Fall Foliage on the River

Do you find the speed of your life accelerating this time of year? I do. It’s starting to become a blur. Holiday shopping, cooking, cleaning, sports, working, never ending lists of to-do’s, all seem to accumulate and overwhelm us. My family was in much need of some down time. We needed a moment to stop, take a deep breath, quiet ourselves, and spend quality time together. So Sunday we took the kids canoeing. Autumn is a gorgeous season in Virginia. The weather was in the 70’s and sunny and the foliage was absolutely stunning. I just had to share it with you.

This little waterway is always calm and glassy, and the trees form a low canopy overhead.

The boys all piled into one canoe and the girls in the other. I think this was the first time we didn’t try to out race each other, we were all just in awe of the color and took our time.

The little waterway meanders through the state park and ends at a little picnic area. There’s a short hundred yard hike through an adjoining grassy meadow that opens up to the Northwest River.

A small floating boat dock is a favorite place for my kids to fish, but today we left the fishing gear behind.

Floating along in a moving canoe posed challenging for picture taking, especially with my teen daughters rowing and trying to splash each other! We had only one dramatic moment with a blood curdling scream that pierced the forest, upsetting the serenity… a spider crawled across one of the girl’s foot… in her flip flops. I threatened death if they flipped us… I had the camera in hand!!

The skies started to cloud up toward the end of the trip and the light took on a softer glow, making the river look like a Monet painting. But God’s brushstrokes were at work on this river canvas.

This last shot was from the park ranger’s station. The maples looked as if they were on fire!  See the little boy fishing and waving to us? Too cute!

Sometimes pausing and allowing ourselves to soak in the beauty that surrounds us is exactly what we need to recharge our batteries. The laundry piles can wait, family time is more important.

Kim