Leaves

This weekend's Three Rivers Fall Color Tour is perfectly timed.

Aftermath

After the fall colors the leaves fall, and after the leaves fall there is raking, sweeping, blowing -- and, where still legal, burning.

-*-
Happy Birthday, Kathleen!!
-*-

Tree with Matching House

This house on Garden Street seems to have been painted to match the beautiful fall color of the small tree beside it.

Hidden Marsh in Pink and Yellow

It warmed up some so I took my canoe out on the Portage River and Took this shot while paddling past the Hidden Marsh Sanctuary in Three Rivers, a nature preserve of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. A little shaky - hard to photo with one hand while steering clear of a sand bank with the other! The pinks are dogwood, and the yellow, a maple; an enormous oak with gold-brown leaves hovers above all.

After The Storm

After a day of driving rain, much of the beautiful fall color is still on the trees - but much of it is now on the ground, too!
Looking towards downtown on Portage Ave.

Wait For It

Yesterday evening and today have been so grey and rainy that I considered going outside, pointing my camera at the sky, and letting raindrops fall on the lens. Instead, I waited. About 5:30 I was rewarded with a flash of setting sun under the stormclouds, sunlit trees contrasting with the dark sky.


Is what you see what others see when you look up? The question is answered at Skywatch Friday.

Hidden Marsh

One of the stops on tomorrow's Three Rivers Color Tour is the The Hidden Marsh Sanctuary along the Portage River in Three Rivers. Most of the color I saw walking through the preserve today was the glowing yellow of the big hickories and maples, accented with pinks and purples of the dogwoods and the bright red of small oaks. At this peaceful spot overlooking the river and fens, the sassafrass contribute copper and gold. (Click the photo for a larger view.)

The Hidden Marsh Sanctuary is one of the preserves of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, whose mission is "to permanently protect the natural, historic and scenic landscapes to ensure the health and quality of life for the people of southwest Michigan."

====
Today is Divali, Happiness to all who are celebrating!

====
Today is also the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, which started at 5:03 and lasted the longest period of time in my life.

Friday Sky

It was sunny for a while in the middle of the day here in Three Rivers, but for most of the day the sky was like this: grey, with big trees in fall color, and electrical lines.

What do you see when you look up? The question is answered at Skywatch Friday.

More Color

More Fall color in more colors... Looking west on Bennett Street.

Fall Color

The leaves seem to glow with their own inner light. Even when it is overcast, I love walking beneath the glowing trees.

This weekend is the annual Three Rivers Fall Color Tour; right on time!

Fall means Color

Trees are changing color; I especially love the enormous, immense sugar maples that line the streets of Three Rivers. This one towers over the two story Victorian houses. The tree across the street is still green, perhaps puzzled by the change in its neighbor. On Ninth Street; the larger view (click) looks sunnier than the small view.

Fall Color and the Strawberry King

One good drop in the temperature and the sugar maples have started to turn! And we got the promised sunny day.

This is a view up Kellogg Street this morning, to a very gothic-looking old house that sits next to a skating rink. Kellogg was not the corn flakes guy; the street is named after a local grower who was called "The Strawberry King". He hybridized and sold strawberry plants in the early 1900s. His farms covered much of what is now the north end of town, and were the largest in the world at the time. More here: Russel M. Kellogg.

Shining Fall Color

Although most trees and plants are still green, we have a first taste of fall in a hedge of native shining sumac (Rhus copallina). It is also called "flameleaf sumac" in the nursery trade. Taken on Portage Ave. along the Portage River in Three Rivers.