The Last Week Of Autumn...

Autumn ends in exactly one week! One week to go... officially. But I will keep looking for it, and posting it for as long as I can, because I have to, autumn and I understand each other. That makes about three things in life I really understand. Autumn, Alan and the cats. Not necessarily in that order. Today's leaf of the day was featured in more than one post this season, but I keep coming back and marveling at it's beauty. It's shaped like a butterfly, and is alive with color. It's a leaf from the Judas tree. I think I am going to have to plant one in the yard. I am really beginning to love it, and in the spring it puts out the most beautiful pink blossoms. What I wouldn't give to have my very own forest! It would have to be located on a cliff, overlooking the San Francisco bay, and have at least 5 acres on which to put maples and oak and every other autumn tree imaginable.

Oh well, maybe one day... someday.

 #83 Leaf Of The Day

December 14th 2019

Ione, California

Nikon

~Mood: Happy

~Me   :)

Mischieveous Autumn Love

"I would like to hold your hand as it holds this green leaf, yellowed, that fell early from it's tree, this autumn. And I would like to imagine that it feels your careful care, for your eyes are warmed by your heart, and I would let you sadly nestle into me as a bird folds into its nest, resigning itself to a storm. For my heart is as large as a city, and it glows with the fire that, with the right mischievous love, shall serve to inspire thousands upon thousands."

~Waylon H. Lewis

Things I Would Like To Do With You

I'm fighting my annual December cold. And I'm stressed out. But on the plus side, I ordered a small fruitcake, and all is right with the world! Hopefully, this weekend I will get out for the last autumn leaf hunt for the year, well officially anyway. I will continue to photograph the leaves as long as I can find them. I will keep looking, and hoping I see them well into spring, but if I don't find them, I will find other treasures of nature. Birds. Flowers. I snowflake. It's all waiting right outside the door! 

 #82 Leaf Of The Day

December 13th 2019

Nevada City, California

Nikon

~Mood: Happy

~Me   :)

#PhotoByRequest "In The Clouds"

"I could feel the bite of the autumn air, 

warning us all of the harsh winter that was on it's way."

~Jennifer Starzec

Determination

This week's edition is all about what's "In The Clouds." Which works out well, because we have been experiencing a lot of rainy days lately, much to my delight. I enjoy rain days, especially this time of year, and a I hope there will a lot more of them as we transition into winter. There's nothing sadder, at least when it comes to seasons, then to not be able to experience the best of what they are about. A hopelessly dry winter, that is nothing but cold, isn't much fun. Snow and rain must exist, and hopefully the past couple weeks of hard rain is a good omen of delicious things to come! California can use it, and so could my soul!

Just a few minutes later the sky looked like this... 

And the beautiful Cedar Waxwings loved it too...

 

#81 Leaf Of The Day

December 12th 2019

Sacramento, California

Nikon

~Mood: Happy

~Me     :)

Art About Town: Sacramento (Eclipse)

"Eclipse"

Crocker Art Gallery Museum

Sacramento, California

Nikon

"We all grow tired eventually; it happens to everyone.

 Even the sun, at the close of the year, is no longer a morning person."

~Joyce Rachelle

This lovely sculpture is called "Eclipse" and it sits next to the Crocker Historic building on 3rd and O Streets in Sacramento. The E. B. Crocker Art Gallery is a beautiful place, that has brought me a great deal of inspiration over the years. I am enjoying being able to visit it's grounds, now that I am living so much closer to the museum. Hopefully I will get one more chance to photograph the trees on the property as well, before autumn says goodnight, on December 22nd. Sigh. I love Sacramento for so many reasons, the food, the history, the culture, the leaves... oh yes... the leaves and trees, and I consider myself very lucky to be able to keep learning about all it has to offer! 

 #80 Leaf Of The Day

December 11th 2019

Sacramento, California

Nikon

~Mood: Happy

~Me   :)

What Is Autumn?

Duck Pond

Golden Gate Park

San Francisco, California

Nikon  

"What is autumn?

 Here is a very simple definition: Autumn is a queen,

 Queen Of Beauty beauty"

~Mehmet Murat ildan

I photographed that leaf last October, in Golden Gate Park, but decided to wait until now to post it because I knew as we inched along, toward the last few days of Autumn, I'd have some difficulty in getting new photography done. December is always a challenge for me, because of the sudden onslaught of cold weather. Its quite rainy now as well, which is nice, but my body hasn't isn't used to the changes yet. It's okay, I will get there, in the mean time I still have plenty of leaves left to photograph. Fortunately, they aren't underwater! It was a completely different situation the day I took that photo above. It was hot, and didn't have a single cloud in its azure blue sky. The whole day was as perfect an autumn day as it gets! It tasted like Apple juice and pumpkin pie. It had too many smiles in it to count! It was Family Day, so it was about love and happiness! It makes me feel warm thinking about the fun Alan and I had! It's going to be a crazy year coming up, but I know that what will get me through is looking forward to next October, and beautiful autumn!

 #79 Leaf Of The Day

December 10th 2019

Nevada City, California

Nikon

~Mood: Happy
~Me  :) 

The Autumn Migration Of The Cedar Waxwing

"In autumn, the entire backyard became a mass of lollipop yellow leaves, so bright they lit up the night like daylight. Birds nesting in the trees would get confused because they couldn't tell what time of day it was, and they would stay awake for days until they dropped out of the branches with exhaustion."

~Sarah Addison Allen

The Peach Keeper

I found a new bird in my yard last night. Meet the Cedar Waxwing! They are tiny colorful birds, with white and peach colors on the head and breast, and dark gray and almost purple on the head and back, and red at the tip of the winds, but a splash of bright yellow at the very tips of their short tails. Absolutely gorgeous! They had a short, soft chirp, which I found rather pleasing.They were nesting in the tree top in my next door neighbors yard, so I wasn't able to get as close as I wanted to. My photos DO NOT DO IT JUSTICE! So, cross your fingers for me, that I will get some more practice in over the next few days. They are definitely migrating, as they already have their winter plumage on. Autumn is getting sleepy, we had a cold storm this past weekend, my beautiful leaves are getting more and more difficult to find, and there are new types of birds, stopping by to say hello, on their way to a warm bird resort for the winter. My heart is breaking. But my camera is happily imagining how Winter will inspire!

 

Read about this amazing bird here... Cedar Waxwing 

 (Audubon Guide to North American Birds)

#78 Leaf Of The Day

December 9th 2019

Nevada City, California

Nikon

 ~Mood: Happy

~Me   :)

November Shadows

"The canopy of the woods was spread out beneath me and

 it looked as if autumn had taken a great torch to the trees,

 burnishing them gold, red and bronze."

~Kate Morton

The Distant Hours

 

November is my favorite month to work with shadows. The sun seems to be at it's harshest, probably because sometimes the cold hasn't quite caught up with autumn, or the date on the calendar. November can be bone chilling or, by contrast, it can make for the last remaining days of shorts weather. On that particular day in November, we were just a little over the halfway point for the month, and it was warm, with almost no breeze. The trees next to the Crocker Museum were full and wild with color, but the afternoon sun was harsh and demanding. I didn't stay long, but while I was there I enjoyed playing with the available light, and was mostly pleased with the results.

Sometimes when you are out with the camera, and enjoying yourself, you feel like you had your best day ever for photography, then when you get home, and upload your work for editing, you feel a lot different, like you just wasted an entire afternoon. There is a lot of pressure to put on ones self when it comes to taking a good photo, and I am admittedly, my own worst critic. That particular day was a mixed bag, I did okay, but  I wish I had done great. I did a self portrait in shadows and while it's not my best, I have an area now to fine tune. A place to grow in the shadows. Background, foregrounds, textures, natural filters. Steven always gave me such good advice for fine tuning things. I miss my friend a lot.

#77 Leaf Of The Day

December 8th 2019

Orinda California

Nikon

~Mood: Happy

~Me   :)