Fall

The seasons around here are not particularly subtle. Since I've lived on the Oregon or California coast for most of my life, I've gotten pretty used to seasons that run more along the lines of rainy and less rainy (Oregon and N. California) to warm and sunny or warm and smoggy (S. California). Summer here is hot, wet and sticky. Spring, sadly only lasts a couple of weeks, but is a vibrant shock to the system after seeing nothing but brown and white for so many months. Winter...well, let's not discuss winter. And fall, which again, is too short, is unlike fall in any other place I've lived. Sometimes I feel like I must be walking, running, and driving around with my mouth wide open because I'm so amazed at how pretty it is here at this time. 

                                              
                           Abby and Rowan exploring at Bird Hills

 I've become a big fan of the sugar maple, as in the maple syrup tree. They are everywhere here and unfortunately I didn't really get any good pictures of them. Apparently it is illegal to tap the sugar maples that grow in your front yard in the space between the road and the sidewalk. I had no idea. We have some Canadian friends that tapped the trees in this part of their yard, but had to run out and remove and hide their tapping paraphernalia whenever the "officials" came around. Jeeze. Canadians and their maples.