Photo Safari

Big-leaf Maple Leaves Cover the Ground

One of the worst things about having foot and ankle surgery is not being able to go for walks in nature. I feel like I have missed the best part of the autumn this year - the colorful leaves are mostly fallen and soggy, and the warm weather is gone until next spring. Snow covers our favorite hiking trails in the mountains. Grey clouds and breezy skies dominate the weather forecasts as far as the eye can see. The house starts to feel confining and stale.

Yesterday the sun was out, brightening the windows and causing the birds to be active all around the yard. I was desperate to get myself and the children out into nature, if only for a few minutes. Surprisingly, Gabriel fought me on this. He usually is the one begging to go out. But after I told him he could bring the little camera, he calmed down and grumpily put on his coat and boots. Annika was easier to convince, so off we went for a 20 minute walk, (me using my trusty knee scooter) into the greenbelt down the path, and back out to the sidewalk, up to our house just in time for our friends to arrive and join us for lunch.

Following are some of the photos I took yesterday.

The sensitive artist composes a shot

Shaggy mushrooms in the woods

The weak November sun filters down to the leaf-strewn path

Annika enjoyed collecting maple leaves and stepping in puddles

Another shaggy mushroom

Juniper berries on a neighbor's tree

Back home, autumn cyclamen in our front yard