Friday, November 17, 2017

Fires of Autumn

The fires of autumn burned slowly this year. Not for us the spectacular leafy conflagration of other falls; instead, a slow build and a long flicker, as a tree here and a tree there yielded to the shortening days and cooling nights.

There were, however, some pockets of glorious colour. We found one on a drive through the next county one sunny day in late October.

Red oak under a blue sky:


The full fall spectrum - green, blue, gold, scarlet, brown:


Maple leaves in layers of beauty:


 On the floor of the woods, a study in browns:


Carpet of impermanence:


More maple leaves, like flocks of small bright birds in a dim wood:


A leaf that blew in the open window of the car as we drove:


Heavenly October sky:


O the enchanted roads of autumn!


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Late October was also distinguished by some spectacular sunsets....



One evening we had a double rainbow...



...followed by an a sunset so stunning as to seem almost unreal:


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In other, less glorious October news: I was a big baseball fan in my Southern California youth - a youth somewhat blighted, I may say, by watching our beloved Dodgers lose the World Series more times than I care to remember.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

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Suddenly it's mid-November, and a grey November too. We're in the fading stage of fall, where the lawns are still somewhat green, but trees and fields are subsiding into a sameness of (rather drab) colour. Sub-freezing nights have killed off the last of the lingering garden plants, and a sharp northwest wind has been blowing.

Now for the long cold, the lengthening northward shadows, the putting up of winter curtains, the early nightfall. Now for evenings of crochet and hot cocoa, with flannel sheets beckoning at the day's end. To everything there is a season.

How is your November going?

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18 comments:

  1. I arrived rather late to fall, but I am truly enjoying my first northern fall in over thirty years. From others, I have heard the colors were NOT spectacular. They looked pretty good to me.

    We have already had a hard freeze. Our yard has mostly winter-hardy plants/trees, but the hydrangea really looked awful. It got a bit of a haircut this morning and is now ready for winter to do what it will.

    Hope you enjoy all the season has to offer. Your photographs (as always) are simply BEAUTIFUL!

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    1. So glad to hear it, Dee! Our first hard freeze here was much later than usual, but it finally came.

      Hope you're settling in well there, and ready for some colder weather than what you've been used to! :)

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  2. Still mainly in the 60's and 70's. Trees are starting to drop some leaves, but not many change color. Our red maples are the most spectacular, but we lost a couple of them to hurricanes the last couple of years.
    Your photos are just incredible.

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    1. Thanks Janet! It's sad to hear about the red maples. My favourite autumn trees here are the sugar maples that turn to flaming scarlet in fall.

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  3. Lovely autumnal shots, sunsets and even a rainbow! Our autumn has had exceptional colours too!
    I've written you a short email concerning knitting! You will see it in your inbox!
    Have a lovely weekend, Sue!

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    1. Thank you, Sandra, and thanks also for the email and photos! :)

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  4. Such glorious pictures of Autumn in all her glory. :) Love that pink sky....so beautiful. ((hugs))

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  5. It is still rather lovely here with some trees holding onto their leaves even now. This evening we were treated to a gorgeous sunset which seemed to go on and on, it was so lovely to see.

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    1. I remember reading that your fall colour typically lasts longer than ours, though this year ours was more spread out than it usually is. Our frosts came so late this year that some trees were still green. It was strange to see the ground littered with those leaves once they fell.

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  6. I’ve always dreaded and actively disliked autumn because it foretells the short days and long nights of bitter cold winter. And for much of my early life autumn meant going back to wretched days, weeks, months of school. To top it off, autumn’s palette of oranges and browns has never been my favorite.

    Your pictures have shown me autumn in a whole new light. Your love of the landscape infuses the pictures with a radiance, an acceptance and even ajoy brought by a season I’ve always dreaded. Thank you for helping me to see autumn in a new light.

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    1. I never used to like autumn's oranges and browns either, but now I see them as part of a larger palette that spans nearly the entire colour spectrum. All that is missing is violet, and we get that in some of the sunsets. Autumn here seems like the perfect complement to spring - both are an exuberance of colour and changing landscapes.
      I'm so glad that this post may have helped you see autumn in a new light. My time for depression is usually August and September - I hate the thought of summer's end. Once October comes I get over it and start to enjoy the new season. :)

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  7. Ah Wisconsin, I miss you so. I did glimpse a few brownish trees while there last weekend for less than 48 hours. I was worth it just to see a change in the season from Florida. Sending you a hug Sue. Hope you and your family are well.

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    1. Thanks Mere! We are well. I wish you could have had a little more time here. :)

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  8. What a fantastic poetic post. I have enjoyed the crazy pretty sunsets too! And the fog as shown on my blog! Ive been very welcoming of this November. It is beautiful in the farm fields. City Novembers are just dirty. The horses at the barn have been frisky and their coats are getting so thick and fluffy. Drives to Chicago have been fine in decent dry weather. Your tree photos are just wonderful!

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    1. Thanks, Kathy! I'm glad you guys are enjoying your first Wisconsin November. The fields do look very pretty on foggy days - the dampness seems to intensify all the colours just a little bit. :)

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  9. You captured some gorgeous autumn color! And once again, you've described the waning season with such accuracy. Lizard reminded me just yesterday, the winter solstice is less than a month away, then the days begin getting longer!

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    1. I too have been thinking about longer days. Darkness at 4:45 gets old quickly! Thanks Deb. :)

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