Aspen hike

September has been a doozy at the Marney house. It got really busy, really fast. Then, last week, all the germs and busyness caught up with some of us. George got a nasty cough, Issy got it too, Isaac started having throat problems again. Then, this week, the four younger have battled a very tricky tummy bug. Ugh. It makes me want to bathe the house and everyone in it in Lysol. 

And it is Autumn in Colorado. Pretty much any descriptor I try to use for it wouldn't do the beauty justice. 70 degrees and sunny pretty much every day. Breezy. Longer shadows. It has been killing me that we have been busy and sick. If I am lucky, I get maybe 70 or 80 Autumns on this Earth. And every beautiful day that passes makes me feel guilty for not being outside and soaking in the gloriousness. 

I love Autumn. It is so vibrant, so dynamic. Because I am Catholic to my core, I was reflecting yesterday on Autumn and how the dying, the giving way to something else, can be so beautiful.  Beauty in suffering, dying then rising, Autumn/Winter/Spring. Alright, I'll stop. 

I got to carve out some time for a quick hike yesterday. Both Joe and I had taken this hike at Mueller State Park this summer and commented how beautiful the huge Aspen groves would be in the Autumn. They didn't disappoint.The colors were delicious and hard to capture the vividness on camera. I hope you enjoy the attempts though. 

 These two are my favorites. It was breezy and this group of trees was raining leaves as I was approaching. I actually ran up to it, so I could get a picture.

 The Aspen leaves adorn the evergreens for a short time.