My neighbor Tom prefers living off the beaten path—taking the road less traveled, if you will. Sometimes that even means constructing the trail himself. And that is fine with him.

He and Brenda moved into their Portico a year ago. Their Phase 3 lot nestles along the treeline at the edge of the Maples. A few steps beyond their courtyard is a low stone wall marking the line between our property and undeveloped land owned by the county. It is here that Tom built their own private pathway into nature.

On a recent sunny day, Tom invited me to walk his trail with him. I had no idea where the path led, how long it was, or where it would end. But this is where it begins, at the end of the wall.

With Tom leading the way, we walked the path that he had cleared himself. The first part looks like this.

Later you come out of the trees into this landscape.

Tom’s Great Dane, Tak, frolicked along with us.

The peace and beauty of the location made me feel like I was on away on vacation. In actual distance, though, we were never far from our community. This is the only glimpse I caught of the Maples, or of any inhabited land.

The trail ends here, with an invitation to sit and think.

After pausing to take in the view and to soak up some of nature’s beauty, we started back down the trail. This time I noticed that the views looking upward were as lovely as those looking straight ahead.

I caught this shot of Tom and Brenda’s home as we neared the end of the trail.

Then we were back, except for taking a minute to enjoy the flowers that Tom planted along the wall.

He is generous with his invitations to come walk his pathway. And fall is the perfect season to do it. Next time we have a sunny day, you might want to take a mini-vacation on Tom’s trail.