I had a doctor’s appointment first thing Monday morning, so the kids spent the prior night with my parents. On the way to pick them up, I stopped by the outlet mall to buy some shoes. And the trees in the parking lot were marvelous.

Outlet Shops of Grand River Fall Trees

They inspired me. I decided that a Fall Foliage Field Trip was absolutely in order. After all, it was a school day, but it was far too magnificent outside to do bookwork.

So I picked the kids up and we took a driving tour of the St. Clair County mountain [hill] ridges – all just 25 minutes outside of Birmingham.

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

Our windows were down so that we could hear the crunching of leaves under the tires and the migrating birds overhead.

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

I attempted to pit my children against each other with statements such as, “Who can find the brightest colored tree?”

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

And, “Who can spot the next pretty sight?”

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

We passed pastures,

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

Barns,

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

Ponds,

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

More pastures,

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

Houses with sunset views that made me treacherously envious,

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

Paths leading to seemingly nowhere but with beauty everywhere,

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

Neighborhoods that city life can only dream of emulating,

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

Houses that looked far too modern and architectural to be hidden in the middle of the woods,

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors
Stunning ridge views,

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

And endless metamorphosing trees.

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

I didn’t make our educational adventure into any sort of formal learning experience – we didn’t identify a single tree or discuss why leaves change colors. It was simply an appreciation day for God’s creation.

Birmingham Alabama Fall Colors

As a bonus for Noah, we even got to go through a tunnel – one of the narrowest tunnels in Alabama – and perhaps the only tunnel that still has its own phone booth.

Chula Vista Tunnel


Chula Vista Tunnel

And if you’re wondering what the children thought of this sublime school-substitution gift from their loving mother,

they were bored, underwhelmed, and begging to go home.

Grumpy Kids

Just like I was when my homeschooling parents used to pull this same kind of crap.

Grumpy Kids

But perhaps it subliminally snuck into their little brains, as apparently did my many childhood rides down country roads, and just maybe one day they’ll subject their kids to the same sort of glorious torture.

15 thoughts on “On The Appreciation of Autumn.

  1. Ha! This is great. Such gorgeous views.(: I wonder if Noah will take his kids to see sunsets or if it’ll be a car show or a lego museum.

  2. Your readers appreciate the trip, even if the kids didn’t. Views like that are why fall is my favorite season.

  3. I do hope you guys actually got out of the car and had a romp around the leaves too! The smell and feel and detailed look at things are all part of the experience, I think.

    Stunning photos, by the way. Your colours are more advanced than ours in England as we’ve had a warm October. I do love the changing seasons in England – much prettier than New Zealand which is more evergreen and similar year-round.

    1. Oh yes – they’d been playing in the same gorgeous outside all morning at my Mom’s house – she has a lot of fantastic land.

      The colors seemed to be a bit late here, too. I’m glad they finally arrived!

  4. Beautiful pictures! We are heading up to the outlet mall tomorrow for some shopping. I can’t wait to see those beautiful colors, we don’t get enough of them down in Montgomery.

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