Max Patch

Oct. 24 - There are a few choice places on God's good earth where I believe the distance between us and Eden is particularly short. These are places of such breathtaking beauty that all but the most hard hearted must feel their heart leap with delight. They are places where earthly beauty is so deeply powerful that despite all the sorrow and suffering of this world one knows that creation is good. They are places where we are reminded that above all else this world is a gift. Locally, that place is Max Patch: particularly Max Patch at the height of autumn.

Max Patch is an hour or so drive from our house, close to the Tennessee border. It is an enormous grass height that affords spectacular views of the Smokies, the Blue Ridge, and the flatlands of Tennessee. I'm told once it was a favorite spot to launch air balloons. I don't know if that is true or not, but I can well imagine it. Now, it's a spot for amateur photgraphers, lovers lost in reverie, and kite flying.

Diane, Paul, and I (with the dogs) drove up on that Saturday. It's only a short, though steep, walk from the parking area, so it's an easy stroll for the family. At first, our boxer-mix Katie did a marvelous job of taking Diane for a walk, so I took both dogs myself. By our return, I believe my right arm was several inches longer than my left! We made our way up the slope, stopping frequently to look back at the view to the south. Paul, who doesn't in general like hiking, is transformed by spots like this, and he ran back and forth introducing himself to everybody else on the slope.

When we reached the top, Paul and I explored around while Diane (who was a bit under the weather) resumed her studies for the CPA exam. As you can see from the pictures, the colors were almost overwhelming, as though suddenly we were seeing everything in Technicolor. I sauntered along with the dogs while Paul dashed up and down slopes, jabbering non-stop in his usual way. The dogs really wanted to join him. Who can blame them?

Eventually, we came across a young family flying a kite. Without hesitation, Paul introduced himself to them all and joined them in their kite flying. He had a wonderful time helping the father launch the kite. He even got to fly it once himself while Diane and I watched with visions of him accidentally releasing this obviously expensive kite to be blown far away. For their part, Katie and Gawain thought the kite looked awfully tasty!

Finally, after drinking in the views for a couple of hours, we made our way back down to the car for the drive home. Behind us we left, for another year, the autumnal splendor of Max Patch along with at least a week's worth of stress. Between that afternoon and the previous day's walk at Hot Springs, I was feeling particularly good. I think everybody needs a good shot of autumn's gift of color to carry them through the grey of winter. This year, thanks to God, I have had more than my fair share of that. And there would be more color to come.