Peculiar and inexhaustible influence
It’s just too nice outside today to stay indoors. Join me for a stroll!
“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn–that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence…” — Jane Austen
Monday, the day before yesterday, was a hard one for us. We had a long discussion with the liver surgeon, and the full reality of what Jeff is facing was sobering. He had to stay at Bethesda for extensive cardiac testing– a precaution due to the risky nature of his upcoming all-day surgery– and Matt and I went on home, picking Jeff up at the metro station at the end of the day. Despite our worries, it was impossible not to notice what a gloriously beautiful day it was, unseasonably warm and sunny.
On the way home, Jeff and I talked of how stunning the trees looked, despite many of them having lost their leaves. He decided to take Matt to the gym while they still both felt able to go, and I took my walk while they were there, enjoying the perfect weather and breathtaking autumn beauty. The sun was lighting up the colors to almost electric levels. I took my camera so I could bring you along with me on my walk. All these photos were taken within a mile of my home, along my usual routes for daily 2-mile walks. None have been digitally enhanced to improve the color (partly because I don’t have time to fool with photo editing tonight).
The foliage is dazzling, and the sky is a beautiful blue!
The photo above is taken at the corner of our street.
Lots of neighbors and their dogs are out walking, but it’s spacious and quiet.
Sometimes I just stop and stand there, looking up!
I think the leaves even look pretty on the ground.
Almost home! You can see the roofs of our townhome row in the distance.
This trail runs right behind where we live.
Home again. Come inside for a cup of afternoon tea!
One year ago today:
A year later, these are words we still need to keep in mind…
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
Defeat Despair 
Julia, this is an exceptionally pretty neighborhood, especially in the fall! The developers did a good job of preserving the trees. I too have taken photos in both the fall and spring — especially last spring when going into DC was inadvisable.
More importantly, this post personifies your Defeat Despair attitude. You were going down one of the most challenging paths anyone could experience, with such heartbreaking loss, yet here you still are, sharing beautiful photos and moving insights so lovingly.
Thank you, Susan! I miss walking in our former neighborhood. Most of all I miss being able to walk to the grocery, post office, stores, restaurants, and really most anywhere I might need to go on a regular basis…I don’t miss the traffic, though. Kingstowne planners did a wonderful job of making it a haven from the big-city vibe. Hope your holiday was wonderful! Ours was quiet but contented.
Good morning, Julia!
“Sometimes I just stop and stand there, looking up!” – it’s a habit that you and I share!
Last week when I was out walking through some woods with Sandy (my best friend from seventh grade), I kicked my feet through the crunchy fallen leaves, exclaiming how much I enjoy doing that. She probably already knew that about me, full well.
I’ll happily own both of those habits. I can hardly think of simpler pleasures.
Yes, from our walks together (quite a few so far, considering how much distance generally separates us– from that very first visit of yours through your most recent one, we’ve enjoyed a lot of terrain) I can see many such similarities. In that respect I think we are kindred spirits.