Ethan Allen Park with Michael and Nora

 Ethan Allen Park

We took Michael and Nora to Ethan Allen Park the other day.  It was  so fun to watch the kindness that they showered each other with and the delight they seem to always find in one another.

The first stop was the playground and they raced together.  The two went laughing and racing towards it, Nora  staying  beside Michael.  I watched their joy, such enthusiasm became my own joy to watch.

Jim got in the action and helped Nora swing across this slide...

 and he went down his own slide!

 Michael went down the slide after Nora.

Then they both climbed onto the tire swing and Jim gave them a push.

They giggled and shouted out as they spun about.

   Then we began our walk to the Tower.  Michael held Nora's hand as we set off.

                                  The tower was open so we went inside and made our way to the top.

                             The view was so beautiful!  Fall really made the city so vibrant with
                            all those colors.

                                    Even the kids remarked at how pretty the world all seemed
                                               from up so high.

                           
                                       Then back down we went to climb and sit and make our
                                        way to the Pinnacle further up.

                               
                               At the steps we all went up and sat inside the Pinnacle.

                 

                                          The Maples were so bright, burning with color!

                                             
                                          We sat for a bit and took in the view of Lake Champlain.

                                       
                                   
                                          The trees all about us were spectacular in their colors!
                                               Nature's wordless poetry.

                                       
                                         Nora decided this hill was just perfect for log rolling
                                          so she went right to it!  Michael watched unsure
                                         how to coordinate to do it.

                                             So he kept running up and down the hill which was so
                                        good for his little legs!


                                           And Nora, well she kept right on rolling!
                                     

Jim and I hadn't been up to the Pinnacle since we were teenagers!
It was nice to go back.

                                     Here Nora was pretending to be Rapunzel while Michael
                                   went to the bottom of the window and yelled for her to
                                  let down her hair!

                                                 The it was time to head back down the hill,
                                                   and  make our way back to our homes.
                                             
                                                   It was a nice walk back down and I
                                                   really lived in those moments, taking in
                                                  the sounds, smells, and colors of Fall.

                                               I wrapped the day up in my mind
                                                      so that I could
                                                  open back up the moments
                                                        to change
                                             one of our frequent rainy and dreary days,
                                                into moments of remembered peace
                                                       filled with such color,
                                                  color burnt in my mind this fall.