Gift #1140: Autumn Finery

We were blessed with a late fall that lingered with golden beauty until last Saturday, when a freeze and winds dropped 90% of the leaves overnight.  I’m still bitter about it.  I want to rewind and do October over.  And if we can’t do that, then it would be great if it could be April next week.  I’m not up to winter this year.  I miss my autumn leaves.  And I miss it being temperate enough weather to enjoy being outside among my trees and leaves.  Sigh.  So basically I find myself in between autumn withdrawal and winter dread.  Yesterday evening I tried to distract myself by looking at some pictures I took on an autumn hike a few weeks ago.  It was a beautiful day, full of sunshine, and pulsing leaves, and ripe berries, and ripples on the water, and fluffy clouds in the sky.  So instead of dwelling on the gloom of winter days ahead, I’ll share some pictures of that glorious afternoon.

My mom and I went Eagle Creek, which is a lovely city park full of forests.  During the autumn, our favorite hike is a 2 mile trek around part of the lake.  I love this hike because it is full of dried seed pods and berries during fall and you can get some beautiful shots across the lake too.

This is a long hike because literally every 1-2 feet I have to stop and take a picture of something else.  In the fall I also make it my personal mission to photograph every milkweed seed pod I can find.  (no, I won’t subject you to all of those pictures).

The trail cuts through the lake on a thin land bridge, which is also popular as a fishing spot.  On the other side of the lake, the trail winds through marshy meadows where birds love to fly about and sing and then it meanders back into the woods.

Here the forest was draped in autumn finery at its peak.  Fallen leaves carpeted the forest floor and rustled against our feet.   And leaves filled the canopy above in a resplendent display.  The sun filtered through the trees in breathtaking beauty – gold on gold.

The afternoon finished as all good hikes do – with a bit of knitting.  I brought my Shawl Society project  – it’s called Planting Seeds and I’m working it in a variety of autumn hues.  Before leaving, the shawl posed with the foliage of the forest.

The shawl is off the needles now and will be a tangible reminder that new life and a return to autumn will be coming again…. we just have to get through winter and then it will be time to plant seeds again.   In the meantime I will dream of autumn.

Blessings to you,

Sarah