Scotia Pine Barrens, Mid-October

A front moved through, ushering in cooler weather in its wake. And we awoke to chilly breezes and clouds mixed with sunshine. The weather forecast of a possible "wintry mix" for the morning didn't pan out, but at near-freezing temps, it might have been possible. My husband and I had brought all of the remaining potted plants into the garage for the night, just in case of frost.

The cat and I spent much of the morning getting organized, doing the stuff we do in mid-October, putting away the summer things - sandals and sleeveless tops and bathing suits - until next year. He is a good helper, that cat. And it's a poor job that can't afford decent supervision.

By around noon, it was mostly sunny out, but still cool, and so my husband and I put our jackets on and took a hike up the hill to local gameland 176, the Scotia Pine Barrens. The pine barrens has (surprise surprise) more pines than deciduous trees, but the colors are still nice: some oranges and yellows in the background, blue sky reflected on water, the burnt ochre of pine needles on the ground.

We walked for more than two hours all around the pine barrens, without really stopping for a break, just cruising around seeing the sights. We hadn't bothered to bring chairs along; it wasn't that kind of trip. All told, door to door, our hike took us on about a five-mile loop up and down wooded hills and along beaver ponds: there and back again. It's quite convenient having a gameland close enough that we don't even have to move the car to get there. And is there anything better on a chilly and beautiful October day than a walk in the woods?

The song: America, Walk in the Woods.