The transition from summer to fall and fall to winter happens
to be my favorite time of year. As I
write this, we are experiencing our first winter storm watch and the peppering
of sleet is ever so slight. The brisk
cold is wonderfully exhilarating and energizes me like that Eveready bunny. Like a small child, I don’t want to go to
sleep and miss anything that each hour may promise. This has to do with my love of the season,
but also knowing how short time is as I approach the winter solstice of my life
with the physical battles I wage.
Several weeks ago, Dwight and I had a three day trip planned
to Arkansas for the Autumn
Talimena Scenic Drive, a 54 mile drive from Mena,
Arkansas into eastern Oklahoma. We were to stay in Beavers
Bend State Park
and planned to attend the 20th Annual Beavers Bend Folk Festival and
Craft Show in Broken Bow. We would have
been two of the expected 17,000 attendees at this wonderful festival. Unfortunately, I got sick and we did not get
to experience the awesome glory of that drive and our much needed break. I regretted it for Dwight, as he had never
taken this drive before and I so wanted him to experience all the glory and
beauty of fall in the Ouachita Mountains.
Last week, Dwight planned an east Texas
scenic drive that offered the same autumn brilliance to be enjoyed along with
lots of charm in towns along the way. We
discovered some awesome little towns as we explored areas not too far from my
family’s farm. Of course there was not
the majestic prominence of the Ouachita Mountains, but this girl was just as
thrilled to see the brilliance of our rolling hills of foliage along the
winding country roads close to home.
If you want some real eye candy, next fall consider scheduling
time to go to Daingerfield State
Park, Lake Bob Sandlin, Lake Cypress Springs, and
Lake Winnsboro
along the Big Sandy Creek drive and/or any of the three
scenic drives recommended by the Winnsboro Autumn Trails Committee. And discover Winnsboro too! Two years in a row, this little town of 3,300
was voted “Best Small Town Downtown by County Line Magazine. Another thing about Winnsboro that really got
my attention is that it is strategically located within easy driving distance
of seven popular lakes and I love being around the water. We definitely are going back to spend time
exploring this quaint little historic town.
It is a magnet to lots of out of town folks and their large downtown was
certainly hopping the Wednesday that we were there. When we stopped at the Chamber to pick up the
scenic drive maps, the folks in the guest book right before us were from our
neighboring Murphy, Texas. At our days end, our only regret was that we
did not have at least two more days to explore and enjoy more of autumn’s majesty
and the sights and charm of the little communities surrounded by His shimmering
glory.
The earth is filled
with the Lord’s glory. Habakkuk 2:14
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