Muddy Paws Boardwalk in the Morning Sun

Back in May, my husband and I discovered a pretty little wetland called Muddy Paws. It's in Spring Mills, about 20 minutes east of State College. We had seen the parking lot and the boardwalk over the marsh many times from a distance, when driving by. One day in May, we finally stopped for a quick visit to check it out.

Of course on that day, I could only post one shot of the marsh to Blip, and the sky was doing such amazing things that the reflection of clouds on water was what I posted to Blip. My only regret was that I didn't get to show you the boardwalk, which is just outstanding. One of the prettiest wooden boardwalks I have ever seen, in fact. And also, with comfy Adirondack chairs scattered everywhere, it is also probably THE most civilized wetland I have ever met. Ever since that first visit, I have plotted and schemed to go back.

According to the forecast, Thursday morning's weather was to be spectacular. And my husband made the best of it: on Wednesday, he packed up his gear and went backpacking to the Quehanna Wild Area, leaving me to my own devices. I decided that while I couldn't go with him, if I got up early enough on Thursday, I might treat myself to a quick side trip to the wetland before heading to work.

And so that is exactly what I did. I got up and around quickly, and managed to leave my house in record time. As I headed east, the sun was rising, and it was nearly blinding, it was so bright. And when I arrived at the wetland, the light was just glorious. It turned everything golden. It cast shadows. It made reflections.

I had the boardwalk to myself, and all was quiet except for a few Canada geese and a couple of red-winged blackbirds. And so I walked out the boardwalk, enjoying the sights and taking many pictures. The autumn foliage in our area is quite variable right now: pastel tones everywhere, some brighter shades mixed in here and there. The overall effect is that of a gentle glow.

Then I turned to go back to my car to head off for my regularly scheduled duties of the day. And I snapped a few pictures looking back the boardwalk, including this one. And I gloried in the stillness of a perfect October morning, everything around me lit by a gentle autumn glow and that golden light.

The song to accompany this image has to be about the light. I can't say I am usually a big fan of Yanni, but I do like this tune, and it seems quite fitting, so here it is. Yanni, In the Morning Light. I actually found TWO videos using this song that include a lovely collage of images, so here they both are: one, and two.