Tuesday- Thetford Forest

We woke up today feeling adventurous. It was an American holiday and Kevin didn't have to go to work, so we hiked the mile to the nearest car rental facility (with car seat, stroller, diaper bags and camera in hand), rented a VW Jetta and headed out on the open road. It was a gorgeous day and wonderful for our first real outting as a family. I can't tell you what incredible freedom I felt, being in a car with just my family, going where I wanted to go at the time I wanted to go. Weslee, as usual, was a fabulous traveler. We just kept handing him "tooties" (known to the rest of the world as graham crackers) while we were driving, and he was a happy man.

On Sunday, as I mentioned previously, I became enamored with Thetford forest. It's a lovely forest that stretches for miles around here. We had to drive straight through the heart of it on our way to Norwich (where we had decided to go for the day. We spent a good portion of last night researching the things we wanted to do and see at the Community Center the night before). The colors in the forest are breathtaking right now. Kevin found a little road that went into the denser portion of the trees and we pulled off to take some pictures.

The sun was streaming through the golden leaves on the trees and the amber ones lying on the soft ground. The ground was so soft, it felt like you were walking on a pile of carpets. The air smelled like wet vegetation, slowly rotting, but not unpleasant (remember, it's been raining all week...and is generally moist here anyway). The leaves continuously fell, one at a time, from the boughs onto the ground. I felt like I was in an Elf kingdom in the Lord of the Rings series. I wondered if forests like these were the inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien when he wrote about wood elves. It was enchanting. I think we'll return, in all of the various seasons. You can get lost there...both physically, and just mentally. It was wonderful.