I *LOVE* this time of the year! (That would be Fall.)

I haven’t written for so long, rather than try to tell you what has been

happening the past few years I thought that I would just write about today. (No more grandchildren…more about them another time… or that would have been first, of course!)

But as for today, it was a perfect day for a walk in the woods-sunny, calm and about 60 degrees. I started out on Lucky’s Loype trail and then cut over to the single track. (I don’t know how anyone on a mountain bike can negotiate the drop to the lake without going head over handlebars!) My counterbalancing, two step to the point to where I just shuffle/run down and pray I’ll land at the bottom in an upright position is probably a bit Charlie Chaplinesque. (Spell check suggested “noncompliance” but, you get the picture.)

Anyway, to borrow an oft used description, the woods were intoxicating! The fall colors are peaking..Maples in stages of gold, orange and red and the Red Oaks red/green leaves to darker hues which look almost leathery. Those two varieties are my favorite But, you need the yellows, greens and other colors to complete the beautiful palate.

Many leaves have fallen and the trails are covered so, after the visual feast, comes the sound of the crunching underfoot. Then the sounds of the birds, migrating geese and the barking and bounding of the dogs as they’re off on another chase. Before long I am picking leaves to bring back to the lodge to use as the base of garnishes for the serving platters in the dining room. (A couple of contrasting leaves, a sprig of fresh rosemary wrapped with a curl of birch bark and then a few small mums, or tiny pine cones or even dried cranberries and the garnish is ready for a platter fit for a wedding reception. We have two more weddings this fall so I can use my talents as the resident kitchen “fooh-fooh” lady and leave the cooking and baking to our talented staff.)

Well, back to the woods! Once I stop to hunt and gather I am struck by the “peace and quiet” as I hear the wind moving through the trees. It is amazing how you can hear it moving toward you and then feel the gentle breeze and then hear it pass on. This time of year we often have windy days so a walk on a relatively calm, sunny day in the woods is to be treasured. For a visual, go to the “Trails section on our web-site. Jay is an “artist” with his camera! Be sure to check out some of the photos of the funky fungus that look like white coral.)

O.K., I’m almost home…or so I thought! I am usually so intent looking for “treasures” to photograph myself, that I lose my sense of direction which is marginal, at best. As long as I have lived here, I still can get lost in our woods. I thought that the opening of light through the trees would lead me home but before I knew it, I was looking out at a vista of Bullhead Lake…. the opposite direction! A couple of trail signs up ahead pointed me in the right direction and soon I was home, relishing my “walker’s high”.

If you live close by, I strongly encourage you to come and experience the trails of Maplelag for yourself. Call ahead and maybe I could even go with you. You can lead the way!!

Rich Text Area Toolbar Bold (Ctrl + B) Italic (Ctrl + I) Strikethrough (Alt + Shift + D) Unordered list (Alt + Shift + U) Ordered list (Alt + Shift + O) Blockquote (Alt + Shift + Q) Align Left (Alt + Shift + L) Align Center (Alt + Shift + C) Align Right (Alt + Shift + R) Insert/edit link (Alt + Shift + A) Unlink (Alt + Shift + S) Insert More Tag (Alt + Shift + T) Toggle spellchecker (Alt + Shift + N) ▼ Toggle fullscreen mode (Alt + Shift + G) Show/Hide Kitchen Sink (Alt + Shift + Z) Add a Category to your Page or Post Format – Paragraph Paragraph ▼ Underline Align Full (Alt + Shift + J) Select text color ▼ Paste as Plain Text Paste from Word Remove formatting Insert custom character Outdent Indent Undo (Ctrl + Z) Redo (Ctrl + Y) Help (Alt + Shift + H) I * LOVE * this time of the year! (That would be Fall.) I haven’t written for so long, rather than try to tell you what has been happening the past few years I thought that I would just write about today. (No more grandchildren…more about them another time… or that would have been first, of course!) But as for today, it was a perfect day for a walk in the woods-sunny, calm and about 60 degrees. I started out on Lucky’s Loype trail and then cut over to the single track. (I don’t know how anyone on a mountain bike can negotiate the drop to the lake without going head over handlebars!) My counterbalancing, two step to the point to where I just shuffle/run down and pray I’ll land at the bottom in an upright position is probably a bit Charlie Chaplinesque. (Spell check suggested “noncompliance” but, you get the picture.) Anyway, to borrow an oft used description, the woods were intoxicating! The fall colors are peaking..Maples in stages of gold, orange and red and the Red Oaks red/green leaves to darker hues which look almost leathery. Those two varieties are my favorite But, you need the yellows, greens and other colors to complete the beautiful palate. Many leaves have fallen and the trails are covered so, after the visual feast, comes the sound of the crunching underfoot. Then the sounds of the birds, migrating geese and the barking and bounding of the dogs as they’re off on another chase. Before long I am picking leaves to bring back to the lodge to use as the base of garnishes for the serving platters in the dining room. (A couple of contrasting leaves, a sprig of fresh rosemary wrapped with a curl of birch bark and then a few small mums, or tiny pine cones or even dried cranberries and the garnish is ready for a platter fit for a wedding reception. We have two more weddings this fall so I can use my talents as the resident kitchen “fooh-fooh” lady and leave the cooking and baking to our talented staff.) Well, back to the woods! Once I stop to hunt and gather I am struck by the “peace and quiet” as I hear the wind moving through the trees. It is amazing how you can hear it moving toward you and then feel the gentle breeze and then hear it pass on. This time of year we often have windy days so a walk on a relatively calm, sunny day in the woods is to be treasured. For a visual, go to the “Trails section on our web-site. Jay is an “artist” with his camera! Be sure to check out some of the photos of the funky fungus that look like white coral.) O.K., I’m almost home…or so I thought! I am usually so intent looking for “treasures” to photograph myself, that I lose my sense of direction which is marginal, at best. As long as I have lived here, I still can get lost in our woods. I thought that the opening of light through the trees would lead me home but before I knew it, I was looking out at a vista of Bullhead Lake…. the opposite direction! A couple of trail signs up ahead pointed me in the right direction and soon I was home, relishing my “walker’s high”. If you live close by, I strongly encourage you to come and experience the trails of Maplelag for yourself. Call ahead and maybe I could even go with you. You can lead the way!! I took this photo near Rootin Tootin ski trail during one of my walks through the woods. Path : p