Just Watching the Sun Set....Together

Late-in-the-season summer day....still mighty hot here on this Thursday just before Labor Day.  But, it's the day after dove season opens, so Ed and I loaded up the truck and headed out to Noodle, Texas (population, can't be over 50) about 5:30 pm.  He was looking forward to bagging some dove to put in the freezer....I was armed only with my camera.

Thanks to a very gracious friend, we have a place out in the middle of nowhere we can go for hunting and even just target practice, if we want.  He inherited this place from a couple of old bachelor uncles who lived in this now-abandoned house.  

While we're there, it is so still....just the sounds of insects and the breeze in the trees.  The slight wind, bringing in a storm, keeps the humidity down a bit and makes being outside a little more bearable.  The grass and weeds are so tall...thank goodness I wore long jeans and tall boots.  Swatting at flies and gnats around my head and brushing grasshoppers off my legs, I'm thinking to myself - "Oh, Lord, this is going to be a nightmare...."

There's not much to do as we wait for the sun to set and the birds to start moving, but just gaze around.....

And that's when I am struck by the sheer beauty of the place. 

The angle of the sun across the clouds....the darkening clouds as the storm headed our way builds and we hear distant rumblings of thunder. 

The sunset was spectacular!  The waning rays of sunlight caught the tips of the swaying grass and set it aglow.

I closed my eyes and thought of how it must have been to live in this little house way back when, sit on the porch and watch the sunrises and sunsets, listen to the birds and the humming of insects...and the quiet....

Before it gets dark, we dig in the cooler and enjoy sandwiches and cantaloupe brought from home.  Then I break out the oatmeal cookies, baked fresh that afternoon.  I don't know why our little picnic tastes so much better than if it had been consumed in front of the television....but, it's yummy even as the bread crusts dry out quickly in the wind and heat.

We came home empty-handed....but heart-filled with the beauty of the time spent together out in this place.  I have snapped 70+ photos in just a couple of hours, trying to capture the evening forever. 

I love how this outing caught me by surprise.  Sometimes, it's just the simplest things that end up meaning so much.  Do you know what I mean?  I hope you do!

I'm linking up with Wednesday Gratitude over at Heart and Home, where you can read Heidi's blog about life on the Redwood Coast and get your "gratitude groove" on.

Also linking up with Emily over at Chatting at the Sky for Tuesdays Unwrapped, where you will be inspired to find the gift hiding in the ordinary.

Strivin' to keep it simple....

Jane