Last Saturday morning, my husband and my sister kayaked around the lake as I tried to escape the heat on the trail through the trees. Not much has escaped the heat here, though. Some bright green grass is still around, and tree leaves are mostly still green (though losing their brilliance), but the rest of the landscape is slowly beginning to turn gold. Sun-bleached and dry, but still present, still an element of the composition.
The happiness I feel walking a trail alone, exploring and taking slow time to listen and observe, is immeasurable. Solitude in nature. Feeling alone but not alone. Feeling the waxing and waning life forces all around - some seen, some unseen.