Goodbye Garden, Hello Snow

I know it's November, but it's been a quick transition out of the gardening season! It was only a week ago that I spent a warm day out in the garden, getting it ready for winter. I'm so glad that I got my bulbs planted that day, because now my world is covered in snow and ice.

On that last garden day of the season, I also made sure to capture pictures of the final flowers for this year. It's hard to believe this was just a few days ago.

 There had already been several frosts at this point in time. But these were the troopers, those that continued to bloom despite the cold.

And where the flowers faded, the fall colors took their place. 

 Many times, the sun breaks through the clouds at sunset and illuminates my patio. I can't tell you how many times I've jumped up from the dinner table, grabbed my camera, and captured something special just outside the door.

Often times it's the sunset that catches my eye there. I wish there weren't other homes in the way of my view. I've been known to hop in the car and drive down to the pond to get a clear view if I see an extra pretty sunset coming.

I guess it's time to hunker down indoors till spring. Darn it, I didn't want to do that just yet! But I guess I say that every year. Hurry spring! Is it silly to say that when it isn't even officially winter yet?

October is Never Long Enough

How can it be November already? I feel like I barely had a chance to enjoy beautiful October.

I've seen an internet quote that sums up our love affair with October. It says "I'm glad I live in a world where there are Octobers". I'm sure we'd all agree.

Last night we had our first frost here in central Ohio. It's always a sad day for me. But I'm sure all gardeners feel that way. When that first frost threatens, I always go out on  a rescue mission. First thing to save was the beloved Queen Red Lime zinnias. I filled two vases full of my favorite blooms.

Next up was the roses. There weren't many blooms left, but I saved some of the sweetest ones. It's amazing how concentrated the fragrance is once they are inside.

I also rescued the dahlia blooms. There weren't as many flowers as usual this year. I think I just didn't pick the best varieties, because last year they were prolific.

Our first frost was a bit late this year, so that gave me a few extra weeks to enjoy the flowers. I'm sure anyone could guess how happy that made me!

But up to that darned frost last night, we were enjoying a warm and sunny spell of weather. The autumn sunlight is especially golden, and I found myself grabbing my camera at every turn. 

While the fall colors were especially bold this year, it was often rainy during those peak colors. But around my yard, I still found plenty of color, only in flower form.

Goodbye then to the most beautiful of months. Oh how I'll miss all this over the winter.

Yes, You Can Go Home Again

So far, October has been a gray and rainy month. It's hard to enjoy the fall color show when all it does is rain. So my solution has been to take a trip to the beach.

 I know, it seems like a strange solution to a chilly and rainy fall. But this particular beach is my hometown of St. Joseph Michigan!

When your hometown is a charming little beach town, you can go back any time of year and enjoy it, no matter what the weather.

And if you like to take pictures, well, there are plenty of sights to see.

I was picturing these vivid fall color shots with crystal blue skies. But it didn't happen. Every day was cloudy, rainy and gray. The skies would clear for an hour or so, then the rains would move in again. But honestly, it didn't matter to me. I still love it there.

Anyone who has visited my blog before knows how much I love the beach, and how much I love my little hometown on the shores of Lake Michigan. So sorry if you've seen all this before. You'd think I'd get tired of going there to see the same sights, and taking the same pictures. But I don't!

The challenge is always to find another angle, another hidden spot, another perfect shot. And we all know there's no such thing as the perfect shot. So I just keep trying.

 My favorite photo opportunity all week happened the day that I went to just sit and watch the waves roll in. I'd take a few shots, then I'd just sit and daydream for awhile. It was a beautiful way to while away a cool autumn afternoon. Rain kept threatening, but it held off long enough for me to enjoy a good long think. And my reward was this beautiful lake rainbow.

 It was so low on the horizon that no one in the town could see it, and it persisted for over an hour. I've never seen a beach rainbow like this, so I took a lot of pictures that day. And even if I hadn't, I still have it all saved up in my mind. You see, you really can go home again.