Once a year, the fall colors and waning warm weather conspire to propel me out of doors, onto my bike, and into a conversation with Mother Nature.
The framed Rosslyn skyline was my starting point.
The trees, some half-naked already, served as beautiful frames for the Washington monuments
Even as some particularly dramatic trees obscured some of them (can you find the Washington Memorial among the weeping foliage?)
Ah, there it is.
My path led me past the airport to my favorite place.
Where the rumbling of jet engines overhead did not obscure the squawks of misplaced seagulls
the shady restaurant patio, dimmed after a summer of light, rested
as did the sailboats
impassive, allowing the wind to elicit chimes out of their sleeping sails
Nature took out her full palette that morning
Oranges transitioning to the most peaceful yellows
Sudden, inflammatory bursts of color
awoke all the lulled senses.
A new path explored
added the whistle and whoosh of trains to this autumn symphony
And the Washington Memorial re-appeared again.
The wind disturbed the apparent stillness, tracing patterns on the hill
A GPS signal left unheeded, a highway exchanged for a bike-friendly bridge
Leading to a grove smelling of pines, a change of setting
But the fall palette was never far
Peeking out from corners
Showing the way to a nation’s resting place
Leading the way onwards
Showing the path home
And home’s gentle, ever-present guardians.
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Veterans’ Day – also Polish Independence Day – always inspires my reflections. Click here to read last years’ and to compare the colors!
Where Is My Suitcase 