Last Thursday, I was at my aunt’s place in Elkhorn City, helping her set up a mesh network so the internet would reach both her house and her garage. After a few hours of plugging things in, moving nodes around, and checking the signal, everything was connected and working.
When I was done, I walked out onto the bridge on Patty Loveless Drive to take a breath.
I have crossed that bridge more times than I can count, and I never get tired of the view. The Russell Fork was low and clear, the sandbar was wide open, and the old iron bridge, rusty as ever, still hung there.
Right there in the middle of town, the mountain rises up behind the old bridge.
Turn around and look the other way, and the river just keeps winding off between the hills. The leaves are starting to turn. Not peak color yet, but you can see the yellows and a few reds sneaking in along the banks. In spots, the water was so still that it reflected the trees.
I zoomed in on the hillside, too. I love the rock outcrops peeking out from the trees.
And then, a little bonus. Red roses blooming in late October. I couldn’t walk past without grabbing a picture.
AI disclosure: Started from my short draft, AI (Claude) helped write this, and I edited and approved the final version.