Fall was very pretty this year although perhaps not as dramatic as in some of the previous ones. We did get a few deliciously warm days and on one of them, my friend Ken Ettermen and his exuberant dog Maggie joined Abner and me for a hike on the Parkway. This particular stretch of the road was closed due to a very large rock slide so we got to walk it in peace.

I find that nature sometimes does the most amazing things. The delicacy of these rain drops all dangling so precariously from these pine needles really struck me as something tiny and perfect that I never used to notice. It continues to surprise me that I notice so many things I used to miss when my head was too full of work related thoughts and my time eaten up by activities that didn't bring me joy. Things are certainly better now.