A Quote for Monday

"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each."  Thoreau

The leaves don't have on their Autumn dresses yet, except for the occasional one there and there, and it doesn't feel anything like Autumn and probably won't for at least another three or four weeks.  I feel a kinship with those impatient leaves though; I'm always in a hurry for fall to arrive, as long as it arrives with plenty of rain.  Then I can take long rambles under a sky that is many shades of gray while I breathe in the damp air that carries the particular scent of Autumn, revel in the colors of the dogwoods, oaks and maples, pluck an apple that's been washed by rain, then sit on my favorite rock while I eat the apple and drink a cup of hot chocolate from a thermos.  And, of course, take photos.  (The photo above was taken in Autumn of 2012).

The colors show up much better, I think, on a cloudy day than on a sunny one up here.  The light is so intense that a sunny day can, quite often, bleach the colors, especially if you try to take photos around noon.  That's why I like early morning and late afternoon on sunny days; the light is so much more interesting.