Lilypie Third Birthday tickers Lilypie First Birthday tickers

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Boys of Fall



Ask and you shall receive...I hung on to the tiniest bit of hope that fall would leave its door open just a short while longer before winter swept in and blanketed us in cold and white. I hung on to hope for just a little more warm weather. And this week, hope delivered. October first was 60 degrees, the sun was shining, I shed my coat on the edge of the porch as we ran around in the yard, the skies were blue with fluffy white clouds scattered about, this is the kind of fall that I can get behind.

Oh fall how I love thee. It seems to awaken me, and my spirit and creativity, which had been dwindling with the summer weather. But fall stirs it up just as it does to the crisp yellow leaves when the wind whips through the ones strewn across the front yard and sends them sailing in a new direction. We've been running around in a don't-know-what-you've-got-till-it's-gone, type of panic, since we thought for sure the cold was here to stay, trying to suck the last drop of juice out of fall before it slips into the shadows and we awake to crystalline white flakes falling from the sky.

We've walked hand in hand around the block as the sun dips below the horizon, Ben cuddled warm against my chest, and Wyatt zipping up and down the sidewalk. We've raked leaves and jumped in piles. We've explored through the woods, with childlike wonder. We've had a second chance at fall. And in case you haven't realized how much I love fall...I do, I just can't get enough.






It's that time of year where the yard is now bare, my garden clean, flower pots put away. And I go back in forth in my mind about whether it is too early to put out the Halloween decorations or not. A quick survey of my street says no, but in my mind it's not quite time. So the yard remains empty, a blank slate. Ready for ghosts and goblins and pumpkins.

Gold Dredging We Will Go

And about that exploring. Trying to make the best of our Storybook fall Saturday. We decided to put the boys in the car and take a little drive. In the hills north of town, where the road winds, and dips and climbs over rolling peaks speckled with golds and reds. There is an abandoned gold dredge. Gold Dredge #3, which was built in 1923, and operated until 1958 sits on a pond a short hike off the road, about 30 miles from town. It's a giant steel relic from the heyday of the Alaskan gold rush. A time in which this dredge pulled out over 70 million dollars in gold from the frozen Alaskan ground, and this dredge is a sight to see.








I was thinking this would be a fun trip, a nice hike, and a chance to explore and play on a piece of history. Yet I didn't think about the fact that Wyatt would be gallivanting around on what is essentially a rotting steel and wood boat sitting many feet in the air, with the front half hanging over a frozen pond. Needless to say, I could hear my heart beating outside my chest. And when Justin climbed the sets of stairs to the top with Wyatt, and I could hear his feet running across the original, 90 year old wood floors, I had to hold my breath and swallow hard, and try not to ruin the fun. It was dark and shadowy inside, yet all of the pieces remain. Our voices echoed when we talked, and I couldn't imagine spending my days inside that beast. Did I mention that Lucy came along for the ride. She even climbed the ladders all by herself. She made me just as nervous as Wyatt did when they would peer out of old open windows together, 60 feet in the air.















By the time we made it back to the car my heart was starting to beat at a normal pace once again. And Ben was just starting to stir in the sling where he had been sleeping peacefully all along. I asked Wyatt if he had fun and he responded with a simple head shake and a strong and resounding "YES", I guess that's all that matters, fun. And as we drove back into town. Both boys closed their eyes, rocked to sleep by the hum of the tires, and my hand found it's home wrapped inside of Justin's, and Lucy curled up on the floor, happy for some rest.

We burned the candle at both ends this past week, trying our hardest not to let this sun go to waste. So now it's time for cuddling up with my boys on the couch, and jumping on the bed, and winding down, which Sundays are best for. Storing up for another week ahead.

1 comment:

tbsomeday said...

ah, i'm with you--i love fall!

sounds like a very exciting outing...i think i'd be with you--a bit/a lot nervous
after having kids my wildness has taken a back seat to my safety mode...oh and i think you are in for a lot of heart racing with those adorable little boys :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...