We, Julie and I, haven’t been out on a photo shoot for about three weeks, but this week we knew right where we wanted to go, the Haehnle Sanctuary that is operated by The Michigan Audubon Society. I know right where it is, on a country road I traveled down hundreds of times as a child and adolescent because my Grandma had a cottage on a lake just beyond the sanctuary. I know how to get there – but somehow the road changed and all of a sudden we were at a land fill, on a dirt road. But I’m proud and stubborn and didn’t just retrace my tracks – no, that would be too easy. Instead we took the loooong way there.

But what a beautiful morning it was. It was very humid but I tolerated it because in exchange the sun was covered by a gauzy overcast and there was no wind. The wildflowers seemed gentle, almost ethereal. Except for the occasional fly biting my ankles that grabbed my attention, I spent an hour engrossed in the world around me.

Everything around me said it is late summer – the colors of the grass seed heads covered with dew, the haze over the marsh making the trees on the horizon a muted green, the grasshoppers, the ripening apples on the very old tree, and the flowers that are blooming.

I always look forward to the cooler days, lower humidity, changing colors, and nights cool enough to warrant flannel sheets. But right now I’m not ready for the change of seasons. All of a sudden it seems like time is moving too fast and I feel a pleading deep within me for it to slow down. I am enjoying my very being and all the fun things I’m doing. Maybe I’ll look for the replay button for today.