A Season of Contrasts

Prairie Dunes view from #7 tee toward hole #6.

The charm and easy grace with which colors change and fade in the fall is one of nature's most outstanding feats. Calendars and magazines just don't compare to the beauty when viewed through our own eyes and senses:  in our parks, down our streets, on a golf course, or open country road.  I find it difficult to focus on some of my golf this time of year, as my eyes are constantly searching for shadows and colors that weren't there the last time I played.





Even though I'm not a professional photographer with straps and cameras around my neck, taking pictures of contrasts, of colors, of shades, of shadows intrigues my mind and sparks my curiosity.  I never do nature justice, but she is always there for me to enjoy, to ponder, and to reflect.

A time and place for reflections.

Sometimes just walking in my backyard or down the street offers up an array of colors.  Outside our windows for a few days in the fall we enjoy a circus of colors that change from reds to gold like a magic touch of a fairy.

Morning sun acts like touch magic on the leaves.

Counting leaves.

 This year Jack and I stood on the front porch watching, and asking with the innocence of a child, "How many leaves fall per minute?"  as the winds whisper through the leaves, teasing and testing their strength to hold their place or fall to the ground.  Once we counted "one" and then a fresh north wind changed our count and comfort to "twelve", then suddenly it was like a shower nozzle was turned on and the count stopped as a curtain of colors fell before our eyes.  A moment of silence occurred, followed by an eruption of laughter.  "So this is retirement?" we both asked each other with smiles not to be erased.


What a contrast from the previous years and decades of our lives when fall went by with only a nod and perhaps a moment of grace and thanks, as we raced from home, to schools, to jobs, to soccer, to volleyball, to basketball, to chorus, and...


For all seasons, it is the sun's dance that creates the most enjoyment in my soul.  I cherish days of sun, no matter the temperatures.  Listening to piano music in the background frees my mind, but my eyes are distracted by the twinkling sun peeping through the limber branches of the pin oak outside my window.

It's much like watching an eclipse through a pin hole in a shoe box, but the peeps are perfectly round and framed by greens, golds, yellow, and dark branches more like an artist's canvas.  

"To every thing there is a season, and
a time to every purpose under heaven...
a time keep, and a time to cast away..."

Ecclesiastes 3.

and a time to say thank you...

Visual Treats and Trickery

There is no sun-shining in my windows today 

even though they are open to the weather and whatever blows our way.

Misty grey skies dull a simple snapshot,

but not my memory of a few days past

when trees bloomed on our city streets

showing more fire power than the mums

below. 

A few trees away from my window today

a golden orange burst of color glows

between trees of yellow and green, 

like a fireworks display exploding

then stilled and captured on film.

 

The formula for nature's fall gown

of intense and glowing colors--

simply, sunny days,

cool nights,

and frequent rains. 

Can you find the heart at the center of the tree?  

During the night the vibrant colors began falling

creating circles of colors on the green grass below like a cup with a matching saucer.

No wind to disturb or break the rare sight.

Sometimes the sun and shadows 

play tricks like children at

Halloween. 

Our senses are keen, one with her nose to the ground

and the other with her eyes on the sky.

Sudden halts ring the alarm that a

squirrel past this way,

while frozen points

may find a deer not far away.  

Can you name this Halloween tricker?