Irony…

On a hot and sunny day last week, Josiah and I followed a well used horse trail up a steep canyon in the mountains by our house. The temperature in this shaded draw was at least 20 degrees cooler than that in the valley below.  We stopped about half way up the side of the mountain and rested on a rock enjoying the view. I could see the meadow above and guessed that would be where this dusty and rocky trail we were climbing would lead us.

At the edge of the meadow was a sign, attached to a weathered post with old rusty nails. Barbed wire, old and new hung from the gray post and the twisted and patched fence line to the right disappeared up a steep rocky canyon. Behind the sign was a small creek lined with black sand and feeding a stand of aspen trees. The open hillside behind it was lush and covered in  wildflowers and monarch butterflies.

I stood there looking at the sign and smiled at the irony~

Josiah was watching me and asked why I was taking a photo of the sign~ “Because someone left the gate open?” he asked.

I just smiled at him. Took my photo, stepped around the post and continued up the trail to enjoy my day with my son.

No, it wasn’t because someone left the gate open…

There wasn’t a gate to leave open. In fact there wasn’t even a fence to the left of the sign. There hadn’t been in a long, long time…if ever…