Riding Through Autumn with Mother

One of my fondest autumn memories with Mother involved a ride over the back roads of Quaker Hill, NY, as we viewed the colorful leaves.  My husband and I made weekly trips from NH to NYS (a 275 mile journey) to care for Mother and her affairs.

When we arrived at her home this autumn afternoon, Mother, in the mid stages of Alzheimer's, suggested going for a ride.  We had just driven 6 hours, but there was still plenty of daylight and the leaves were so colorful. Also, Quaker Hill figured into my dad's family history, so I thought it would be a good time to explore this area, too. 

Mother "oohed" and "aahed" the whole trip as she admired the brilliant red, yellow, orange and bronze leaves midst the evergreens.  Sometimes it was a single tree along the road.  Other times the view consisted of a panorama spread out before us.  She talked about this ride for days afterward, even though there were other memories she couldn't pull together.

So...when I see the fabulous colors of autumn, I recall the pleasure this outing gave Mother and added a bright spot in her Alzheimer's world.