Autumn Leaf Of The Day #23

 

“October, crisp, misty, golden October,

 when the light is sweet and heavy.” 

 
~Angela Carter,

   The Magic Toyshop

 

 

His Autumn Colors...

 

“Sitting under a tree in a park in the summer,

 listening to birds and squirrels

 chirping while reading a good book is priceless.” 

~ Charmaine J. Forde

 

 

I was in my favorite park, Cull Canyon, checking on my favorite tree, the other day, and there he was, a Red squirrel, as well as several other of his friends, skittering about gathering acorns. Winter is coming. I don't really want to think about it. I am in Autumn, so why dwell on it leaving me two months from now? I am just going to live in the moment, and be grateful I have all that I love right in front of me at the moment. I just wish my sleepy tree would wake up and put it's autumn coat on. El Nino will be bringing heavy storms back to California this autumn and winter, and I'd like to see my tree in full autumn leaf bloom before the storms blow all the beauty to the ground. My fingers are crossed that there isn't too much damage. I really love that tree, and the pretty little squirrels that play around it!

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #22

“Autumn leaves fall from the tree, disappear with the wind, but then reappear on the tree and disappear again. Memories are like that, first they fall off the tree of the mind and disappear, and then they reappear and disappear again!” 

~Mehmet Murat ildan  

 

There was a tiny little spider making his home around that leaf. It chose a beautiful place to call home!

 

 

Fate, And Welcome To It

 

“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers

 we more than gain in fruits.” 

~Samuel Butler 

 

 

Oh my. Some of the most beautiful colors of autumn, happen in vineyards, in October. Delicious ripe grapes, make delicious wines, and the Central Valley has no shortages of them. My favorite wine, Apothic, comes from a vineyard in Modesto. Grandpa owned a vineyard in Lodi, and dad spoke often about the colors of the grapes in the autumn. I wish I could have seen it, but the entirety of the property was sold years ago. Maybe one day I wish search my family tree and see if I could locate where the property sat. It would be nice to see what my past looked like. I wish I could have known my grandfather, he immigrated here in the early 1900's with 6 wife, 6 children, and a rather large sewing machine. Not long after they settled in, grandma became pregnant with my father, the only one of his kids born in the United States, and soon after giving birth she perished from the flu pandemic of 1918. See, with my fathers deep roots, finding myself living here was probably fate, and I am really okay with that. While dad never liked the valley either, he was mightily impressed with the grapes, and all the other joys of living here. Now, I understand it too!

 

Autumn Comes, Autumn Falls + Autumn Leaf #21

 

“You cannot move forward in the real world
if you cannot see the real world.
You cannot find the beauty in the world
if all you see is its adornment.

Autumn comes.
Autumn falls.
Autumn leaves.
The world turns fire
and burns off all that is fading.” 

~Shellen Lubin 

 

My photography is moving along okay, despite being distracted by the ongoing middle east conflicts. Our own politics in the United States. The project with making the spare bedroom into a pleasant laptop room/game room, moving along as slow as molasses, and the slow arrival of most of the birds. Its really strange. Today I counted 5 Snow Geese, but last year there wasn't a single one until October 31st, when one adult and one juvenile showed up on Desmond road. This year the first ones, a pair, showed up at the end of August. It was a great Halloween surprise, but then I didn't see another one until weeks later. The Sandhill cranes came in almost 2 weeks later than usual as well. There are all kinds of birds that haven't made it here yet. I dunno, maybe I am just being impatient. I don't know why I should be, as long as I have that gorgeous Red-shouldered Hawk to play with. 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #21

 

Zombie Sticks + Autumn Leaf Of The Day #20

 

Leaves descending to the ground,
Orange, magenta, green & brown
The cool crisp breezes in the air,
Autumn season must be here” 

~ Charmaine J Forde 

 

I don't know... even dead thistle from the summer makes me smile in autumn. I am not happy about their death, they are bright purple when in full bloom, and nasty to step through as well, but even in death they have the loveliest shape, and are downright photogenic against other weeds finding the end of their season. The child in me sees thin spiky monsters, or maybe plant zombies Summer spills over into autumn in so many ways, and I am grateful for every last bit of it.

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #

 

 

 

My Home And The Mud + Autumn Leaf Of The Day #19

 

“Fall colors are funny. They’re so bright and intense and beautiful. It’s like nature is trying to fill you up with color, to saturate you so you can stockpile it before winter turns everything muted and dreary.” 

 
~Siobhan Vivian

  Same Difference

 

 It looks like it is covered in maple leaves, doesn't it? Sandhill cranes are mostly grayish blue, but when they preen their feathers they use mud which is usually iron rich, at least it is here in the valley. We grow a lot of fruits, vegetables and nuts in the Central Valley, and it adds to the beauty of autumn in so many wonderful ways. I loved autumn before I moved out here, but I no idea how much of the true autumn color was just over the Altamont Pass. The leaves, the birds, all the sunsets that glow red and lavender all come together sometimes to make the perfect moment of autumnal serenity. I live for moments like this, but this is only one kind of autumn scenery to look forward to. San Francisco in autumn is stunning, as is Monterey and the San Mateo coast. The hills around Quincy will be stunning in a few days, with every shade of autumn leaf possible. And don't forget the western Sierra. Sigh. Despite what the media says about California, it is the most beautiful place on earth. It saddens me to admit that all the noise is sometimes justified, but it's not as bad as most of the noisemakers make it out to be. And it certainly isn't so bad that I would ever leave. 

 

Who knew mud could make Autumn more beautiful?

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #18

 

While the blooms
were singing the success songs of Summer;
quietly 'October' arrived.

(Haiku)
― Monika Ajay Kaul 

 

 

Sometimes Its All About...

Marbled Godwit and Sanderling

Bodega Bay, California

October 2nd 2023
 

“I pray to the birds because they remind me of 

what I love rather than what I fear.

 And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen.”

Terry Tempest Williams

  Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place

 

I have been practicing my action and sport shots, and based on most of the results, I definitely have some work to do, but I was really happy with a few pictures I have done lately. Sometimes it's all about the timing, sometimes it is all about uncooperative birds, sometimes it will come down to my body pain from Fibromyalgia. It's been difficult but moving and keeping my mind busy, like birding does for me, is a good thing. The autumn is new, so there will be so many great opportunities to photograph my bird friends, leaves, and a lot of other subjects as well. I'm good, I know it will all fall into place.

Canada Geese

Sandhill Crane

Snowy Egret

Brown Pelicans

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #17

 

 

 

“Fallen leaves on the ground are the

 golden song of immortal creativity.”

 
~Amit Ray

 

  Peace Bliss Beauty and Truth: Living with Positivity

 

 

The Mossdale Railroad Bridge

 “Although I was born in April,

 I’m quite certain I was not fully awake until October."

 
~Peggy Toney Horton

 

  Stop the World and Get Off

 

I understand that sentiment. I was born in June, but because of my deep dislike for summer, it feels like I didn't fully become a person until autumn. October in particular. I love the month of October. I love learning about new things in October, as if I were a kid going back to school. I enjoy reading all year long, but it's during this time of year I like to pick up a great biography or a book on the history of a certain place, and jump right in. See this beautiful old railroad trestle? I have driven past it upwards of 200 - 300 times in the last 40 years, and other than admiring it, and the one that sits near it, I never really thought much of it. But the other day, while visiting, River Islands, in Lathrop, I glanced over, and it just seemed so great that I just had to photograph it. I am going to do more on the railroads out here, and the rich history of the Gold Rush days, but for now I present simply a pleasant picture and a link to a brief history of something really cool near where I live.