Ending my September leave - taking in the mood in the park...

Since this Sunday was living up to its name, I took a few yummy things (such as brownies and grapes), some favourite music on my MP3 player, dressed in my favourite sarong and one of my big-bellied grinning Buddha t-shirts and walked barefoot (how else?) down to my favourite park...

Since it was a nicely warm sunny day, lots of people were around, including families, lots of kids and dgos, some joggers - but all of them shod... despite perfect conditions and wonderfully feeling textures, I was the sole barefooter (pun intended). Most of the grass I walked on was still dew-wet in the afternoon, almost ankle deep (Mother Nature's shaggy carpet) and the soil underneath soft from the previous rainy days. On entering the park, the cobblestones on the way felt nicely cool in the shade, while the sunlit sand and grit paths felt like a warm beach underfoot.

While most of the trees and bushes were still green, a few traces of fall setting in were quite visible, too.

With all those people around, I refrained from my usual nuddhist meditation and chose to sit on a bench, soak up some sun, have a little picnic and listen to some music, while taking in the different views of the greenery...

That cushion was already lying there - I did not bring it...

The final two pictures in the series above were the early evening sky above the park (making sure to capture the jet exhaust trail as a style element) and facing westward near my apartment house on returning home (making sure to capture the sundog halo, visible in the lower center).

Since I wrote about the different textures I walked on, I also took pictures of my feet walking them, for sure... after all, blogging about a barefoot walk in the park would be incomplete without featuring my feet, right? ;-)

Signs of fall, no.1: mushrooms (foot fungi? ;-) )

Signs of fall, no. 2: a chestnut on the path

Signs of fall, no. 3: mushroom on a treestump (without feet)

Even though it was a warm day, it can't be denied that fall is just around the corner. And even though I like warm summer days (as long as they don't get too hot), there's something special about fall, too... especially the magic of colors setting in around October, commonly called Indian Summer, fog rising from the ground as fiery beams at sunrise or sunset set it ablaze, the feeling of fallen leaves beneath bare soles, dry and smelling spicy-sweet or wet and carrying a heavy scent of rain and soil... the mostly cool sensation of grass and moss underfoot, even on sunny days, and even the first frosty kisses on my bare toes, as mornings can start off with rime on the grass... The year's wheel is turning toward the cooler half and there's no stopping it.

Same goes for the smaller wheel of the clock, ticking away the minutes and hours until it's time to get up early on Monday morning, as this month's leave is over. The next time, when I'll have a week to relax will be at the beginning of December, when I will be barefooting into the start of winter.