Time is a Shape Shifter

The air this morning was crisp and cool, very October like.  LH and I have been talking for a while now about a hike from Pine Bend Park to Hemlock Crossing Park, a round trip of over 3 miles.  And it is a hike, not a walk.  It was the most people I have every seen the trails back in those woods along the Pigeon River, lots of them young kids.  Usually we hike there in the spring and fall, so it was a little different to see it in early August.  Here are a few photos from my little red camera.

This last one is a little hint of what is coming -- red leaves showing up on trees that have been stressed over the summer.

The other event of note is the arrival of JB's grave stone.  It's been a couple of months since we finalized the details on it, and it was nice to see it finally set in place.

It isn't unusual to see a grave with the name of a living person on the stone, but when it's your name, it is an odd sensation.  Though getting to design your own monument, as it's called in funeral circles, has its advantages.  The girl designed the dune grass on JB's side, mine has a lily.

The back side of the stone.  The government provides plaques for markers to veterans free of charge.  Paperwork is involved, but the funeral home handled most of it for me.  There are several of these in this area of the cemetery.