Morning in the "Secret Garden"

Some years ago, I was in the right place at the right time --- a lovely late September morning --- to capture these and other images of a place called since (by me) the "Secret Garden." 

Nothing secret, really --- an area in the Chariton River Greenbelt that rambles among old fishery ponds right along the river  west of the Chariton Cemetery.

Access was easier then, through a gap in the fence that has since been blocked; and minimum maintenance resulted in a trail of sorts where the native grasses and other vegetation were less than knee high.

I'm not complaining. Lucas County has a tiny conservation staff that cares for a comparatively huge resource of public land with very limited funding --- including the 13-mile Cinder Path. So resources were shifted elsewhere.

I'm just grateful for serendipity and these images that resulted. Looking at them started my week on a positive note; maybe they'll do the same for you.