Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Fall Fancies - The First Turnings

It's the first Wednesday in October here in upstate New York, near Binghamton, and fall has arrived.

We live in a four season area and each season brings its own joys and its own sorrows. For many people here, fall is their favorite season. The joys are so numerous -  trees turning color, apples, pears, pumpkins, winter squash, cider, festivals, the harvest.  Crisp, or sometimes foggy, mornings. And, if we are lucky (we have been recently) blue, warm afternoon skies.

This was taken on Sunday, a day of "perfect fall":

A pond, with clouds reflected in the water, taken by a friend near Windsor, New York.  It was so still that day. This area has received its first frost, but in the Binghamton area, we (mostly) haven't.  At least at lower elevations.

Frost improves the color.  And, it will come. But, the yellow trees have taken the lead in a year where we had three frost warnings in September.

Every fall is different.  Every year a different tree takes the lead.  This year, it is the locust.

Now, my photos.
A tree glowing in afternoon sun in Johnson City, New York.

A parking lot in downtown Binghamton, a city of about 47,000 people.  What a contrast this tree gives against a perfect blue sky.  Our area experiences so many cloudy days, a blue sky day is cause for celebration.
A burning bush at the Broome County library garden. (Yes, our library has a garden.)
In that same garden, a multicolored rose flower. OK, not fall like, but it was there.
Also downtown, an orange geranium. Yes, this is the actual color.  Orange is a fall color here.
And finally, I buried myself in this tree, and looked up.  Lost in the glow, I forgot what comes after fall as I drank in the beauty.

After the frost,after the last leaves slip off the tree, after everything turns brown and the first snow flurries come.

Winter.  In the land of 80-100 inches of snow,  I do not look forward to the slipping and sliding (and, increasingly, falling) of winter. Or the shoveling. Or a long list of other things. Freezing cold.  Months before I can garden again.  Long nights and short days.  An anemic sun low in the sky.

But until the nasty winds of November come with their promise of winter, I will bask in the early fall warmth.  And I'll sip some cider in its honor.

What is your favorite time of year?

10 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Sure! Come on over! (I know, it's a long way "over").

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  2. Beautiful pictures! I love fall and all the colors it brings with it. We moved since last fall and there are a bunch of old trees in my neighborhood now. I can't wait to see how they change.

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    1. Fall is such an exciting time because no two are ever the same. I hope your old neighborhood trees give you excellent color.

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  3. Gorgeous colours, here in Queensland Australia we don't have much of an Autumn change of colours, so these photos are even more spectacular

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  4. Absolutely lovely! There aren't as many bright-bright colors here in Nebraska, though there are a few. I've always wanted to travel up into your area during the fall season to just drink in all that color!!

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  5. Love all the photos. Especially the orange geraniums:)

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  6. Hi - me again! ;-)

    LOVE the pictures - that first one reminds me of the one I posted yesterday that my sister took of fall foliage near their house in New Hampshire.

    Fall is my favorite season - even though, as you mention, winter follows and Maine is very similar in its seasonal snowfall to your state of New York.

    I'm planning to capture some of the beauty of the season by imprinting photos that different people have given permission to use, into pillows, quilts, and bags. They will be for my new line of products called K-Lee's Kollectibles! :-)

    Thanks for sharing the beauty!

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  7. I want orange geraniums! TOOO cool. Like the burning bush too and the lake picture at top. All beautiful!

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  8. Well, spring really is my favorite season, but this particular fall has really been spectacular! Can you believe the lovely spate of weather we've had? The trees are lovely, though perhaps not quite as bright as they could be, but there has been so much sunshine to make them glow, it makes up for it!

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