I was driving down the street the other day, admiring the pretty fall scenery. A block away from where I work is a historic part of town, with beautiful rolling hills, wooden fence posts that fence in picturesque sheep and horse farms, and centuries-old homes that you can just tell were built by the nation's first settlers.

The leaves are changing color, and as I drove, I noticed the leaves gently blowing across the road and landing in the drifts against the curbs. Movement caught my eye, and I saw an old man walking along a fenced-in corral, watching the horses eat the hay bales in the field next to the road.

He was walking with his grandson, a toddler, and for a moment the quaintness added to the scene - until I noticed that the kid was on a leash, and wearing a bright red helmet.

I wish I had my camera. I laughed out loud. It was so absurd - this kid's helmet was huge, too big for his head, and had earflaps and a chin strap. The leash was heavy duty, and looked like it was made out of reflective material, which made me wonder, does this guy walk his kid at night, too?