Fall Colors 2018

Leaves and Grass

It is that time of year again. The time when the leaves fall off of the trees and die. As depressing as that might sound, I do like the colors of the leaves as they go through that process. While I enjoy all of the green colors of the summer, I do enjoy all of the different fall colors as well.

As you may know from seeing our Driveway Views, we have two main trees in our front yard. One is a pine tree, and it does not go through much of a color change this time of year, being evergreen and all. But the other tree is a sweetgum tree, and it does put on a slightly better show.

While our sweetgum tree does not turn bright shades of orange and red as some trees do, the leaves do sometimes turn yellow for a short while before turning a deep brown. You can see a few shades of yellow in the leaves in the photo above. I like the way the yellows and browns go with the deep greens of the grass that is also about to turn brown. Fall colors are pretty cool.

Looking Up

Here is a view looking up into the same sweetgum tree that those leaves came from. You can see several different shades of yellow leaves. And you can also see that there are still a few green leaves here and there.

I know the leaves won’t last on the tree for that much longer, so I will enjoy this view and these yellow leaves for as long as they last.

We are not the kind of people that get all worked up about having leaves in our front yard. So we do not bother with raking them up. I like that they add some color to the dying grass. And I like that we are not in a yard of the month competition, too. Whatever leaves fall can hang around until we start up the lawn mower in the spring. They will be just fine until then.

Changing Seasons

While I sometimes complain about the cold weather of winter, overall I am happy that we live in an area that has a distinct change of seasons. It is fun to see the color changes that fall brings. Winter occasionally brings snow, which can occasionally bring fun. And then spring means that sneezing is here and summer is on the way.

I like that fall shows that the end is coming, and then something new is ahead after that. It is a time of renewal.

That renewal reminds me that sometimes we need to do the same thing. Sometimes some seasons in our life need to come to an end, so that a new season can start. That may not be something major every year, even though the seasons go through a major change every year. Sometimes it is every few years. Sometimes it might even be a once-in-a-lifetime change. It is different for everyone.

It never hurts to examine things and see if you need to make some changes. Change can be good, especially when it leads to something better. Be on the lookout for those better things that are ahead.

Bible Verse

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. - Isaiah 43:19

About the Photos

As you can tell if you read the words above, these photos were taken in our front yard on a recent fall morning. I had the aperture open wide for both of these to get the focus as tight as possible, especially on the first photo of the leaves in the grass. That was just the look that I was going for there.

The second photo looking up into the tree was not something that I had planned ahead, as I had with the first photo. But I glanced up and liked what I saw, so I grabbed a photo of the view. Sometimes those unplanned photos are just as fun as the planned ones.

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens
Date: October 8, 2018
Location: Home, Williston, Tennessee