As late Autumn has settled in here in Northeastern Washington, I feel blessed to have enjoyed a very full year so far. Autumn is my favorite season…who doesn’t love the drops in temperature, the colors of the landscape changing every few days, and the busyness of events and activities that keep us on our toes (back-to-school, harvest fairs, Halloween, and Thanksgiving).
We experienced a long and wonderful autumn with bright colors lasting for weeks. Last year (2022) our hot summer lasted into late September, and the temperatures cooled enough for perhaps what felt like 2-3 weeks of Autumn. Even the leaves were confused in mid-October.
The third week in October, this year, we spent the day in Green Bluff, a local farm conglomeration that sells cider, fruit, jams, and goodies. What a delightful, warm day that was.
I shared this next image earlier this week. On October 23, I drove to the overlook that shows a North Spokane neighborhood in its Autumn splendor! Off in the distance toward the mountains, is my area of Nine Mile Falls. I shared this one last Wednesday.
Two days later? … this!
My front porch decorations were a little frosted about the whole idea.
The snow melted quickly but was followed by freezing cold temperatures for the rest of the week, then rain began. I’m not complaining, but I felt like we’ve had all four seasons within the last three weeks!
“As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see.” ~Vincent Van Gogh
Leafy Views from the Trail
Now that I have lived through three Eastern Washington autumns, I’m savvy enough to get out on the trails and various streets to capture Fall splendor before it vanishes. Somewhere during the four-season show, I took a hike on the nearby Centennial Trail that meanders along Lake Spokane and was greeted with Autumn glory that almost made me cry tears of joy.
“As I travel, an autumn wanderer, my heart flutters in leaves of gold.”
~ Angie Weiland-Crosby
“Layer upon layer of beauty and mystery unfold before us, each one revealing a deeper truth.” ~Anonymous
As I took a few steps along the trail, the view unfolded dramatically.
“Leaves teach us that it’s okay to change colors and shed layers; it’s all part of our growth.”
~Unknown
I ventured another mile on the trail to the Deep Creek Steel Bridge.
Standing on the bridge, looking southwest, was this view of the golden quaking aspens.
My heart was full.
I am pleased to share many of these images in a local Facebook group that focuses on Nine Mile Falls and the surrounding area.
It’s Spring Somewhere
And just for fun, because it felt like a couple of spring days, I’m sharing some spring blooms to celebrate spring in the Southern Hemisphere.
The spring hydrangeas have been “put to bed” for the winter. Cross your fingers that they survive!
Layers of Leaves
I will “leave” you with these filtered versions of the various layers of leaves I’ve collected. (I use the Painnt app on my mobile to capture these effects).
“Life is like a painting, with each layer adding depth and texture to the canvas.” ~Anonymous
** All images were taken with my new Samsung S23 Ultra phone. I use Picmonkey for photo editing. **
Inspiring Photo Challenges This Week
Each week I find inspiration from my fellow bloggers’ photo challenges. I enjoy incorporating these into my Sunday Stills weekly themes.
- Cee’s Flower of the Day
- Dawn’s Festival of Leaves
- Denzil’s Nature Photo Challenge
- Johnbo’s CellPic Sunday
- Lens-Artists: Asymmetry
- Marsha’s Wednesday Quotes: Layers
Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders
The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post.
- Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
- Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
- Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
- Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
- Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
- I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.
This Week’s Featured Bloggers
Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers, poets, and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers who shared their photos of autumn leaves and spring blooms. I add these all week as new links are posted.
- YOUR BLOG’S NAME GOES HERE…
- Always Write
- Between the Lines
- Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
- Cee’s Photo Challenges
- A Day in the Life
- The Day After
- Deb’s World
- Geriatrix Fotogallery
- Graham’s Island
- Hugh’s Views and News Image shared in comments
- Kamerapromenader
- LadyLee Manila
- Light Words
- Loving Life
- Natalie the Explorer
- In Primo Piano Photography
- Photos By Jez
- Quaint Revival
- Stevie Turner
- Three Rs of Retirement
- This is Another Story
- Travels and Trifles
- Walkin’ Writin’ Wit and Whimsy
- Willow Dot
- Woolly Muses
- Working on Exploring
Thank you for stopping by last week — you may have read I had the flu and boy, did I feel frightful. I wasn’t a good blog reader last week, so I’m playing a bit of catch-up this week. WordPress is still glitchy and I am not receiving some bloggers’ emails.
Enjoy this week’s leaf show and join me next Sunday for the monthly color challenge: BROWN.
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