Farewell November

Growing up in Indiana. I always looked forward to the frostiness of November.

Here in western Washington it's a soggier month.  Especially this year!

Looks like our fall colors will linger into December;

a little surprising given all our October and November rain.

A Little Bit of Color

I decided to try to get out to the horse trails at least once a week this fall, to follow the progression of color change. Not a lot of potential for change in this particular scene, but I did like what was going on and the light was nice.  Peaceful as always on this path. It's a quiet forest, and often the only sounds are birds chirping and water dripping from the branches.

Orchard Row, Revisited

I worked on a series of photos last spring at a blossoming almond orchard in California, and when I saw this row of pear trees in Hood River last week, I was curious to see how these fall colors would compare in a similar composition.  One of the things that really fascinated me about the almond orchard in Capay, California was the slight variation in blossom color between the rows, with some rows blossoming white and others pink.  The same thing was going on in this orchard; some rows of pear trees were leafing yellow and some red.  I think the trees are spaced a little closer here, so the overall effect isn't as striking, but overall it's got a nice fall color.  If you're curious to see the blossom photos from springtime, the links are here and here.

Pear Trees and Mountain Ash

These red berries are hanging from a large tree in the front yard of an orchard farmhouse, and it was the bright red berries that made me stop and take notice of this scene.  I'm sure I've photographed a pear orchard in the background; there were plenty of pears still on the yellow-leaved trees for me to figure that out.  I'm a little less sure of the Mountain Ash.  I did an internet search, and I feel like I've identified it, but if not I'll have to change my title later.  If this is Mountain Ash, then it looks like the tree will keep these berries all winter, which would be really pretty!

Sweet Gum

Always one of my favorite trees.  I love the color variation in the fall, and the prickly fruit.  No fruit/seeds visible on this little tree.  Beautiful color though. 

And the Season Turns

Fall comes late in the Central Valley, and it takes a lot longer for leaves to drop than in other places I've lived.  Just a few trees holding their leaves today, but there's still some great color.  This is also West Davis Pond, but a section I rarely visit because it's usually dry and not that interesting.  Luckily the water level is still high here.  I'm so glad we took a short detour to come upon this gorgeous scene!

November 20

More leaves from the walk along West Davis Pond today.  It's looking like this might be leaf week.  And given that just last month I was willing to drive several hours up to Lake Tahoe to photograph colorful fall foliage, it's a good week to be thankful for such a beautiful display of color right in my own backyard!

November 19

Perfect November weather today.  Cool and overcast on my walk with Clover.