Autumn in New York

This was my final weekend before swim season starts. Since I coach swimming, from now on I will have a practice or a meet every Saturday until the end of February. As much as I would have liked to work on a project and cross another thing off of the list, I knew that I needed to relax and make the most of my time off.

Fall was always my favorite season. Summer now gives it a run for its money, but honestly, that is only because I do not work in the summer. I enjoy fall weather so much more than the heat of summer. I am a sweater kind of girl. I also love football, cider, Halloween, Thanksgiving and all the other things we associate with this season. However, the biggest reason that I love autumn is that I LOVE COLOR.

My heart aches every day as I drive to and from work because I am overwhelmed by the beauty that surrounds me. I feel as though I am traversing a fairyland. I am blessed to be able to experience these colors in person.

I have lived in six states and two foreign countries. I have visited thirty-eight other states and over thirty other countries. I have seen beautiful things around the world, but little compares to the riot of color from September to November in the Northeast of the United States.

I know that trees change colors in other parts of the world, but the mountains around here and the diversity in trees just sets this area apart. I only wish that I had been able to take these pictures on a sunny day, so that those of you who do not live around here could see what I am talking about. These pictures were taken on a cloudy day, but there is still beauty to behold.

On Saturday, Douglas and I went to Teatown Reservation, which is close to our house. We are lucky to have many hiking trails and nature preserves within a short drive from our house, but Teatown is one of my favorites. There are many trails there, but this time we chose to walk around the lake.

Kahlua was in heaven. Because it started to rain while we were there, we had the trails practically to ourselves and were able to let her off leash a good amount of the time. She is good about coming as soon as we call her, and she does not bother people or other animals, so we feel comfortable letting her run free. We put her back on leash whenever we heard people coming or while we were near the road. Don’t you just love the joy in her face?

She has such a bounce in her step now. It is amazing that she has come so far from the sad, sick dog that we adopted last year. She even allowed several people to pet her.

We often spot wildlife while walking at Teatown, but this time waterfowl were the only animals that we saw.

One feature of the lake trail at Teatown that I love are the benches that dot the landscape. The benches are beautiful themselves and provide perfect places to peruse the tableau.

I appreciated my final Saturday of freedom. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Happy Homemaking!