air, bird song, and dirt beneath my feet were exactly what I needed. Wind through the trees helped many leaves embrace their independence and float gently toward the ground. They will soon go back to the earth and enrich the soil to help other plants and trees grow.
Time in nature makes everything better. It can heal the body, mind and spirit. It can lower your blood pressure. It can give you hope that tomorrow will be better.
It can make you stronger and happier.
Wherever you are in this world, I hope you will find your way outdoors for a while every day. Go for a hike. Step outside your front door. Find a walking partner to make it more fun. Do what you must. Just go outside.
Ruminating on things that don’t really matter is one of my specialties. Why do they continue making Indiana Jones movies when the first was clearly unbeatable? Why are the jokes on Laffy Taffy packages so lame? And whatever happened to Mikey, the Life Cereal kid who would eat anything?
Last night I stood on Davis Island at Lake Alma State Park examining the slow progressing fall foliage. To study the foliage from the island is a pretty unremarkable experience right now. You can sense fall is near with the aroma of leaves and the feel of a slight crispness in the air. You just can’t see it in the colors of the tree canopy overhead.
Go to the other shore and look back and it’s a much different experience. From this perspective you can see spots of color starting to show.
This a great metaphor for life. After all, when you’re too close to a subject it’s easy to lose perspective. It’s easy to not notice your progress or the slight changes happening right beneath your nose or over your head. It’s also easy to lose context, to lose faith, hope and the sense of self you need to continue through tough times.
I have a friend who is going through some incredibly difficult times. Her life’s season has changed and not in a good way. Life has become overwhelming, confusing and discouraging. I reminded her this week that she has been through difficult times in the past and that she’s smarter, tougher and more resilient than she can remember right now.
It’s the season of life she’s in. It won’t last forever but it will go on far too long. She will adapt and overcome these challenges and will someday wake up to find herself in an easier season. For now, she’s doing better than she thinks and I’m certain that she will be ok.
Seasons change. I hope my friend will remember this and will give herself the grace she needs to be where she is right now.
