ABLAZE

The world around us is ablaze in bright and beautiful shades of color right now... fall is truly magnificent here!

Early morning sunrises with waves of brilliant color spreading across the sky.

So lovely to drink our coffee in the morning, and gaze at the splendor of the skies.

The cool air meeting the warm ground while the skies were warming up created layers of color around us.

Ethereal fog rising through the bright orange of the skies and warm shades of the earth.

Fall just doesn't last long enough!  Trees bright with color are quickly losing their leaves.

Foggy fall mornings... when the world is still and silent.

Cool crisp fall days are perfect for little hiking excursions.  What a joyful thing it is to get out and explore the forest when every breath you breathe is cool and fresh.

Each leaf contributing to the beauty around it.

We took an old logging road way back up into the mountains only to find the road to this lake was closed for the season.  So we continued on the road past the lake quite a bit higher until we came to this overlook.

Bright colors abounded around us in rich deep shades.

We continued on the logging road until it led us back down out of the mountains, and to where these graceful trees stood watch over the sprawling valley.

We just stopped and soaked up the depth and vibrancy of the colors before us.

A truly idyllic scene of contentment.

Anne's famous quote "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers" would be perfect for this picture... except I took this picture in September, lol!

We stopped to visit at a little creek that flows through the mountains, and stopped to enjoy its quiet babbling.

Later in the week took us into town where we had some errands to run.  It was a beautiful day where the temps had reached up into the 80s.  We stopped by the city park and just sat on the park benches overlooking the river, and soaked up the sunshine around us.

The trees were bright with color, although the leaves were gently falling, the swish-swish of their movement filled the air.

Golden hues against the bright skies....

Fall  .... Why can't you last longer???  

Fall is meant to be enjoyed NOW.  You can't wait for a better day... you must just get out and go when fall comes!  These lovely trees probably have lost most of their leaves by now.  I'm glad we took the time to stop and enjoy their beauty.

I actually managed to get this picture without other people in it.  That was not an easy feat.  There were many, many people out enjoying the park the day we were there.

We found a little bench to sit on by this tree, and just gazed out on the river and the beauty around us.

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree." Emily Bronte

"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn." Elizabeth Lawrence

We watched this lazy sailboat make its way to shore.

We followed the gaze of this pensive sea gull who seemed to be enjoying the quiet moments just as we were.

But soon enough, our errands had to be completed and it was time to leave... because we were picking up supplies to continue working on this project....

We have been making sure but steady progress on our tractor shed.  We are not carpenters by any stretch of the imagination, but just trying to make the best of our limited building skills, and supply of wood.

Our son has been helping dear husband when he can.  However, he was in class, and my husband needed help.  So... I climbed the ladder to help.

I don't like ladders.  I don't like heights.

But... sometimes you just have to do what you don't like to do.  So I carried and held boards while my husband screwed them in.

And was I ever glad when dear son got home earlier than expected!

They finished putting up the 2x4s.  I loved the symmetrical look of it all.  Is it perfect? Nope.  But it is a project that when finished will make a huge difference for us.  The tractor will have a safe covered place to be stored for the winter, plus we will have lots of extra storage for things that need to be stored under a roof as well.  And we will have saved thousands of dollars by building it ourselves.

With all the projects that need to be done, even still we have realized it is important to stop and enjoy fall moments, as they are sweet and don't last long. Fall is the one season of the year that you just have to stop and enjoy it while it is here, because it doesn't stick around long... about as long as it takes a leaf to fall from the tree it seems!  Just as the leaves explode with color and shower their brilliance as they fall... the joy of fall arrives quickly, dazzles with its beauty, and slips away in the blink of an eye.

I hope you are enjoying the season of fall where you are... it is meant to be enjoyed... stop what you are doing, and soak its beauty up.  You'll need every golden drop of its joy once the season of winter comes upon us :)