candler lake

At the very last minute, Mr. F and I ended up with a Sunday free. No visitors.  No welcome weekends at school.  No work.  We were finally able to visit our new church congregation (it changed with the move) and for an oft desired but seldom possible Sunday afternoon walk.

Mr. F has been going for walks in the evenings after work, exploring routes to and around his new campus.  One such adventure took him to the trails around Candler Lake, a trek he had been eager to share with me.  

I say this often, but one of my favorite aspects of life in Atlanta is how nature is everywhere.  My love affair with trees is constantly nourished in this area.  The forestation is so thick, the hills so rolling, that very often you forget you are in the heart of the city.  The tall trunks and hillsides absorb all sound other than rustling leaves and the chirping of birds.  I knew this about Atlanta before our Sunday jaunt but was still surprised by the wilderness I was presented with.  

There is a trail around the lake itself, but shooting off from it are the most enticing, Robert Frostian paths to discover.  I lamented my diminishing bladder and energy reserves, as I normally would have spent the day trying to learn my way through those woods.  

All in all, it was a very Anne-like day.  Mr. F presented me with my very own Lake of Shining Waters here in the city.  I made friends with new trees and wildflowers.  We daydreamed of picnics on the grassy glens with our little girl when she comes.  

Now it's Monday and real life is calling.  Deadlines and to-do lists loom menacingly.  But behind all the gloom of Monday are the tickles of a chilly spring Sunday afternoon, giggling by the shores of a lake with my best friend when worries didn't touch us for a few blissful hours.