A SPECIAL FEELING-THE WEEKENDER

DOES IT WORK ON YOU?

     It was a late autumn afternoon when mom told me to put on a jacket and my tennis shoes.  She said we were going for a walk, one I'll never forget.

     I was a typical pre-teen boy, interested only in basketball and football and never seemed to see much else in the world.  On this afternoon we walked to a city park, full of oaks, elms, maples and sycamores.  It is the first time I remember seeing leaves afire in oranges, reds, yellows and rust.  Honestly, never noticed the colors before, at least not in a way that registered.  Sure I remember raking dry old brown and crisp leaves and building leaf forts, but on this particular afternoon my world gained a sense of color.

    I still enjoy the color and again this year our drive took us to the eastern slope of the high Sierra.

A MELLOW WEEKENDER

VIDEO DOUBLE PLAY

   Here are a couple of versions you may not be familiar with, but they will provide you with a quarter hour of memories.

   First the incredible Eva Cassidy illustrated by the paintings of Leonid Afremov. 

    And the styling of Eric Clapton

   Happy leaf hunting.

   See you down the trail.

COLOR IN THE SIERRA

NATURE'S PALETTE 

    It was a default autumn behavior in Indiana to look for spectacular fall color. It's probably that upbringing and conditioning then that sent us on our search in the high Sierra.

     Each of these frames represent a special moment of light
in one of the earth's most beautiful places, the eastern slope and in the June Lake Loop and Virginia Lake areas.

It was with joy and gratitude that we could pursue

these scenes to share with you.

See you down the trail.

TINGES

A PARTING OF THE SEASONS

     In the mid-west and east people will begin looking for hints of color in the maples, sycamores, oaks, hickories, and other deciduous trees, now that we are getting deep into September.  
    Out west we spot the color in the aspen, oak and madrone trees, especially in the Sierra. As a former mid westerner one calculates the connection between color in leaves to leaves on the ground and then the arrival of snow.  While we hope for a lot of snow in the Sierra, that part of the equation-snow-changes when you get to the coast. In fact autumn may well be THE season here on the central coast.  
    We still have blooms, the sky is blue, the temperatures are moderate to warm and it stays that way. The only variance are those few days when rain allows for more blooms and a renewing greening. Nominally the rainy season, October through March, means a lot less rain than elsewhere.  24 to 26 inches is a good normal year. Spread that over a 5 to 6 month span and you see rain is a precious and indeed a somewhat rare resource. 
    So, for now, more color from those things that don't require much water.  And we'll be on the look out for color in the leaves and reports of the first snow, high in the mountains or back east.

DAY FILE

Tinges of Pink 

& other shades

See you down the trail.

NATURE'S COLOR SCHEME

SEASONAL SHADES

"Won't you miss the change of seasons?"

We heard that frequently when we announced

our move to the Central California Coast.

We worried about it bit, until our

first fall in California.

Season's change here, we've learned, with an

obvious turn.

Each year provides another pallet of 

fall color.

 Autumn skies resemble those of the mid west

 but with a distinct difference.

 Being a mediterranean climate,

 snow, is no show at our elevation. 

 Even as trees are ablaze in color

 we still have blooms.

and occasionally the Goodyear blimp. Huh?

 In the midwest we saw the blimp only 

around the time of the Indy 500.

See you down the trail.