Friday Adventure

Some of the most beautiful parts of Life's journey are found by the side of the road.

Yesterday my husband and I took off on a spontaneous adventure.  With our son spending a couple of days with his cousins, we had free time on our hands, so we went in search of fall foliage.  My best friend had given me reports of gorgeous autumn leaves in Parker County on her way through a couple of days earlier, so hubby and I jumped in the car, hoping that the stout north wind that was blowing hadn't blown all the leaves off the trees yet.  We were well rewarded:

Deep reds, yellows, oranges and browns mingled everywhere with lingering greens, by freeways, back roads, and parks.

Not even power lines could detract from the beauty that was everywhere we looked.  We even discovered a lake that we'd never seen before:

Sunlight glitters on Lake Weatherford

We got lost and turned around and it didn't matter, because we were having fun, exploring parts of our world that we'd driven by but never really looked at before.  My spirit rode high on adrenaline and wonder and the joy of spending time having fun with someone I loved.

We ended our trip with a celebratory ice cream at a Dairy Queen before turning back towards home.  As we drove back into the city, I felt myself coming down from that high place of excitement I'd been in, drawing back into the more contained, subdued me I keep myself in.  And yet the memories of that trip are with me, are part of my journey, in my heart as well as my camera.

Can't fence in beauty.

We can build fences around our worlds, in our minds, but only we can keep ourselves inside them.  Freedom starts in the heart.