My Walkabout

If I had paid any attention to such things as weather reports and News forecasts, I most likely would have been forewarned of the recent flooding in New York State.But where is the adventure in that?It only forced me to change my plans from hiking (since the canyon was closed) to exploring more of the Finger Lakes area. I was on the search for Mennonites and U.S. history.Winding along the rural back roads, I slow down to gaze at the horse drawn buggy, and it’s passengers. A simple family to me, deep in their Christian beliefs and content with their mode of transportation. They stare back at me, if only for a moment to see a new face in their land, then avert their eyes back to the horse and their final destination.I wonder if the structures I see were built by these people, without power tools, as rumor and legend have it. No matter, I think to myself, the beauty is in the details anyway.The quiet of the green rolling hills mesmerizes my mind. In the stillness I almost miss the roadside waterfall. I find my way down off the beaten path to revel in the serenity of the falling water.In addition to the Mennonites going about their daily activities, the beauty of the Finger Lakes wine region holds my attention. Row after row of grapevines are ready to start their season of growth and production. The fields are lush from the Spring rains.Akin to the road not traveled, sometimes a change in scheduled plans is just what one needs to keep it all in perspective, and life fresh.