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Winter is supposed to come after Fall, but the snow gods and my Japanese Maple didn’t get the memo this year. We normally only get a snow or two that sticks per winter. Usually that doesn’t happen until January or February at the earliest. Last week we received several inches of the white stuff. As soon as the snow finished falling, the maple decided it was time to drop all of its red and mostly orange leaves creating this scene, one we haven’t witnessed before.
After several days in a row of little or no sun last week, it was nice to look out the window one afternoon and see some blue sky breaking through some white, fluffy clouds. With the Japanese Maples still pretending it is fall and the pines remaining as green as ever, this presented the viewer with a cornucopia of color. There was even snow on the mountains to offset the colors with some whiteness.
A rare glimpse of the sun yesterday allowed this photo. It may look like an HDR, but it is not. The light was just right, and our Japanese maple is just a few days away from giving up its leaves for the winter (which feels like it is already here).
Long before the Ashland Loop Road becomes deserted and looks like this, you can look back over your right shoulder for this view, one of your last glimpses of civilization.
The Chateaulin French Restaurant isn’t much to look at from the outside in winter or early spring, but it can be nice to look at once the ivy covering its exterior turns green. And the place can be really spectacular when the ivy changes color in fall. Next door is Martino’s and Macaroni’s, previously mentioned here.
Ashland Creek, which runs through Lithia Park, is nice in all seasons but fall has to be my favorite.
I was sitting in the grass in Lithia Park the other day, enjoying rather warm temperatures for November. Instead of pulling the camera up to see what I was taking a picture of, I just took it from the position of the leaves I was sitting in.
A closeup taken soon after yesterday’s photo… I didn’t realize squirrels ate maple leaves.
My Japanese Maple tree has changed colors causing its usual occupant to stick out a bit more than normal.
This was my view this morning during Ellie’s flute lesson on the other side of town. Mt. Ashland is on the far left and the Ashland Springs Hotel is on the far right. A little more blue sky and I think the colors of fall foliage would have been more obvious.
Mt. Ashland has a bit of snow on the top which is a bit surprising considering it has been unseasonably warm for the past four or five days.