Sunset over the Eastern Bay

First Day of Fall

... and happy to be me!

Today is the first day of Fall!  Didn't feel like it this morning.  Woke up to misty rain and very hot humid air.  I was tired and anything but happy.  I had a good breakfast and enjoyed getting our house organized after a long trip, and as the day went on the sun came out a breeze came up, the air gradually became dryer and I began to feel better.

By evening clouds returned bringing the distinct coolness of Fall so I pulled on a sweater and rode my bike the short distance down to the bay.   Clouds hung low across the water.  The sky was washed with layers of yellow, orange, blue, purple and grey, and sunlight filtered through soft rain showers on the other side of the bay.

As I sat there at the edge of the water, enjoying the breathtaking glow of sunset, a bald eagle swooped across the trees and dove down into the water.  It's white tail and white head feathers caught the sunlight as it flew off with a fish dangling from it's talons.

Just then I heard the noisy squawk of a flock of geese returning to the Eastern Shore.  The familiar sound announcing Yes indeed.  Fall is here!  And I felt the joy of it!

The other night, at a family dinner, we were playing "table topics".  The question was asked "If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you want to live?"  My immediate answer was Right Here!  

How blest I am to be living in this beautiful place -- so close to nature -- with so many friends -- and the love of family all over the the country.

So on this first day of Fall I just have to say, I'm thankful to be Me!

And I hope all of you reading this will be able to take time to enjoy the beautiful season of Fall!

MOMENTS OF AWE

I read an article on Flipboard recently about how “Moments of Awe" can significantly improve your health, so I thought I'd share just a few of the moments of Awe in my life.       

- Drifting on our lake in my canoe as the early morning mist swirls in little tornados drawn up to the sun.

- Squinting my eyes to see sunlight reflect off the water and sparkle like a thousand little diamonds.

       

- Sitting by the Chesapeake Bay on an early morning when the water is as still as a small salt pond and fog muffles the sounds of the world.

- Eating breakfast on the back porch surrounded by giant loblolly pines with their majestic trunks and crowns of soft green needles against the deep blue sky.

- Looking out my window and watching a bald eagle soar over the trees, swooping down along the green fairway of the golf course.

- Spotting a mocking bird perched high on the peak of a roof mimicking robins, cardinals, blue jays and even an owl in it’s joyous evening song.

- Seeing the sun rise out of the ocean - so vivid you can almost see the flames around the orange fireball - and realizing there is a force more powerful than man.

- Sensing the energy of an ocean wave as it crests and crashes on the beach - washing over the sand then turning back on itself as it rushes back to the sea.

-  Standing on the bow of a classic sailboat feeling the swells of the ocean as we rise and fall in rhythm with nature. 

- Watching the sky turn from blue to a hundred shades of pink, red, orange and purple as the sun sets over the water.