Postcard Fall Colours

 I drove to the Laurentians again yesterday and the trees were spectacular.  The best colour in a long, long time.  They still haven't  had a frost so the leaves are still on the trees even though they have turned colour, and the colours are really vibrant.  I did doctor this photo a little because the camera was just not reproducing the brilliance of the leaves with the sun shining on them, but the colours really were flashy.  Notice in this picture, the rock showing through the hill.  That is pretty typical of the Laurentians where the hills are basically rocky lumps with a little soil dusted over the top, just enough to grow some trees.

 The reds and purples are very rich.

 For most of the drive, I had colour all around me.  Miles and miles of coloured hills.  It was wonderful.

 Beautiful cherry red trees with softer yellow and peach leaves.  Everywhere beautiful views - I could have taken hundreds of photos. What I really like about the fall colours is that you are immersed in it. It's not just a tree here, a tree there.  It is all around you, and if you walk in a hardwood forest, the blazing colour starts at your feet and rises to 100' above you.  It's like being transported to a different world.

After all that colour, a restful cool full moon on the way home.

Exotic Birds in the Jungle?

The sumacs make me think of birds with wings with big floppy feathers.

  

The delicate little hardy cyclamen look like they are about to take flight.

Artist Trading Cards

I was going through some things and came across some copies of old Artist Trading Cards. I used to belong to a group that traded the cards.  Everyone in the group would make sets of  nine cards (2 1/2" x 3 1/2" each) and then we would trade amongst the group.  It was fun and was an opportunity to try out some ideas in a manageable format. These four were part of a set of 9 titled Musical Tastes ,but Blogger is acting up and will only load the one picture.

A Wedding

Today we had a wedding at our church. Nothing very unusual about that but this wedding was a little bit different.  The bride and groom both work but at low paying jobs and they already have children to take care of, some hers, some his, so money is very tight. They have been a part of our church family for a couple of years now and we know that they don't have much (any?)support from their biological families so when they said that they wanted to get married we hatched a plan!  We would give them a wedding and so we did.  They asked if it could be on Sunday morning.  We said, "Well, we've never done that before, but why not?"  Now, we are a little church but we know how to get a job done. Responsibilities were quickly allocated : M to do the flowers, K to supervise food (we all contribute), J &J to decorate church and hall, G to play wonderful music, R and B to snap lots of pictures, and, of course, Pastor to officiate. With only two weeks to plan, we pulled off a beautiful ceremony and reception. And, best of all,  the church was packed full of well-wishers - generous with their pocket books, too, when a plate was passed around.
I've been at this church for a long time.  Long enough to see the good, the bad and the ugly, but today I think we were a little light in a couple of lives that maybe haven't seen a whole lot of light. I'm thankful I was able to be a part of it.
As part of the ceremony, someone read St. Paul's definition of love:
       
"Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs. 
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres."
                                                  (NIV version)
If only we could  learn to love like that.

Greens

 With the cooler temperatures and some rain, many of the green plants have freshened up.

Shadow Designs

 Although it's sunny today, I'm pretty much stuck inside with a cold.  But the sun shining in our south-facing windows is making lots of interesting patterns on the floor.

 The most interesting shadows come from the leaves being blown by the breeze but they just show up as a blur so I have to find some static images.

Hairy Willow Herb

This is the only Hairy Willow Herb ( Epilobium hirsutum)  plant that we have on our property, and , in fact, is the only one that I have seen anywhere in our area. It grows to about 3' tall and only has a few flowers at a time. According to Wikipedia, it usually grows in damp spots.  This one gets shade in the morning but the soil would be a bit on the dry side . It was never watered and survived our dry summer just fine.  The roots would have been shaded by the beebalm growing around it.  Hopefully, it will self-sow and I'll have more of it growing around.  Other names for it are : codlins-and-cream, apple-pie, and cherry-pie.  It isn't a true native to NA but it is in Europe, South Africa and Asia. 

Etched against the Sky

 The old branches still reflect the sunlight and brighten the sky.

 Like a group of dancers, the trees sway in freeze-frame.

Woody arteries

Young'uns are back.

 

 The mares and foals were in a different field for most of the summer, but now they're back where I can see them . The dark baby was light brown when he was born, and now he is so dark it's hard to imagine that his mother is a palomino.

 "Let's all eat together.  But wait a minute - you're not my Mom.  Where's Mom?"

 "There she is! Wait up, Mom. Here I come!"

 Obviously not an overly anxious mom. She has a brand on her shoulder so she most likely comes from out West and started life as a cow pony. 

Early September Colours

 Before the flashy colours of the hardwoods that show in late September and October,  the landscapes still display many pleasing colours - yellow, greens, purples, reds.

 And nobody planted this beautiful garden.

 After the rain we've had, the fields are vibrant green again.

 A handsome blue barn/garage.

The asters are like early snow in the weedy patches.

White Aster

White asters are in full bloom.
I've been having some computer issues-hope they are resolved.

Wild Aster

Wild aster

For Labour Day

                           Men Who Whistle

Men who whistle as they work
Blow us back in time
To fresh air, and strong muscles.
Men who were overcomers
Like eagles soaring on the updrafts
High above the drudgery.
Men who whistle
Laugh in the face of challenge.
They have a song in their hearts
That won't be stilled.
They know who they are
And they know the song
They are meant to sing.