Such a pleasant evening with a book and my love out in nature

We had such a great evening yesterday. We took our picnic blanket (it's a blanket I made years ago to serve specifically as a picnic blanket, and it has served me well), books, and a whole bunch of healthy snacks up Provo canyon to Bridal Veil Falls. We strolled up the path to the falls, admired the mountains and the misty-looking rays of light, and then we spread out our blanket under a tree by the stream and spent a good two hours in the shade, reading, eating hummus with veggies, bran muffins, and apples, and talking.

We're reading a book together, and it's been so fun to read a chapter or two each day and then talk about how great it is (it's The Lord of the Rings, so there's an abundance of greatness to discuss. It's probably my favorite book. We just finished book 1 of the Fellowship! So much more to enjoy than the movie). We've read a couple other books together (A Christmas Carol and The Hobbit), but it was back in the dead of winter when we preferred to be cozied up in the warmth of our bed. It was a lovely evening, and it should be noted that I improved upon my hummus recipe, so it wasn't a chore to eat it (I added cumin(!) and more garlic and reduced the amount of tahini by about half... I may share the secret some day. I also might just keep it).

If you're looking for something to do for this last glorious month of summer, spend it out of doors beneath a tree with good food and a book. You can't regret that.