A Detour, And A Gift

Getting In The Mood, Or The Long Way Home

Monday was a Holiday for many in this country, Columbus Day, the time of year when EVERYBODY and ALL their Relations want to come to New England to see the Famous Fall Foliage! But this year the weather has not cooperated, it is still warm out and the leaves are slow to turn, and the colors are not as Fierce as they are some years! Nonetheless, they ARE changing, and the Colors are Beautiful! For Some of you who will never see these leaves in person, this might look extraordinary. But those of us who live here get used to it, driving past every day, still hurrying from home to work and back again. But this last Monday, the highway I normally travel was so congested with traffic, (because of road construction and accidents) that I opted to take the LOOOONG way home! This took me down roads I had not traveled in years...
And I was reminded what an Amazingly beautiful part of the world I live in.... and I want to share that with you, Dear Readers!
To Begin with, this is the view from my place of work.... looking North to the Mountains....

This is the Main Building where I work ....
The Maples have mostly turned Golden this year.....

The road I took to go home led me along the winding back roads through New Hampshire.....

Past Quintessential Old New England town commons.....

with the Meetinghouse or Church....

And Old colonial era houses......

With Maple trees in the yard

And on every Town Common......

Some more brilliant than others....

And lining the road.....

which winds on and on, over the hills....

as the early twilight settles in.....

and the first tentacled clouds of the next storm appear on the horizon.......

By the time I reach home there is still enough light to photograph the Maple in my Yard.... Golden this year......

Yesterday it was more Green than Gold......

Today it is more Gold than Green.....

Dropping it's golden leaves on my yard.... like gifts from heaven.......

And THEN there was THIS Gift that arrived today.....
So MUCH more Golden than I ever expected.....!

From Dark Squirrel Victoria......

So Beautifully wrapped.......

For Lucky ME!

She sent me her Candles and her Pumpkins........ dusted with Gold........!
And they GLOW IN THE DARK!!!!

And she added this Fabulous Mysterious Dragon Scroll!
They are SO MUCH MORE Beautiful than these pictures show!

How could they NOT put me in the MOOD.....
(HOW do you photograph Glow-in-the-dark candles?)

It has been so hard to even THINK of Halloween........
But with the days getting shorter.... Time is running out!

I just LOVE these candles.......

I had to find the Jack-o'lantern from last year.......

To keep Victoria's Pumpkins company.....

And as for the Dragon scroll......
There is Surely some Witchy Magic in that.......
Look closely at that dragon.......
And then tell me if you think it looks a lot like......