Catching the Fall

Right before Hurricane Sandy I set out to capture as much of fall's beauty as I could before the leaves were all blown away.

Yesterday I ventured further into the hardest hit areas of NJ to check on a friend from the VFW and to see if my car mechanic's shop was still there. They're both bruised but OK.

On the trip down and back I saw so much debris and had to be re-routed several times. It was hard to see and harder to look away.

I found myself so sad and a bit angry with nature.

And so I need to remind myself - and share with you - the beauty of nature.

Apologies if there are too many shots, they all seem to depend on each other.

How little we have, I thought, between us and the waiting cold, the mystery, death--a strip of beach, a hill, a few walls of wood or stone, a little fire--and tomorrow's sun, rising and warming us, tomorrow's hope of peace and better weather . . .

~ Robert Nathan

NATURE NOTES

Our World Tuesday

Farewell To Leaves

A wicked wind storm has been howling up and down the east coast since last night. In Trenton, NJ several small planes were tossed about on the tarmac ...

So I'm really glad that I decided to take advantage of this past Sunday's beautiful weather. I took a drive to one of our many county parks and captured some of the last of fall's beauty ...

This morning a ton of leaves invaded the kitchen when I opened the side door and the carport floor was completely covered. I filled 6 mulch bags.

I love the sound of crisp leaves flying down the road. They appear to be dancing. And even after they fall beauty remains ...

 this is the same bush as the one above just a few days later

"The winds will blow their own freshness into you,

and the storms their energy,

while cares will drop away from you

like the leaves of Autumn."

- John Muir