“Barring love, I’ll take my life in large doses alone—rivers, forests, fish, grouse, mountains. Dogs.” Jim Harrison

Another spectacular fall day for our river walk.  Whether here or just walking in the neighborhood, my dog forgets sometimes that we’re on a walk, not a “stop and sniff.”  I understand how it must be for a dog, with other dog smells and who-knows-what else, but we both need to keep moving, get our exercise, accumulate our miles.  It should be good exercise.   But, I must admit, she’s made me more aware of my surroundings.  Though I’m a great observer, I can hear her telling me to “stop and smell the roses.”  And at this time of year, it’s not hard to do.  Easy walks don’t burn calories but they sure are fun!

“My favorite thing is just walking in the woods. I can do it for days on end without tiring of it.”  Jim again.

The colors have been incredible – greens and golds and every shade of red and rust, blending and separating and competing with each other.  Leaves sparkle in the air as they float down, padding trails and gathering in the river.  That alone is a distraction from focused walking.  But there’s still everyday things that are too fun to ignore.  One of my favorites is duck butts 😊

There are canals running all through my town, and one park has an ever-flowing one with ducks, mostly mallards, as well as muskrats, turtles and moose.  It’s always fun to see what will be out and playing.  But there’s also beaver projects, tired cattails, naked trees, reflections, backed up leaves, and river currents with floating debris of the season.

While Coco looks for feathers floating along the edge of the river (fun to pounce on and swat around), I’ve been watching for heart-shaped rocks and I’m accumulating quite the collection.   

Snow and ice will be covering our paths in the next few days, burying autumn magic, but that’s not a bad thing.  Soon we’ll see frosted leaves, swirled ice, and frazils.  Always something to look forward to.   And always duck butts to keep me entertained!

“You can’t be unhappy in the middle of a big, beautiful river.”  More Jim.

https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/jim-harrison-quotes