Easy Like Sunday Morning

So, we're not churchgoers. We are, however, spiritual people and ritual and reflection are important parts of our life. Or, we want them to be. It's hard to carve out time for simply being these days--anyone with a modern busy life can attest to that--and since we are not part of a congregation at the moment, it's even harder. At some point we expect we'll head back to the Quakers as that is where we have felt most at home, but for the moment Josephine's morning nap conflicts exactly with meeting time.

This morning though, we had an outing that gave us exactly the right amount of quiet and beauty and togetherness and fresh air and wonder. The Millbrook Marsh is one of our new favorite places in State College. A beautiful natural wetland in the shadow of Beaver Stadium and the hospital where Rudy and Josephine were born. They have a boardwalk that meanders through it, and we spent a good hour or more there, following Rudy's lead. We saw some gorgeous and bizarre plant life, a duck, a fox, and a furry caterpillar.

A ruptured seed pod of some kind. I loved the lacy effect in this shot.

Rudy being cooperative.

Fuzzy Wuzzy

I said a long time ago that being in the fresh air calms Josephine. See?

Sticky burrs

Teasle

Teasle field. I love this view.

Cattails by the creek