Crisp Air & Fall Walks. . .

Fall is in the air. . .I can smell it. It smells a little like pine trees and chimney smoke with a underlaying layer of freshness. And I can't get enough of it. (I am resolutely ignoring the last couple of days of ninety degree weather). More importantly, I can see it in the trees. A hint of red has begun to edge the trees around my neighborhood and my burning bush is beginning to flame.

The other day, as the evening cooled, we took a walk down the tracks near our home. The temperature was perfect, a light sweatshirt or jacket the attire of choice. And we had a destination in mind.

About a half mile from our house there is a trestle bridge where the train tracks cross over a creek and a portion of the golf course.

The scenery was lovely enough, but the bridge gives me an extra thrill. Not the kind of thrill that is evoked from panic, like my girls clearly experienced at the mere thought of crossing it. I am not sure if the fear of falling through, or the fear of a train coming while crossing played upper most on their mind, but the death grip my eight year old had on my hand made taking pictures whilst actually on the bridge nigh on impossible.

But the pictures I captured coming and going were probably more interesting anyway. I love an interesting piece of architecture. The older the better.

And when they weren't panicking about the pending arrival of the passenger train that frequents said track, the girls had fun too. Particularly when we showed them how to put their ears to the track and listen for a train. Luckily none dared show it's face.

I did break out in an off key rendition of Stand By Me, though. It is nearly impossible to walk along a track and not sing that song-agreed?

After I snapped away for a while and Rob had sufficiently teased the girls about falling through the railroad ties of the bridge, we headed home in the deepening dusk, toting our pint sized attack dog.