The sun’s a little lower in the sky and it’s much cooler during the morning jaunts with dogs out at the Redgate these days. The once sage prairie, blessed by mid-summer rains, has eased into its familiar dusty brown hue.

Reina, our red merle Aussie, has a patchwork coat of copper, grey, liver, auburn, and white that blends into the fall landscape out there and can make it hard to spot her when she ranges off trail. It’s’ her time of year.