As previously mentioned, August is now old enough to ride a bike. Or at least ride on a bike. Just don’t try to convince him that he’s not actually steering the thing.
Confident that we knew what we were doing after a controlled experiment the day before, we headed out for a longer ride, this time on Quaker Neck Road, away from town. At Lover’s Lane, we took a right hand turn, and found ourselves surrounded by trees.
I love Chestertown, its history and its proximity to the water, but I miss being surrounded by woods as was so often the case in New England. That ride down Lover’s Lane gave me a journey back to the center of my soul.
It made all of us happy. We stopped to pause a minute in the stillness of it all.
We found ourselves on one side of a ditch with “umbrella plants” on the other.
After gauging the width of the divide, the kids thought it worth the risk of jumping across.
The coveted umbrella plants were obtained.
And though it wasn’t raining, both of them felt just a bit more secure.
Alden brought hers along for the ride.
Baby August, who fears not rain, declined to jump over the ditch.
It was a magnificent afternoon.
And we were there among the trees in that magical moment when the light started to turn.
There may be no greater pleasure than riding through woods with one’s family in tow.
Along the way, we found a path pointing us toward Libby’s Nature Trail, a thing we’d never heard about in our six plus years in Chestertown.
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We came to a fork and took the lefthand path. We rode until the road became a lake.
And so we took the other path and rode until we found a map. There we were, apparently.
We kept on until we ran into “the ditch.” To be fair, it had been marked on the map.
August confidently piloted us out of the woods and back onto asphalt.
We had another decision to make.
It was getting cold, so we pointed toward home. The light was continuing to grow more saturated, ever closer to the color of butter.
It was one of those perfect outings.
The world looked like a landscape painting.
We stopped to find two trees in conversation.
We stopped to admire our shadows.
The fields were ochre and the sky was blue.
Somehow, August knew exactly where to go.
As we inched toward home, the light began to fall.
We stopped on a rise above the reservoir, another discovery, and then we coasted down the hill and rode home along the river.
The conclusion: there is fun to be had on the back of a bicycle. But it helps when you live in a beautiful place and the light is just right.
Mayapples, I think.
I love Libbys! It is really wet right now but give it a week or two and it will be awesome. We’ve already been a few times this spring (but wore waders). There’s a very nice little pond back there were it is fun to find frogs.
Bliss …
I never cease to be blown away by the light around here.
And it’s nice to see that picture of Alden leaping across the ditch. I see another jumper-of-all-things in the family!
I love this post. Yes, the light here is always amazing and everything looks like a painting all the time…we are so very lucky.
Terminology: 1. You say “reservoir” in your Facebook link to this IdiotsBooks post, but my understanding is “settling lagoon.” 2. TS is right; dem be mayapples (not that the “correct” label should supplant your most excellent family one). 3. In keeping w/ youthful labeling of flora, right at the intersection of the top of Lovers’ Lane is an excellent place to find in the fall what my boys refer to as “alien brains,” osage oranges.
Stu: If you’d like to rename any of my children while you’re at it, feel free.
Well, since you offered: how ’bout (in descending chronological order) “Boingy;” “Sir Sceptical;” & “Juggernaut?” Not that “Settling Lagoon” & “Alien Brains” aren’t fine names in their own right. I’m somewhat surprised, frankly, that Frank Zappa didn’t claim either of those for his progeny.
Beautiful pictures and yes, there is nothing better than being in the woods of New England with one’s family. Oh wait..that’s where I live. In the woods. In rural New England. Beautiful light filtering through the trees. I often walk down to the reservoir with Anna during different times of the day just to see the amazing light. And the pine smell..its heaven here in our little piece of peace.