To add to its charm, this little neck of the woods holds a special place in my heart and in my memories. My grandparents lived in the house directly across the street from the drive that leads to this nature park. It was a frequent destination for my Nanny and Poppop and me whenever my parents dropped me off for a "slumber party." And with the woods located right across the street from their front yard, I have fond memories of the deer that would stroll by their front window and the squirrels that would eat right out of the palm of my hand while standing in their front lawn.
With a husband who loves the great outdoors and two boys who love animals and exploring, it's the perfect spot for a family walk on a Fall evening.
My three boys were in their element. Cody still surprises me with how much knowledge he possesses about different plant and tree life and the habits of all outdoor animals - big and small. He loves passing this wealth of information on to his boys, and though Jaden and Brandon didn't quite understand that they needed to be somewhat quiet in order to catch a glimpse of any animals, they literally frolicked through the woods in complete happiness - wide-eyed and soaking up all that was around them.
This time around we chose a path that we'd never taken before. And while we walked along the narrow trail, going deeper and deeper into an area of the woods I'd never seen before, Jaden stopped to look back at me and say, "This is beautiful, Mommy!"
Eventually we came to a clearing - where the tree tops opened up, the grass became plentiful and the the wild flowers tall. We'd been walking for quite a while at this point, but we had no idea it would lead to this.
And this is when the sun started to make its descent...
Somehow Cody figured out that we were close to the river so we kept going. Until we came to a steep drop and sure enough... the water's edge.
At this point, we knew we had to head back in the direction that we came. It was getting pretty cold, and I knew we wouldn't have daylight for much longer. Cody and I held hands on the way back while Jaden and Brandon literally skipped along the trail in front of us, and at this moment, my camera battery died. I think this was a whisper from God telling me to focus on living in the moment without feeling the need to capture it on digital film.
We made a memory last night. It seems to be the best time of year for doing so. :)
