Spring in this part of the country leaves something to be desired (unless you're a big fan of mud), but autumn is splendid.

Despite some threatening skies, we took the dogs hiking today. We were going to go to a spot in the woods, but we had heavy rain yesterday so we opted for our favorite ridge-top instead. Unfortunately we were a bit careless in reading the map (I think we'd be an embarrassment to John, Al, and Gwynnie!!), and instead of the trail we wanted (the one with the view) we ended up on some unmarked trail that seemed to lead to nothing but a holding pond, and as a result spent most of the hike plodding along a "trail" that was mostly large shifty stones. Yuck. I guess that gives the day only a "B", but we still saw some nice views and the dogs got to wear their snazzy blaze-orange safety vests (it's archery season for deer here). Thankfully they walk on gravel a lot so their pads are used to the rough going.

I captured some nice pics along the way, and by the time we were leaving the clouds were blowing out, which really showed off the fall colors. And I might be biased, but I think Madison looks especially stylish!