Today is the first day of autumn and in SE. Michigan it sure has come in with strong gusty winds! We even had a few trees and tree limbs down in the area.
I wanted to share with you a few images that were made in these last days or weeks, a bit of summer’s end in the country!
It was a hot summer here and I’m sure ready for a change!
Bring on the cool weather and brilliant leaves!
“Gentle End to Summer” Days last light over a rural cornfield as summer heads into fall!
“The Path Taken” Late summer days walking through paths surrounded by goldenrod!
“Summer Sunflower Bounty” Enjoying abundant sunflowers in late summer!
‘Country Road Sunset” Heading home into a brilliant sunset on a back country road!
I just happened to be heading home when the sky lit up just before the sun dipped down. Of course I had to pull over.
The days will be getting much shorter really soon, and not long after that, sunset will be accompanied by snow on the ground.
Enjoy these days of fall, and remember fondly summer’s end!
As the fall season approaches I anxiously await its arrival. In looking though a few images from a couple of years ago, it reminded me of some good times and beautiful color.
The afternoon that day two years ago started out with a mix of clouds and sun. I decided to go out with my youngest son and head for the nearest area that I thought might have some good color.
By the time we arrived on a really scenic road that is quite well traveled, the wind had picked up and dark clouds were starting to roll in. I jumped out of the car at the best place to park along the side of the road, and caught this beautiful scene. The yellow gold of the fall foliage stood out pronounced against the deeper blues of the sky.
“The Country Mile” Actually many miles of beautiful winding roads. A place quite popular with cyclists.
After grabbing a few images of the road scenery, the clouds really started to move! My son and I made our way over to a lake near there just as the weather made another turn, but one that made a dramatic change to the fall foliage. The colors were brighter than ever as the afternoon sunlight shown on the trees, and the quickly racing clouds gave a dark and foreboding look to the scene. I took every chance to get in as many shots from all the angles I could while my youngest stayed near me trying to skip stones across the water. I of course had to take a bit of time out for some skipping myself! 😉
“Fall Storm of Reflections” The fall color reflected beautifully on the water as the sun and clouds did their battling!!
We spent a good long while there enjoying the cool breeze, warm sun, and myriad of colors. On the way home I decided to try to find at least one more vibrant location. It was getting much closer to sundown by then, but I found another pretty place along a river, that seemed convenient to get to. We popped out of the car and wandered around pathways. The water there was totally calm and smooth making the reflections really lovely even though the light was fading.
“Smooth Reflections” As the day got late and the sun nearly gone. The water on the river was smooth as glass, giving perfect conditions for beautiful autumn reflections!
I remember that day with a lot of fondness and happiness. It was fun quality time spent with my son. It was during my favorite season (fall), and I was blessed that day to have amazing fall foliage and gorgeous skies!!
Here’s to this coming autumn, wishing everyone beautiful days, amazing color, wonderful skies, a crisp breeze when you desire it, and calm when you need it!! 🙂
As you can see I am a little behind in my processing. In my last post you could see the last remnants of fall leaves on the ground with a little snow.
In contrast to that, this frame was taken in early October in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The areas closer to the coast still had abundant color, like in this image here, while the inland areas looked more like winter had already come.
I love this particular area. It is located not too far from Lake Superior, but in a slightly higher elevation. This back country dirt road goes on for about twenty miles. It’s very narrow, and can barely allow two cars to pass. The good thing is almost no one is around, so I had complete freedom to hike, walk, explore, and of course take photos!!
I spent quite a bit of time hiking around in the woods. Enjoying each step, as I walked on moist fallen leaves, drinking up all the golden color with my eyes, and listening to the sound of silence whenever I paused for a minute or so. To me it’s like being in a magical place. A place full of wonder and vibrant color everywhere I turned.
I hope you too can feel the exhilaration and excitement of this fall magic, just as I do!!
