Walktober 2019: Finding beauty wherever you go

Deep in the woods, on a path we walked.

Take my hand.
We will walk.
We will only walk.
We will enjoy our walk
without thinking of arriving anywhere.
Walk peacefully.
Walk happily.
Our walk is a peace walk.
Our walk is a happiness walk.
Then we learn
that there is no peace walk;
that peace is the walk;
that there is no happiness walk;
that happiness is the walk.
We walk for ourselves.
We walk for everyone
always hand in hand.
Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom under our feet.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Print on Earth your love and happiness.
Earth will be safe
when we feel in us enough safety.

(from “Call me by My True Names  – The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh”, Parallax Press, 2005.)

A walk on the beach at the Point, and a look at the sunset reflections near the shore.

Before we begin our travels through Walktober, I want to apologize for being absent, and for taking so long to visit with you on your walks.  This round-up of walks is a bit late, too.  Life happened, time flew, and it’s been difficult to sit down long enough to put together a post.  That said, I’m here now and looking forward to walking along with you on your Walktober travels.

I also have a programming note of sorts:  I think this will be the last year for Walktober.  Or, perhaps, the last year that I host it.  If anyone has an interest in hosting it next year, please let me know and we’ll talk.  I haven’t made anything near a final decision.  It is, after all, a year away and things are likely to change in that time.

Walking and looking in the other direction.

Okay.  Let’s walk, shall we?  First up is the beautiful Princess Katie who, naturally (because she is a princess), did it Katie’s Way.  Katie and her mama found some interesting things to look at (mushrooms and woolly bears, oh my) at one of her parks but the prettiest pictures, naturally, are those of Katie.

A morning walk, looking for fall color.  Change has been slow in coming, but it looks like it’s finally here.

We are traveling to Canada next to walk with Helen, Beckett, and Keltic for a walk in Gatineau Park where there were definite signs of autumn in the foliage.  I really enjoyed the overlooks and the beautiful light in the woods.

Autumn painting the trees.

Back to the U.S. we go to walk with Frank.  This is his seventh Walktober (he missed one year due to travels) and, perhaps, his last.  For Frank’s Walktober 2019, he stayed close to home and that was a particular joy for me since I spent quite a few years in southern Ohio (and then, later, quite a few more in northeast Ohio but that’s another story).  Frank takes us to Bicentennial Commons, a 22-acre park that was dedicated in 1988 to celebrate Cincinnati’s 200 years.  Of all the lovely photos he shared, my favorite was that of the barge on the Ohio River.  M and I lived in a house overlooking the Ohio, many moons ago, and there was quite a bit of barge traffic.  It brought back a lot of good memories.  Thank you, Frank.

When the crepe myrtles catch fire with fall colors.

Katie’s mama, Dawn, takes us on a bit of a Drivetober in what she calls an epic fail.  I beg to disagree.  I love Dawn’s shots of barns and farm fields.  There’s no fail there at all.  But I do see what she meant (the trail she wished to walk was closed).  Since I’m writing this post as I visit each walk, I’m hoping we’ll find another walk with Dawn somewhere along the way.  And if not one specifically for Walktober, most of Dawn’s posts are about walks somewhere (she travels a lot!) so I’m sure I’ll have plenty of opportunities to take another walk with her.

Have you ever been to a pumpkin patch?  How about The Great Pumpkin Patch?  Let’s travel along with Debbie to Arthur, Illinois (which is also Amish Country) for her Walktober 2019 and have a gander at some pumpkins, gourds, critters, mums, and get a quick glimpse of a horse and buggy (the ubiquitous sign of being in Amish country — something I know well since my husband is from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania which is also considered Amish country).  There are rumors in the comments about a possible spring or summer walk, too.  I do hope someone takes that on.

Pond reflections on a still and sunny day.

It’s time to go to Massachusetts and join Eliza at Stone Bridge.  The fall colors are amazing, the mosses and ferns are magical, and the bridge itself, well, you’ll have to go see for yourself.  It wouldn’t be nice of me to give everything away.

We’re going to visit Detroit next with Dawn who did a second walk for us which she calls Walktober — City Style.  It’s always fun for me to revisit a place I’ve been to and, as I mentioned to Dawn, I really liked Detroit when M and I were there for the Jazz Festival in 2011.  Dawn’s walk and photos gave me an opportunity to see some of the things I missed while we were there.

Reds and yellows in the woods.

Beckett, Keltic, and Helen took a second Walktober walk on the Lime Kiln Trail in Ottawa.  It’s a beautiful area (even after a fire in 2012).  Beckett and Keltic add to that beauty.

Next up, we take A Walk In The Park with AmyRose.  Oh my goodness, the fall colors!!  I can’t describe them.  You’ll have to go see for yourself.

We have a lot of reds this year. (Sweet gum tree leaves.)

Join me over at Retirement Reflections to explore Holland Creek Trail in Ladysmith, B.C.  It’s a beautiful walk and Donna was joined by some blogging friends which is always a treat.

Ann, also in B.C. for her Walktober (or Rocktober), takes us to Hornby Island where the rocks are quite fascinating.  As with all the walks, it looks like a place I’d love to explore.  Don’t miss the deer.

The red of a Virginia creeper entwined in the greens of a small cedar tree.

I hope you’re not tired yet because there are several more walks for us to join in on.  There was a wonderful turnout this year.  Thank you to those of you who advertised Walktober far and wide.

Now that we’ve had that brief pause, let’s catch up with Anne and spend A few hours in Tallinn, Estonia’s medieval capital.  Tallinn is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and we’ll learn more about it on our walk with Anne.  Don’t forget to look up or you might miss a few beautiful things (such as a rainbow).

Sometimes the simplest scenes take my breath away.

Dale decided to cheat (ha! The joke is on her — there are no rules so it’s not possible to cheat.  lol!  Besides, I love walks so the more, the merrier.) and do three walks for her Walktober this year.  Dale’s title includes two walks — St. Helen’s Island and Marie-Victorin Park — and the third is at Parc de la Frayère.  I can see why Dale added the Parc de la Frayère walk.  Beautiful golden hour light!

We have to travel all the way to New Zealand for this next walk (which might not be far for you — depending on where you’re located — but it’s a long, long way for me).  Samuel shared some stunning photos in his Walktober titled Painted with gold.  I can’t begin to describe this one.  You absolutely MUST go see for yourself.  Samuel’s photographs are stunning.

Still blooming.

We’re going all the way back to the U.S. for Tara’s Walktober: Ebb and Flow.  I know exactly what Tara means when she writes about staying for one more wave, and how difficult it is to leave even though you know you’ll be returning.

Our last walk is with Natalie the Explorer and we will be Hiking the Tonquin Trail on Vancouver Island, B.C.  Watch out for bears, cougars, and wolves (although it’s more likely you’ll see something smaller).  The paths are beautiful, and this walk pairs well with Tara’s walk in that we get to see another side of the sea.

Single lady.

That wraps up Walktober 2019.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who participated this year and who has participated across the previous years.  I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of your walks so much that I might have changed my mind about discontinuing Walktober.

Be good, be kind, be love.  ♥

Poking out for a look around.

This is normally where I’d leave some of my 10,000 reasons to be happy, but let’s enjoy a sunset today instead.

One evening at the Point.