Searching For Autumn

September and October whizzed by and I didn't post a thing.  I was making the last of my donation items for this year.  We were also busy with the studio addition to our house, however construction has come to a crawl as we wait for the epoxy coat on the cement floors to cure and a door to arrive. 

The weather has been exceptionally mild for Autumn.  The temperature has not dipped to freezing yet and we have had little rain.  It occurred to me that I seemed to have missed Autumn.  I am originally from Wisconsin and always think of the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows.

Northern Wisconsin Autumn

Northern Wisconsin Autumn

But, here in the California Sierra foothills the midwest colors are not as prominent.  So, today instead of fretting over the loss of color, I thought I would search for Autumn in my own back yard. 

I picked up my camera and walked out the front door as I have so many times.  This time I was awed by the transformation of the oak trees in our front yard.  They shimmered yellow in the noon sun as a slight breeze stirred the air.  Vestiges of summer green still showed and the oak leaves intermingled with the pine greenery.

Towering Oak in our front yard with a clear, blue sky background.

Yellows, browns and shades of green.

I continued my walk out of the yard and down the driveway.  I was greeted by two deer, roused from their noon rest. The deer are accustomed to our presence and don't run away as quickly as they used to until we get too close for comfort.  Just as well they should jolt away...they are wild and I am apprehensive about a sudden charge toward me. 

Two of the regulars.  They have been around all summer and into Autumn now.

Many times I have driven down the driveway, but never really noticed the leaves change from summer green to Autumn yellows, golds and browns.

Driveway Entrance

There was quietude in the air.  The birds and small critters seemed to be on siesta.  Flies buzzed around my head and I swatted the air to shoo them away.  I turned left from the driveway making my way down the pine tree path to the meadow.  I was caught in a shadow ballet as branches swayed to the soft swoosh symphony breezes and my feet glided on the soft needle cushioned path.  

Pine Tree Path.

My dance reverie was interrupted as the shadowy lane opened to the Oak Meadow Path. 

Oak Meadow Path.

The rustle and crunch of dried leaves beneath my feet seemed to echo.  More flies buzzed and again I aimlessly swatted the air.  Here I left the path and strolled down the dry, sticker weed infested meadow, glad that I had the sense to wear jeans and shoes for this journey. 

The meadow is an open area with many dead fall oak limbs and fallen trees from years past.  Poison Oak that was not eradicated this summer sprouts sporadically around the tree bases and aimlessly climbs up the tree trunks.  As I make my way through the meadow, the almost bare trees create an open window to a view of the distant Blue Mountain Range.

Blue Mountain background.

The oaks in the meadow offer a showy blend of yellows, greens, and orange tinted browns.  It is here where I find some of the elusive shades of Autumn red.

Orange tinged Oak.

Oak leaf reds.

Oak leaf reds.

I linger a while, savoring the sumptuous hues, happy with my discoveries.  I make my way back to the driveway and decide to stroll down Campo Flores Lane.  At the entrance of the lane off Bald Mountain Road is a lovely fern garden.  The ferns are no less lovely as the fronds turn from green to brown and the plants prepare for their winter dormancy.  I find some ferns tucked along pine rounds from a cut tree.

Sun glinting off the fern fronds.

 I make my way back home from the side of our property down the Leafy Path.  

Leafy Path

 This section of the property is a dense cluster of pines, oaks, cedar and manzanita.  Exploration pits from the mining days dot the area and are filled with fallen limbs and many years accumulation of leaves and pine needles.  It is often difficult to see the pits, so I follow the deer trails when I leave the path. 


I cross under the PG&E lines that run through our property.  The clear cut area offers another view of the foothill mountain range. 

Distant foothills.

I take my picture and as I turn I see a jackrabbit startled from its hiding place, hopping off into the brushes.  I make my way around some dead fall trees and manzanita with their pine needle drapery to the tallest, stateliest tree on the property.  I am amazed at the height of this lone Sugar Pine towering high above the power lines.

Sugar Pine

 I wonder how old this gentle giant is.  I look straight up into the needle canopy and spy two pine cones dangling from the branch ends.  The pine cones are large and heavy with sap and as I try to get a good picture, zooming in as close as the camera will allow, I hope they do not fall. 

One Sugar Pine Cone on a branch end.

The ground below the tree is a graveyard of pine cones.

Large Sugar Pine Cone.

These pine cones litter the area under the mother tree.

I make my way back to the path toward the house.  Several deer have congregated in the back yard for their afternoon rest.  They rise from their rest and look at me, probably wondering if they should move, but decide I am no threat and opt to remain.

Deer in the back yard.  View of Blue Mountain range in the background.

I am standing under the Live Oak that was heavy with acorns this year.  The ground is littered with shell remnants and recent falls the deer have not found.  I see some acorns still in the tree. 

Acorns in the Live Oak.

Acorn litter on the ground.

The Live Oak remain green all year and as my successful search for Autumn has ended my mind jumps ahead to the beauty of the Live Oak sagging under a winter coat of snow.

Snow covered Live Oak in winter.