“Sunrise Through a Pear Tree”
Heatherwood Autumn
A walk through the garden on a autumn day is always full of color. Today, I was focusing on color and texture as I was walking around with my camera. Our flowering pear is at its peak of fall color. The early morning sun came out for a moment to backlight the tree in brilliant color. I decided to create an abstract texture using a nine-image multiple exposure.
Here’s to a bright and shiny new day!
“Morning View From My Office Window”
Heatherwood, Fall
I start most every day in the dark with a cup of coffee and a fountain pen in my hand. Each day is a clean slate for me to make what I want out of it. I start to write about whatever is on my mind. I wander from thought to thought, and start to arrange my day. After my daily journal writing, I pick up a book and read a little, making notes of things I want to think about. By this time, the sun starts to break over the eastern ridge above our home. I look out and watch most sunrises emerge. I turn around from my desk and look out my office window and think what a great day this is going to be!
“November Rose”
Heatherwood, Fall
The buttery yellow of a November rose brings a little sunshine to our rose garden. Most of the garden’s roses are spent and hanging down. Just a few of our yellow floribunda remain. Even these are on their last hurrah. Leaves are wilting and falling off. Rose hips are forming. It is time for the roses to go to sleep for the winter and get their rest for a bright June bloom.
“Swirling Leaves in the Grass”
Heatherwood, Fall
If a diagonal multiple exposure will work, why not a swirl? There is always magic around, all you have to do is look and imagine!
“Leaves in the Grass”
Heatherwood, Fall
The wind was blowing and leaves were falling. It was time to go out and play with my camera. Walking around looking at the blowing trees, I wasn’t coming up with anything that really grabbed me. I looked down at my feet and saw patches of leaves in the grass. I decided to try a slow diagonal pan using multiple exposures. Here’s the result.
“Strolling Through”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden, Fall
Another beautiful fall day, another stroll through the garden! My strolls through our garden with my camera remind me of the path shown of the little kids in the cartoon “Family Circus.” I usually start from the path, but soon deviate up and over the rocks, up the hillsides, around the trees and shrubs looking for details and vignettes I have not appreciated before. When I get back to the path I pause and sometimes look back to see where I came from, as I did in this photo. I encounter a surprise discovery of color, textures, and shapes.
“Autumn Brilliance”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden, Fall
A Gift
A slice of light,
Autumn’s color
Such a delight!
Just before the sun fell below the western ridge above Heatherwood, it broke through the clouds and lit up this thin sliver of our Japanese Garden with its radiant rays. A few moments later it was gone. What a wonderful gift!
Kotoji, Waterfall, and Color
Heatherwood Japanese Garden, Fall
Reds, oranges, yellows, and greens. along with the Kotoji lantern highlight this vignette in our Japanese-style garden. Water flows from above to a pond below. Two Japanese maples, a weeping larch and nine different conifers surround the scene.
Japanese Garden Path
Heatherwood Fall
Like a Stream
Like a stream,
my path meanders
through Nature’s fall glory.
I love walking around Heatherwood’s formal and informal paths. Autumn’s beautiful color is everywhere, but it is fleeting with the coming of colder temperatures. A daily walk through the garden brings me pleasure as I enjoy the present moments, reflect on the past, and anticipate the coming days.
“Fall Roses”
Heatherwood Fall
The roses are hanging on to their last burst of color. They have provided five months of beautiful enjoyment. It is now time for them to rest. The following is Mary’s perspective:
Fall Roses
As the end of the summer comes,Â
one last gasp of velvety red hangs quietly from the stem.
The season of roses gave us color and imaginationÂ
with every gaze of the thirteen rose bushes planted here two years ago.
Some made their way inside, but most lost their petalsÂ
in the summer winds and carpeted the ground with red, pink, yellow, and white.
Now the cold nights are here, and the fall sky grays dullyÂ
during the shortening days.
Here, two red blossoms hang on, sharing their last gasp of fragrant beauty,Â
delicate yet defiant of the nature of things.
The uncut rose hips signal a winter nap to get ready for next year’s bloom,Â
and their cycle reminds us of the ebb and flow.
Thank you, little roses, for teaching us that the differenceÂ
between the end and the beginning is simply a little time to get ready.
Mary Graf, 2020