Fall is one my favorite times of year.  I have trouble deciding between spring and fall, but there is something about the crispness of the air as the sun shines down that makes it impossible to ignore.

I spent last weekend traveling to Keystone Lake with my friend and fellow author Martha Draper.  We hiked the Ancient Forests http://www.sandspringsok.org/index.aspx?NID=175 located near Sand Springs, OK.  The park is now owned by the City of Sand Springs and is just north off Highway 412.  They are only open on Saturdays, spring through fall, and is a well-maintained park.  The trails – there are three of different degrees of difficulty – begin with a poem titled “Lost” by David Wagner     and are manned by volunteers who love to show you their forest and even offer a cup of hot chocolate or cookie as they tell you tales of the trees.  They are part of a forest that starts in Kansas and paints a swath through eastern Oklahoma, then into Texas.  The oaks and cedars are from 300 – 500 years old and have seen a lot of changes in the world.

This week I prepare for Thanksgiving and out-of-towners.  I have a huge turkey in the freezer that needs to begin its journey toward thawing and pies to make.  There will be twelve of my favorite people in my house on Thanksgiving.  The tables will be full and we might have to set up another.

The weather went from crisp to cold this week and it is only a month until Christmas.  I don’t know how gracefully I will travel from fall to winter. I haven’t started my Christmas shopping. How about you? Ready for the holidays?