Sunday was just one of those days that from the time you open your eyes in the morning, until you closed them again at night, was just perfect. I knew it would be a great day when I saw the mist rising off the lake and behind the mist was a wall of fall colors. My favorite season. The seasons that reaches out and touches all of my senses. I feel more alive in the fall than at any other time of year.
I couldn’t wait to start the day so after tea and a bit of reading in bed, I made maple and brown sugar bagels with cream cheese and my nose was ready for the smells of the rich earth and my eyes were ready for reds, orange and yellows that can only be found together in abundance at this time of the year. The touch of acorns and leaves made me jump into Stellar and head out to see what we would find on the Back streets and Main roads of Maine.
For those of you who don’t know Stellar she is my 1964 Ford Falcon Futura. She is bright Red and is a Convertible although today she had to keep her top on. I like to think of her as a chick car. She is a replica of the car I had in high school except that she is red with black interior and my other one was black with silver interior. Other than that, they are twins.
This car is more that just metal and bolts she is a memory of my younger days and a gift from my brother Bob, who died 6 months after he found this car for me. He was so excited for me to have it. I am so excited now to own it and if she never gets driven again that will be o.k. because she came from a place of love and so she stays. Her name is Stellar. The definition of Stellar is “of the stars” and it’s the perfect name for her because my brother lives amongst the stars and he watches over Stellar and me Besides Stellar is just such a wonderful name. It implies wonderful adventures.
So off we went loaded down with camera gear and Gracie. We headed to Douglas mountain and along the way we saw the most glorious colors of fall in the trees and around the lakes. Sun shinning brightly and a slight breeze. Felt good after a long and stressful week. We finally got to the top of Douglas Mountain ( I did have to talk Stellar into not giving up the climb, although I could feel her pain) and we got to the top we found the most wonderful views of the White mountains. Alas though, I wasn’t to happy with my photo’s this day but then again I’ve learned that some views are just for the eyes and heart and don’t always have to be imprinted on a memory card.
Sunday, usually my day for church. And I did attend but not in my usual setting. Church today was on the top of that mountain, then later it was while taking one last boat ride for the season on Long Lake. It was a church without walls but God was everywhere. He had also had a stressful week. I swear he must have spent the entire week just painting landscapes for me. The color pallet was bright and beautiful and then at sunset he painted the sky a bright yellow, then he threw in some reds and finally a bit of purple. He decided to add two groups of Loons to the mix, just for texture and scale. A few green trees and a sky full of great fluffy clouds to add a bit of drama. Ansel Adams could not have performed any better, even from the floor of Yosemite Valley. I felt God’s greatness all around me, all day. I knew that no matter the trials and test that we pass through each week, that at the edge of the horizon there is always hope.
So we came down off the mountain, more worrisome with Stellar than going up. Remember back in the 60’s there was no such thing as power brakes or seat belts. Once again Stellar didn’t disappoint. She was charming. She went back into the garage. Hopefully she’ll get out one more time before the snow flies but if not, she earned her keep in just this one day. Such a joyous feeling when we were leaving on this glorious morning, feeling so free and at peace with the world. Life is good and sometimes you just have to celebrate life wherever you are at the moment......because you never know when it will be your time to live among the stars....