The Breath of Fall..

I LOVE Fall!!!.This has got to be my all time favorite time of year! Really, I love every season in Colorado, but truly, Fall beats out. Its just such an amazing transition time for everything and everyone. Not only is Mother Nature in high gear with gorgeous colors, but it seems like things are starting to slow down. Become at peace, quietly settling into a season that will soon be at rest.  In Colorado the aspens change, and wow is that a sight!
I spent last weekend in Steamboat Springs with my boys and hubby doing a little fly fishing and hiking and I'll tell you what, I haven't felt that at peace in a long time. Driving up, seeing all the trees changing, nature becoming a whole new wonderful, and just the overwhelming feeling of joy as I just couldn't get enough. The lakes in Steamboat are amazing. We hiked around Pearl Lake which it just so happens that day, there was no one around and it was so incredibly quiet, all we could hear was nature. Fish jumping, hawks flying overhead, critters scampering, and our voices that were forced into a whisper.  We were all in awe. My youngest son caught an artic grayling fish, which apparently isn't that common in Colorado. We always catch and release, so he unhooked it and it swam away unscathed.
After our hike, we went back to the room. cleaned up and headed over to Moe's smokehouse for dinner. It was at the edge of town and the kind of place where you can wear a ball cap and flip flops and feel dressed up. I loved it! Had a lot of personality and while we waited for our food, we carved our names in the table among the many before us. We ate smoked turkey and wings, yes I know not the healthiest thing in the world, but hey, everyone needs a day, and potato salad which I'm sure was made fresh just before we got there.  The next day we did our usual routine of visiting the candy store, we visit the candy store in every town we vacation, and headed out, back to our lives.

After spending the weekend among the aspens, the colder weather and fishing, I felt refreshed and totally ready for change of the season. Embrace this time, settle down and enjoy. Take advice from the critters and nature around you who are settling down, and savor the time to take it down a notch or two. I'm going to.  Give it a try. Breathe deeper, sleep longer, smile more and observe the things around you.  Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers!