What I heard on the radio this morning motivated me to revise my plan for the day. Which is to say, actually make a plan for a seemingly empty dreary, rainy, gray-sky day. All it took to get me going was a weather report that included high winds and big waves. There were gale warnings for Lake Michigan and up to 11 foot waves!!  It was time to take my camera for a ride. And, so I did. I made my way to the shore, winding my way along back roads to see big waves and whatever else I could find along the way.

I started out looking for big, bold, violent waves bashing into whatever was in their path. However, what I found along the way, was quiet beauty. The splashes of yellow and orange from trees that punctuated the grayness of the day.  The farmer’s market, where one could still get apples and cauliflower and Brussel sprouts provided an opportunity to taste and see goodness. And on and on … the delightful music on the radio dancing around the car, the fall rain washing the face of the earth, the edges of a lake shrouded in misty rain, the empty back roads and much more all made for a wonderful afternoon adventure.

The radio report was accurate and the waves were impressive indeed.  The southwest winds pushed rolling giant walls of water toward shore, crashing it into the lighthouse at the end of the pier.  However, it was the other things, the things along the way, that blessed me the most today. The things along the way … today’s gift, indeed.