painted

I love the mixture of colors seen in early autumn. This leaf looks like it was handpainted in red, leaving the veins as highlights in green and yellow. The still very green background does a nice job of popping the red.

look!

I headed to Maudslay State Park this morning to walk in the woods and to keep an eye out for early color. I found color, just not the color I expected.

As I headed in to the park I saw a tree that seemed to sparkle. I walked closer and found a dead tree decorated by colored disks and silver threads. I looked around me and saw color in places where it didn't belong. What a delightful surprise! I had stumbled on an annual outdoor sculpture exhibit at Maudslay, one that will be disappearing tomorrow.

I wandered the park, stopping often to enjoy the unexpected art.

A few more pieces of the artwork can be seen in the gallery Maudslay State Park - 2013.

transitions

When I left for my wanders in Alberta the trees (at home) were still wearing their summer splendor, leaves of green. When I returned I could see a tinge of brown starting to emerge.

I'm starting to see (and feel) the changes of the season.

...chilly night air told me it was time to switch to flannel sheets
...shrinking daylight has me walking adorned with blinking lights to make sure I can be seen
...splashes of yellow and orange are scattered through the trees expanse of green leaves
...the wings of the seed pods of Japanese maple are bright red

Yes, autumn has arrived.

simple

Such simple beauty, a single flower blooming in late summer...

turquoise waters

Turquoise and blue in lake and sky, a wonderful combination...

Bow Lake, Banff National Park

patterns

I love the patterns formed by the reflections of the line of trees on the slopes above Lake Agnes in Banff National Park.

autumn via flower petals

The equinox is just 2 days away, daylight hours are moving to match dark hours, the air is cool, and yet there are still flowers in bloom.

The color of the petals of this flower say autumn to me.

photos! Canadian Rockies

Photos from my wanders in the Canadian Rockies are loaded into galleries, ready for viewing. Start with the top level gallery, Alberta 2013, or click on the photos below to enter a specific gallery.

a few favorites:

in the mountains:

badlands and prairie:

Interested in words? You can find my ramblings in the blog entries tagged Alberta 2013.

mountains and trees

I find it amazing to see the difference in a scene based on a slight variation of viewpoint. Like the photo in last Sunday's post this shot was taken from Vermillion Lakes.

This time the mountains are complemented by a stand of trees, both highlighted by clouds and reflections.

mirrored

My first day in Banff National Park started a bit later than usual since I needed to drive west from Calgary first. I didn't have a wandering destination in mind; walking (anywhere in the park) and absorbing the scenery was top priority.

I was delighted with the mid-day light over Cascade Pond.

mirrored mountain and trees
Cascade Pond, Banff National Park