A Perfect Day

At the risk of gushing too often about the grandness of the current season, I am about to do it again. I love autumn!

On Saturday I had the tremendous pleasure of spending a leisurely afternoon of blue sky and perfect temperature meandering through the arboretum with my camera around my neck and a good friend at my side (or a few steps behind, due to differences in leg length...sorry, Charity.) Even though the season's turning has been adversely affected by the summer's drought, the acres upon acres of trees still held a grand spectrum of hues that took my breath away again each time I thought I'd gained it back. Strolling along the paths, kicking up leaves, I couldn't contain cries of delight, sighs of contentment, and praises to the Artist responsible for the gorgeous canvas all around me. I truly felt like a guest at "October's Party":

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
~George Cooper

We capped off the afternoon by finding a bench that overlooked a lake rimmed in red and orange and gold and green maples, and while the sun sank toward the horizon, I read aloud the first two chapters of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, in which Lucy finds herself emerging from a tangle of tree branches, just beyond the coats in the wardrobe, into the forest of Narnia.

It was a perfect day.