Saturday, November 24, 2012

Fall Photos

Winter is almost here, and as I sit here thinking about Christmas shopping, it's hard to believe how quickly fall flew by. Before I even knew it, I was trying to pretend I wasn't watching the first gaggle (that's the right word for it, I swear!) of honking geese speeding their way south.  "Noooooo, come baaaaaack!" I called, looking pretty silly to anyone who might have witnessed my fruitless pleading. Luckily, I was in my car alone, feeling a bit sad that summer was ending, because close behind fall follows the cold, gray season we call winter.

The autumn season is notoriously beautiful here in Kentucky. Without summer's sticky humidity, the air seems to glow- a freshly-scrubbed crystal clear blue. Temperatures are perfect, and the still lush green grass contrasts with the bright golds, crimsons, and oranges of the changing leaves. The trees have actually been mostly bare and brown for two or three weeks now, which is quite a letdown after such a sumptuous feast for the eyes. Here are a few of my fall photos for your enjoyment- a little taste of my life in Kentucky.  Goodbye, fall...






The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.   
~Rabindranath Tagore









Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
~Albert Camus








  There are always flowers for those who want to see them.
~Henri Matisse






Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.
~Henry David Thoreau







Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
 









 Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.
~John Lubbock





 For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.
~Martin Luther





To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.
~George Santayana





Let us learn to appreciate there will be times when the trees will be bare, and look forward to the time when we may pick the fruit.
~Anton Chekhov






Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.
~Wallace Stevens







In the depth of winter I learned that there was in me an invincible summer.
~Albert Camus





Alright, winter, I think I'm ready for you, now...




31 comments:

  1. les photos de la forêt correspondent à ton travail, le premier papillon est comme une page du livre..superbe!

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    1. Merci, Elfi. I take that as high praise coming from you; your paintings are always so seamlessly interwoven with your photos...

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  2. Beautiful post, Sharmon - thanks for a little return to autumn's splendor! -sus

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    1. hi Sus- I guess it has been wintery where you are for much longer than it has here; I only just brought my plants in from the porch last weekend. Now it has turned cold, and I'm trying to adjust. I'm so glad you enjoyed the post!

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  3. Sharmon, I actually stood on my deck calling out the same thing to our flying fleeing passersby. if winter flees as fast as the past seasons have next summer will be here in a flash!
    Gorgeous images of your precious countryside!

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    1. Gwen, I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that! My husband thinks its crazy not to like winter, but I guess I'm just not a cold-weather person, no matter how hard I try. Thanks for visiting- I'm glad you liked the images!

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  4. Beautiful images! I look forward to your post that will cheer me up as much about winter :(

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    1. Thanks, Deborah! You will definitely see that post you mentioned, as I have quite a job trying to cheer myself up about winter!

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  5. Wonderful photo journey through fall and into winter. I so love your quotes especially Camus...bring it on, I'm ready too!

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    1. Good for you, Mary Ann; I hope you're actually ready, and not just a big bluffer like I am! I'm so glad you enjoyed the photos, though... :)

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  6. It is snowing here. Autumn is just a memory already

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    1. Deb, we haven't had snow here yet, thankfully. My husband talks about wanting to move NORTH... I just say, "buh-bye!"

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  7. As a fellow Kentuckian I agree wholeheartedly! There is a bush flowering, brilliant crimson, out back so I'll have to investigate.
    Lovely photos and great quotes!!

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    1. Thanks, Patti- so glad you liked the photos and quotes. We have been lucky to have such nice weather so far, especially compared with other parts of the country, so I guess I shouldn't complain, right.

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  8. I am with you Sharmon, where did it go? I miss the gorgeous color and perfectly warm days... not too hot, just blissful .... and here in MI it has been so bitter cold, not ready for that yet... brrrrr!!

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    1. Yeah, and why does winter seem so much longer than fall? I bet you have some beautiful fall color up there in MI... but I hear you about the cold...

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  9. "Whose woods these are I think I know".
    Robert Frost is the poet but I am the guy
    who remembers those woods.

    "Those woods are lovely, dark and deep",
    he said, and so are the ones at Shabomekaw.

    "You have promises to keep", my friend,
    "and miles to go before you sleep".

    Ken

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    1. Ken, you have identified these woods absolutely correctly- lovely, dark and deep, indeed. Coincidentally, that poem was the theme of our yearbook the year I graduated from high school; we had to hand-letter it in old English, which seemed to take forever. Despite that, I still like the poem. Thanks for visiting.

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  10. Time flies...I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner.
    I do like the fall season...but I know that a long winter is ahead and that is the part that I dread. I enjoyed seeing all your beautiful pictures. You've captured the feeling of Autumn beautifully!

    Wishing for you a wonderful December.
    Gaby

    Right now here in Germany it's all gray and rainy all the time:)

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    1. Gaby, I know what you mean about time; hopefully winter will speed by just as quickly as fall did. It's gray and rainy here too, and usually stays that way most of the winter. Thanks so much for the comment. I hope you have a great December, and a very merry Christmas.

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  11. it's such a hot & sultry night in the Land Down Under, lovely to see this taste of crisp autumn light with such beautiful photos & words.

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    1. Oh, hot and sultry- I'm so envious! Maybe I should switch hemispheres every six months! I'm glad you've enjoyed my little taste of fall; I hope it makes you feel a bit cooler...

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  12. You have so many beautiful images of autumn here..it seems to come so fast after summer and soon feels more like winter.

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    1. Thanks, Donna. Autumn is always beautiful here, but winter, not so much. Strangely, though, our winters are getting warmer- it was 70 degrees here today!

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  13. These are beautiful autumn moments that you share with us! The close up of the butterfly so gorgeous, and the browns and golds rich with the strength only a tree knows. Take care...
    roxanne

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    1. Roxanne, thanks for the kind words about my photos. We really did have a beautiful autumn here. I hope all is well with you and you fabulous workshops! xo

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  14. so much beauty dear Sharmon...thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

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    1. sweet Laura, so glad you visited and enjoyed them! xo

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  15. Now that it is close to the start of winter...I am appreciating this photos even more!

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    1. I know what you mean, Seth; I keep looking at them longingly myself. I hope all is well with you after Sandy. Thanks for visiting!

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    2. I know what you mean, Seth; I keep looking at them longingly myself. I hope all is well with you after Sandy. Thanks for visiting!

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