a sunday walk in the woods

For me, it's not officially autumn until we've taken the time to go walking, surrounded by colorful trees, kicking up crunchy leaves, bundled in a wooly sweater. The temperature dropped suddenly this week so off we went, into the woods for a long walk.

I'm horribly allergic to poison ivy and poison oak. If I  merely glance in it's general direction I'm going to end up dealing with an itchy nightmare. These leaves were so brilliantly red, however, that I had to stop and take a photo. So pretty yet so cruel.

Along the path we passed this lovely old home, a well loved, centuries old relic. Some lucky family has these beautiful woods as their front yard.

With the trail eventually leading us underneath the roadway, I couldn't help but notice that local artists have taken advantage of the seclusion of this place to make their mark. I'm not often a big fan of graffiti, but this place was kind of interesting. No junky stuff here.

Smile Awesome Brains! I have no idea what it means, but it feels like a message of encouragement and yes, it made me smile.

A faux tunnel, complete with blazing wall sconces, has some pretty good perspective, enough to trick the eye for just a moment.  

Then deeper into the woods again, following along the river, to make our way back home.