Dancing in an Autumn Sun

I see

the turning of a leaf

dancing in an autumn sun,

and brilliant shades of crimson

glowing when a day is done.

~ Hazelmarie Elliott

Okay, own up - who asked for autumn?

Whomever it was, I don't blame you entirely. Don't get me wrong - I love summer best of all. I don't mind the heat and I can't quite get enough of the long hours of sunshine. The bugs were a challenge though. This was a new revelation for me - a city girl most of my life. Who knew that when people said that the black flies would drive you nuts up north, they really meant it? Well maybe not full-out nuts but the maddening sting-itch they cause can make you a little bit crazy. And then on came the mosquitos. And deer flies. And staple flies. And so on. Still, despite the lumps and bumps and blotchy red spots, summer came and went all too quickly. It's not what I would have chosen for my favourite season but nobody asked me anyway.

So autumn is here whether it was invited or not. The changing of leaves has come early but has been beautiful. We've already peaked and are now in swift decline. But while colours were still at their best, I made sure to give the camera a good workout. I hope you enjoy autumn in my world.

Autumn that year painted the countryside in vivid shades of scarlet, saffron and russet, and the days were clear and crisp under harvest skies. ~ Sharon Kay Penman

Our view wasn't quite this brilliant all of the time, but it was on overcast days when the sun peeked through tiny breaks in the clouds.

The mountain trees that grew between the pines were a brilliant blaze of fall colors, like fire against the emerald green of the pines, firs and spruces. And it was, as I'd told myself long ago, the year's last passionate love affair before it grew old and died from the frosty bite of winter. ~ V.C. Andrews

That kind of light and shadow could be quite dramatic at times.

Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile.

~ William Cullen Bryant

Sitting on the dock, this is the view of the bay to the right. That rock face is Blueberry Island off to the left.

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

~ L.M. Montgomery

Here, have a closer look at the bay.

Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.

~ Jim Bishop

That's our dock over on the right - abandoned for a few hours of fishing. Those lovely colours in the hills are what we see each morning through our kitchen window.

I was drinking in the surroundings: air so crisp you could snap it with your fingers and greens in every lush shade imaginable offset by autumnal flashes of red and yellow. ~ Wendy Delsol

This is a house just down the road from us. They live on a very large property on a peninsula.

Just before the death of flowers, And before they are buried in snow, There comes a festival season When nature is all aglow.

~ Author Unknown

A little further down the road, these cottages were doing good business in the summer. Frank figures they'll continue to rent to hunters through the fall.

Autumn flings her fiery cloak over the sumac, beech and oak.

~ Susan Lendroth

It's difficult to tire of a view like this - even for a summer lover.

I am struck by the simplicity of light in the atmosphere in the autumn, as if the earth absorbed none, and out of this profusion of dazzling light came the autumnal tints. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Beautiful Blueberry Island in the late-day, autumn sunshine.

Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees.

~ Faith Baldwin

There are a lot of interesting characters in our neck of the woods - not the least of which are pirates. Or at least some very creative people who built this wonderful boathouse to mimic a pirate ship.

Methinks I see the sunset light flooding the river valley, the western hills stretching to the horizon, overhung with trees gorgeous and glowing with the tints of autumn -- a mighty flower garden blossoming under the spell of the enchanter, frost.

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

It was a sunny but misty and deliciously warm day when my friend Carol Anne came up for a visit. We decided to take advantage of the good weather and take a bit of a hike around Eagle's Nest which overlooks the nearby town of Bancroft, Ontario. This is the view of the town from the lookout. That's the York river winding its way through the lovely town below - a town which slowly but surely is becoming mine.

October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in the aftermaths. ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

It's a pretty nice place to spend your time shopping, dining occasionally, or just wandering about. And I get a kick out of seeing the hills and rock faces (underneath our feet from this vantage point) whenever I go into town. That's the York River, once again and the obligatory Canadian small town Tim Horton's (one of two!) with the cars parked behind it to its left.

It was October again... a glorious October, all red and gold, with mellow mornings when the valleys were filled with delicate mists as if the spirit of autumn had poured them in for the sun to drain - amethyst, pearl, silver, rose, and smoke-blue. The dews were so heavy that the fields glistened like cloth of silver and there were such heaps of rustling leaves in the hollows of many-stemmed woods to run crisply through. ~ L.M. Montgomery

This was taken a few days earlier from a stop at the lookout. It was a clearer day and we were at bit of a lower altitude.

So, as you can probably tell, I'm not too upset that somebody ordered up autumn. But please, just don't put out any requests for winter just yet.

I have more photos from the days prior to autumn so you'll probably see some of those coming up soon. I just had to share this season with you while while it is still ongoing.

Nature's Hearth

To be admitted to Nature's hearth costs nothing. None is excluded, but excludes himself. You have only to push aside the curtain.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Just a few more photos of some nature found just outside our door.


I can't think of a better way to start the day than by gazing out at the peachy gold sunrise - aside from turning over and going back to sleep afterward.






We see these beauties every day. Even when they're invisible by the darkness of night, we can hear their haunting calls across the lake's expanse.






It's been a joy to watch so many different birds come out to enjoy the seed Frank pours for them each day. That's a female goldfinch on the left and a juvenile house finch on the right. Let's get a closer look at that one.






Isn't that a bright-eyed little cutie? We had trouble identifying it at first but the bit of gold at the corner of its mouth gave it away as a juvenile. Google is so helpful that way.






Two families of Canada geese swim past the end of our dock. I like how the young are in slightly different stages of their development.






Purple bell flowers after a summer rain. They were growing outside our kitchen door.






This unusual looking insect was sitting on the inside of the screen door for a long time before I decided to photograph it and try to learn its identity. It's an Asilidae or Robber/Assassin fly and his behaviour is as sinister as it sounds. According to Wikipedia: "They are powerfully built, bristly flies with a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking hypopharynx. The name "robber flies" reflects their notoriously aggressive predatory habits; they feed mainly or exclusively on other insects and as a rule they wait in ambush and catch their prey in flight."






I moved him over to a different spot before sending him on his way outside. Have a look at those killer eyes.






Well I can't leave you with a creepy crawly going through your head. Instead I'll give you a couple of photos of our favourite little red guy, Rufus*. Here he is enjoying a red cherry, donated to him from our fruit bowl.






Don't tell him how fetching he looks surrounded by all that fuchsia. He'd never be able to live it down.

Thanks for joining me for a look at our local nature. I'll have more photos coming up before too long.

*Rufus has been missing in action for a little over a week. I think we need to just let our wild critters keep crawling on the deck and stop allowing them to crawl on our hearts. We miss this little brat. And Indy, our friendly little chipmunk has been missing for a few weeks. Furry little heart breakers.