Out in the Woods

Yesterday (my day off) I took my first (this go round) of many Arkansas hikes. There's a large state park just a few short miles from my house, so I chose to start there with a hike that was listed in several hiking books. I got all prepared for a hike--and, it wasn't really one. It was more like a stroll through nature. But it was beautiful and great. It was a perfect day of early fall weather and because it was Monday there were no other people. I spent quite some time just sitting in the trail (yes, literally) just enjoying it. Smelled lovely--the early fall just starting to smell, but not the pungent fall decay that will come in a few weeks. Sunshine streaming down through the leaves (the pictures aren't very bright, but it really much brighter and very pretty live and in person). Few colors coming on.

Lots of seeds: the bright red dogwood seeds being my favorite.
(see them scattered like little jewels?)

Last night I was thinking about the best part of my day and I knew it was the hike.

A centipede.

A little froggy. An erupting mushroom (can you see the dirt where it truly erupted out of the ground?) [this was got me down on the middle of the trail to start with, then I just stayed and enjoyed]

I was just so happy to be out in the woods!!
Don't you love this log--it looks like you should have it for a creative writing assignment and have to make a story about this creature.

Beaver Lake:

I love pine trees. They aren't very common in Arkansas (well, at least compared to NC) and so when I saw this bark, I was pretty happy.

I may not be a little child, but I still love to imagine might live in here:

Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me.