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 Leaf Of The Day #7

 “Every story begins somewhere,

 some in the rain of forgotten yesterdays

 and some in the scent of autumn leaves...” 

~Jayita Bhattacharjee

I have decided to expand on the type of leaves in my project. When I first began my autumn leaf peeping, I only posted the most perfect ones I could find, but as the drought waged on it was necessary to take a step back and see the beauty in not just the ones still on the trees, but also the one's that weren't really attractive anymore, the ones that had fallen to the ground dry and withered. After all, they were representing the year and the season as well. Here we have some pretty gorgeous grape leaves. I love the shapes and colors. I expect to see and post more of these, as they turn bright purples and reds, before landing in a soft pile on the ground. As I travel through autumn, I like having these new eyes to see all the beauty possible.

 

 

Bare Bones And Grape Leaves

"Autumn is a cunning muse who steals by degrees my warmth and light. So distracted by her glorious painting of colors, I scarcely realize my losses until the last fiery leaf has fallen

 to the ground and the final pumpkin shrinks. 

Autumn departs with a cold kiss, leaving me to suffer the frigid grasp of winter in prolonged nightfall."

~Riche;;e E. Goodrich

Making Wishes

So much happened yesterday! December 1st, got off to a cold start. General Michael Flynn, pled GUILTY, to lying to the FBI and is promising to fully cooperate with Mueller's investigation. FULLY COOPERATE! That should have sent a cold chill up Trump's spine. If he had one. Jared Kushner should not get too comfortable either. Flynn has promised to testify regarding Kushner's interactions with the Russians as well. Burrr. Putin must be so proud! Apparently, like Trump, "he only picks the best people."

And so far, December 2nd is proving to be a different kind of chilling darkness, for others. Not where I live, but in the world in general. History will document the end of this autumn and events. And I think this coming winter will be remembered for it's bare bones. I am just going to try to make my way through it, with Alan and the boys, and fight on. At least I still have a heart. At least I have love. And I have photography.

 I am not sure what 2018 will bring for Alan and I,

 we will have to deal with that when it gets here. 

Hopefully there will be more warmth than cold.

Grape Leaves

Tilden Park 

Botanical Garden

Berkeley, California

#2 Leaf Of The Day

December 2nd, 2017

Berkeley, California

Mood: Quiet

~Me