Leaves Everywhere & Foggy Scenes

I've probably written this before, so please excuse me if I have, but this is my favorite time of year.  The cool crisp air and the autumn colors trigger an internal awareness that the holidays are fast approaching.  It's a great time for family, food and photos.  And of course riding through the colors and the unique lighting are both special too.

When I was a kid my dad and I would rake the leaves each Saturday morning.  I was highly encouraged to do this weekly ritual before playing with my buddies.  Now a leaf blower does the trick.  I wish we had one of those back in the day!

These leaf shots were taken yesterday on the campus of Oregon State University.  A few weeks ago I wrote on the other blog that when I see scenes like this it reminds me of pumpkin pie or eggnog. I guess another internal trigger.

The fog was rolling in on the ride home this evening after working at the jail.  I've lightened the photo a little to make things more visible.  To the right is a familiar field that I call "The big field".   Most recently corn was growing there.

Here is part of the field with fog muting the trees in the distance.  Next spring the field will be filled with water and look like a lake.  It's a favorite spot for taking photos depending on the lighting.

After taking the photo above I turned around to walk back to the bike.  I noticed flashing lights.  It was a county sheriff motor-cop who stopped to make sure I was okay.  We've waved to one another on this road before.  I told him I just stopped to take photos of the distant fog.  He agreed that it's a good spot.  I thanked him for stopping and told him I appreciated it.  Pretty cool, tax dollars at work.

I take a longer way home on Fridays.  I think of it as sort of a treat after the work-week and being sprung out of jail.  Not that those two things are bad but rather it's the first time of the week where I don't have to be somewhere at a certain time.  The official beginning of the weekend and what better way to start than riding.

As it got darker and foggier the lighting became more intriguing.  More evidence of the season.

As the days get shorter I seem to get a little sluggish; feeling like I don't have as much drive to work on unfinished projects around the house.  Maybe I should be gathering pumpkin pies for hibernation.  Nah, better keep the projects going so I can ride guilt free.

God's speed.

Simple Things

The simple things in life are grabbing my attention these days...

Usually too busy to notice I walk right on by.  I must be missing a lot.

Portland Leaf Status

We're more than halfway through fall and not all of the leaves are down in Portland. In the early 80's we lived in Connecticut for a short time. I remember most of the trees being bare by Halloween. It seems here in the Northwest the changing of the leaves is a slower process than in the East. Our milder temperatures probably contribute to that.

The beauty in the scenery this time of year mixed with the long shadows produces quite a few photo opportunities. All of this comes together so quickly it can be easy to miss unique moments.

It's a call to those who enjoy taking pictures to keep a camera handy at all times. Which reminds me of a recent post by Chuck Pefley who took a camera to his dentist appointment. You wouldn't think you'd find too many photo opportunities at the dentist, but he got a great shot of a high-flying window washer doing his work right outside the window.

On the ride to the county jail this morning in the crisp fall air, I think I got a slight scent of bacon cooking while I was passing by a house. A little further ahead I smelled smoke from a wood burning stove. And shortly beyond that a couple of wedges of Canadian Geese were flying over the Jackson Bottom Slough. They were coming in for a landing, arriving I think from Bobskoot's area.

Enjoying little experiences like this makes me grateful for recently re-discovering the joys of riding. I was starting to waffle on riding everyday because of the weather turning colder and wetter. But I've decided to ride as much as possible as we head toward the dark days of winter.

The above photo was taken a few years ago in Corvallis. The age of the car and the neighborhood gives the feeling that it might be the 50's. Not that I would know...I've only seen cars from the 50's on TV. Okay I was around in the 50's.

Seeing all these leaves makes me realize I need to rake.