we headed to the woods for a hike with friends this beautiful fall morning. or, perhaps more accurately, for the idea of a hike thrown a bit (and expectedly) askew by the addition of a pair of three-year-old feet and a pair of four-year-old feet. so truthfully, we moseyed, we mamas, while the kiddos explored off the beaten path, stabbed at things with sticks, threw sticks, jumped off of rocks and boulders, searched for critters and fairies, checked out the creek, and other such things.
and then there was this~
I don't know anything about Gary, except that this tree of his never fails to surprise me and always brings me a smile. Claire asked if perhaps it was the doing of her great-uncle Gary, but I told her I was pretty sure if he had a hemlock tree in the woods around here (roughly 700+ miles away from his home) that he decorated in a Christmas theme we'd probably know about it. We added her little orange hair clip after looking at all of the interesting things adorning the branches. She is already talking about what we can bring along to add next time.
The woods had that wonderful fall smell. The at times pungent, earthy, sweetly-rotting-leaves smell. I breathed it in deeply, it's good stuff. We saw golden leaves, red leaves, lots of mushrooms and a few crawling critters.
I am going to right now make the commitment to getting into the woods as often as I can this month. Oh, glorious October. yes, yes, yes.
How curious! Thanks for sharing with us. :)
ReplyDeleteit's such a sight to see out in the woods!
DeleteI wonder what that was all about? Looks like a great walk.
ReplyDeleteit's a sweet little hike, one of many up the road from us that are part of a larger trail system.
DeleteWhoever Gary is, he's a genius! I can just imagine going for a walk/hike and finding a decorated tree in the woods. I love it!
ReplyDeleteit's a very fun thing to happen upon, especially with little ones!
Deleteoh! the smell of the woods in fall... mmmm. great choice for a commitment :) and that tree is great!
ReplyDeletemmmmmm mmmmm!
DeleteI've been back to that trail once since posting this, with plans for several more jaunts in the near future!
A tree like that around Asheville? Doesn't surprise me one bit!
ReplyDeleteha!
Deletevery true.
That Gary is one awesome dude! I love his idea and might just have to borrow it for a tree here in SC.
ReplyDeletehow fun it'd be if they just started popping up here and there!
DeleteI wonder who started the tree. A perfect idea, especially for kids! Very cool. Maybe something nice to start in one's own backyard too for guests and friends.
ReplyDeleteI wonder too- was it Gary, or is it a tree dedicated to Gary? I have no idea. that's a fun idea- some kind of decorative tree that friends could continually add to..... hmmmm....
Deleteinteresting tree, and I hope gary is healthy and well and loves seeing the goodness in the world through his tree. You do have nifty adventures!
ReplyDeleteI hope so, too~ not sure if it is a tree started by him or in his memory. And I hope someday I run into someone out in the woods that knows!
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