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Welcome to my Western Pennsylvania garden. Join me on a "Walk Down the Garden Path".

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Leaves, Freeze, and Eye Pleasing


I have been waiting patiently this year for our trees to be at their peak color in order to photograph them to share with you and as part of Dave's Garden Blogger's Fall Color Project.

Of course, you never know when peak is, until it is past. Add to that the fact that I don't think our trees are in top color form this year, I think due to the extremely dry conditions for the past several months, and you have me waiting and waiting for the event that is not coming. I have been taking pictures over a couple of days and have not thought them to be as stunning as in past years (the leaves OR the pictures).

I also took some pictures this morning after a very hard frost and maybe a few snowflakes ?!? The lighting has helped make the leaves seem on fire but they are falling fast now. You could just hear them crinkling against one another as they drift to the ground. The maple closest to the house, which is always last to turn and drop, is still holding tightly to her leaves, but the other maples are shedding them quickly, as if the last couple of cold days have convinced them it is time to call it quits for the year and go into winter mode NOW.

So, here are some photos from around our house taken within this past week. Enjoy!














Finally, this Mum just starting to bloom added a nice surprise to my brisk morning walk.

23 comments:

Gail said...

The photos are perfect! We haven't had any real color so your maples look incredible to these fall color starved eyes! If you make me choose a fav it would be the oak (?)tree against the clouds third one down!

gail

Roses and Lilacs said...

I think your photos are just gorgeous. We had good color too, but we are a couple weeks past the peak now.
Marnie

tina said...

Very beautiful colors and pictures. I do like that maple in the first picture. It sure stands out. The changes come so fast now. But, I notice lots of great green grass around. I love the grass and it shows off those jewel colors very well.

No drought next year-please!

Anonymous said...

Great pictures Cindy! I love the first shot with that winding through. You have gorgeous fall color in your area.

joey said...

Must say you are still pretty lucky, Cindy! Lovely photos ... we also woke to 'frost on the pumpkins'!

Nola said...

Absolutely fabulous color! Your photos are amazing. I definitely have a bad case of "leaf envy" :)

TC said...

Gorgeous photos. And all very eye pleasing indeed. Did you rake up a big pile of leaves for Lillian to jump in? ;~)

Rose said...

Cindy, I have been doing the very same thing, LOL! I've been snapping photos for a couple weeks, waiting and waiting for the "peak." I finally realized that the peak has come and gone:)

Your photos are beautiful, though! Even if you don't think the trees are in top form this year, they look gorgeous to me.

Dave said...

Cindy,

Wow, it looks great there! I like the leaf carpet picture but they all look perfect. I just got your post up for the project, sorry it took so long. Today was a busy day!

Anonymous said...

Cindy, your fall color is just beautiful! I especially like that blanket of yellow leaves on the ground AND those gorgeous mums!

Unknown said...

The colors were brighter here than they've been in the last couple of years, but it always just seems so abrupt when the leaves just suddenly start dropping their leaves. Ours was super early this year. Hopefully we'll have a warmer and wetter year next year.

RURAL said...

Gorgeous fall color, great photos. I Loved visiting your blog, and I will be back to say hello again.

Jen

Skeeter said...

It looks as though you staged the leaves on the ground for the perfect picture!
You have captured Beautiful colors!

DP Nguyen said...

Wow, very beautiful colors!! I love the colors of fall; just breathtaking!

Liisa said...

Cindy,
I love the first photo of the winding road as well as the carpet of leaves. I agree, it's hard to know just when the peak time is. Last year I decided to wait one more week before taking pictures, and by then the leaves were practically gone!
Liisa

Anonymous said...

Great fall color in PA. I love the pictures with the frost on the grass and leaves.

Cindy said...

Hello All, I'm sorry to be so late in responding to your comments but it's been a busy several days with birthday parties and Halloween.

Gail ~ I wish it were an oak, but it's a maple. We have several different types, so we get lots of different colors in the fall from them - yellow, orange, and red!

Marnie ~ It's amazing how quickly the colors fade and the leaves fall. In just a few days everything already looks so different.

Tina ~ The grass is enjoying the rejuvenation it receives in fall. John was out mowing today. Hopefully the last of the year.

PGL ~ The drive is very picturesque but also very long for getting snow off of in the winter - lol!

Joey ~ yes, I am blessed to live in such a beautiful, peaceful place. We give lots of love back to the land as well.

Nola ~ But will you also have snow envy come January ???

TC ~ No raking yet, we must minimize the amount of raking by waiting for more leaves to fall first. But Lillian does enjoy walking around in the leaves and examining each one like a treasure.

Rose ~ thank you, and you are right they do look pretty good. Maybe I am just remembering them looking better because it was over a year ago.

Dave ~ I caught that leaf carpet at just the right time. I understand about being busy, I have not even been able to get on the computer for about four days now!

Nancy ~ Oh, those mums! I am so glad they finally bloomed. And it was a welcome bloom now that everything else is shriveled up.

Cinj ~ Yes, a wetter and warmer summer would be good.

Jen ~ Thanks for visiting and I will be over to say hello to you!

Skeeter ~ No staging, I promise. Although I have often thought that those photos with all yellow and just one red leaf had to be staged - lol!

DP ~ Thank you, the fall colors make it my favorite season.

Liisa ~ Thank you! It's hard at my house too because the trees are changing at such different rates. By the time the one maple is changing, the other is bare.

Layanee ~ Thanks for stopping by. I was lucky to capture the frost, usually I don't want to be out in that cool morning air. Did I say cool, I meant cold!

Anonymous said...

Hi Cindy, having lived there, I know how beautiful PA can be, all the time really, but the leaf color is fantastic. I loved your frost shot too. And I think your statement that we don't know the peak until it is past is very wise indeed. So true! Well done.

Frances
http://fairegarden.wordpress.com/

Cindy said...

Frances ~ Thank you! Yes Pennsylvania is a very pretty and picturesque state. I've lived here most my life, so I can't complain, although it is nice to visit other parts of the country and compare the differences.

Anonymous said...

Your home and land are like a picture out of a magazine. I love the road that leads to the home. The trees are colorful. I can relate to the slow start. Until this weekend, our tree changing was hit and miss. But as soon as that first gentle frost came along...it's been full go with the color. I agree that this drought has had something to do with the odd change of season.

Cindy said...

Anna ~ That's the beauty of pictures, you can hide the bad parts! I guess we should remember that when we see beautiful homes and gardens in magazines. And also that there are more then one or two people behind that beauty :)
Glad to hear your color is finally coming in strong.

Anonymous said...

Lovely colours - well done. I know what you mean about waiting for something to peak. Here in South Africa I've been waiting for spring...I think we're almost onto summer now.

Cindy said...

Vivh ~ Thank you. I hate when spring is a day long and you head right into summer. That happens to us a lot here. Winter hangs on so long and then there is no spring, boom, right into the heat.