Surrounded by Beauty

So last weekend was the perfect day for a Fall Hike. The sun was out just enough to filter through the trees and highlight the brown leaves on the ground. But fortunately for those of us who do not have access to Gold's Gym, it was not so hot as to further challenge our conditioning.

I will definitely need to post these photos on my Screen Saver once we start into the next season Mother Nature has to offer, which is coming soon they tell me. Not having seen a real winter for 30 years, I will need a "light at the end of the tunnel" .......a tunnel that is supposed to be 5 months long.

My daughter Meghan recently mailed a half-dozen books my way, a birthday present that will provide enjoyment for many winter nights. I have been told it's not the temperature alone is really the problem. (For I do recall my winters in Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota.) Rather it is the absence or limited presence of central heating I am told presents the biggest challenge. In the Midwest there was something wonderful about a fireplace and warming up after a chilly day. While I know it is foolish to "borrow trouble from the future," I heard too many stories from last year's Volunteers that the chill didn't leave their bones for months at a time. I am beginning to understand why some Volunteers found Egypt a wonderful place to visit in ......February or March!