Well, hello fall...

I haven't experienced real fall in years since this season is almost nonexistent in Southern California and, truth be told, I was excited about some fall foliage.
After returning from our four-month trip through Europe, we found ourselves in upstate New York for a while, before heading to a new destination. While here, we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather we've been having. Since there are so many lakes in the Adirondacks area where we're currently staying, we decided to go boating, or, to be more exact, my husband decided for me.
I can count on my fingers the times I went on a boat for other reasons than getting from one place to another, either on a ferry or passenger boat: exactly three.

The first time was about seven years ago when we went boating on this same Lincoln Pond; the second time was kayaking in the ocean, which I absolutely loved and had zero fear even with the leopard sharks swimming below. The third time was on Big Bear Lake, which was terrifying and traumatizing for me. We went there for Labor Day and decided to kayak on the lake. However, there were quite a few people jet-skiing, which caused some big waves, and I literally started crying of fear in the middle of the lake. Ever since I’ve been terrified to get on another small boat.

Needless to say, I was not keen on going boating even after all these years. The weather was so perfect though and the lake looked so peaceful that I let my husband convince me to give boating another try: he always reminds me how scared I am to do things that I'm afraid to try and how much I enjoy them once I do. He knows me so well… So in the boat and on the lake we went.

It didn't take long before I felt the joy of being on the water. The lake was mostly calm, rocking the boat gently which allowed me to take in the views. The turning leaves were showing rich colors of red, yellow, and gold; mixed with the lush green of the pine trees, it made one beautiful early fall scene: colorful and oh-so-breathtaking. Around us, hidden in the trees were birds singing their choirs. A light breeze was sweeping through, participating in this nature's concert. At some point, it got all blissfully quiet and I couldn't help but love that present moment.
We went close to one end of the lake before we got tired and a bit uncomfortable to seat in the same position and decided to return to the starting point.

Since the next day was supposed to be another warm and beautiful day, we went boating again.
This time we wanted to go towards the opposite side of the lake. The water was a bit rough in spots, rocking us a bit more than I was comfortable with, but it got calm after a while. We let the waves carry us, breathing in the fresh air, listening to and admiring the nature around us. My fear was all gone and I couldn't help but feel grateful for this beautiful world of ours!

How are you enjoying the beautiful fall days?