Two Ways to Bring Autumn Color Indoors

Having a garden is such a treat - I am able to bring the fresh colors of the season indoors on a regular basis. These two plants, sedum and Chinese lanterns, are especially nice since they dry very easily and thus last a long time. The honeysuckle pink sedum came from my own garden, and the burnt orange Chinese lanterns were a gift from my mother in law.



What autumn colors are you loving right now?

A Glimpse into My Primal Landscape

Have you heard the phrase "sense of place"? I first learned it in college, as a community planning term. The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines it as "Those things that add up to a feeling that a community is a special place, distinct from anywhere else."

Kent Ryden, author of "Mapping the Invisible Landscape", poetically elaborates: "A sense of place results gradually and unconsciously from inhabiting a landscape over time, becoming familiar with its physical properties, accruing history within its confines."

To me, this explains why I find strip malls and box stores so unattractive. It clarifies why shopping at small, local shops and filling my home with unique art and design is so appealing. I want to feel that my home and my town are special and distinct.

The physical and social environments of our childhood, sometimes called "primal landscapes", heavily influence our sense of place. Growing up here in Rhode Island, with an October birthday, I feel a very strong connection to autumn in New England. Its elements - crisp air, colorful leaves, art festivals, jugs of cider, apple picking - combine to create a very special environment for me.

Cider Apples


This past weekend, we went to an apple orchard with my nephew and niece. As I stop today to think about my own primal landscape, I wonder how that childhood experience will help develop their sense of place.

What is your "place" like? What elements define it? What history do you have within it?

Another Peaceful Day

Down in Yon Forest

All the Leaves are Brown

Oak

On the Cusp of Seasons

Went on a quick hike today at Fort Nature. It was definitely a day where you could feel the change of season, like we were walking the edge where autumn meets winter.

Hemlock Cathedral


Ice


It's a good time of year to find peace.

An Autumn Gift

I took this photograph as a "gift" for my husband, who liked the shape of the rock...

Red Maple Leaf

A Milestone Weekend

It's official... I have been married for 5 years, and I have passed the third decade mark. Also, I had the best anniversary/birthday weekend EVER!



My wonderful hubby got me a vintage Kodak Stereo Camera! The shutters need a little repair before I can start using it, but in the meantime, I attempted some 3-d shots using my Nikon d70. Not perfect, but fun!



How was your weekend?

Dewy Autumn Morning

Crystalline Wings

Autumn Colour Week: Orange

I heard about this lovely idea via Geninne - Poppytalk is hosting an Autumn Colour Week on Flickr and on the Poppytalk Blog. Today's color is orange, and I had such fun taking a break from show preparations and taking photographs inspired by the vibrant colors of autumn. I hope you enjoy, and perhaps you'll feel inspired to take a few colorful photographs yourself!

A Slowing Down, A Noticing

Autumn Industry


Busy preparing for the coming season, surrounded by beauty, with barely the time to notice it. Like an artist or crafter preparing for the holiday season.

A little reminder to stop and notice the beauty among the busy.

A Change in Seasons, A New Idea

The flowers of fall are blooming, a burst of color defying the cooler temperatures and shorter days.

Tickseed


As we head into this new season, I'm considering a new format for presenting images in my Etsy shop, and I'd like your opinion. Up until now, I've always added new images as they've been created. However, I'm wondering if it would be more fun and dramatic to add images as seasonal "collections". For example, the Fall 2010 collection would include all of the worthy photographs I took during the summer months.

If it were up to you, which format would you choose?


Thank you so much for your input, it means a lot to me!

Inspired by Early September

After taking the photo of various wildflowers in glass bottles at a natural history museum, I was inspired to arrange and photograph a few of my own little natural collections. I hope you enjoy them!

Goldenrod


Gifts


Faceted Feather


Do you collect anything from nature? How do you display your finds?

Autumn Light

A Magic Place


From yesterday's walk in the woods...

All This Beauty

Autumn Magic

The Magic Hour

Golden


Little bird, little bird
Brush your gray wings on my head
Say what you said, say it again
They tell me I'm crazy
But you told me I'm golden

I know what I know
A wind in the trees
And a road that goes winding under
From here I see rain, I hear thunder
Somewhere there's sun, and you
don't need a reason

-- Little Bird, The Weepies

The Weekend's Nearly Over...

...but I'm still cherishing these last few hours. I had a lovely weekend, celebrating my anniversary and my birthday. Saturday was stormy, I spent a lot of time drawing plans for our dream bathroom on Google Sketchup (the things I do for fun), and we snuck out between rainstorms to plant our garlic. Today after church we treated ourselves to an artery-clogging brunch at a local restaurant, spent the afternoon planting flower bulbs, and took a walk in the woods just before sunset so I could photograph during the "magic hour" when the light is best. I have trouble shooting during Fall. It is my favorite season and means so much to me - I've yet to take an image that really captures autumn magic in a true way, at least not to my own satisfaction. And photography is about truth - not necessarily reality - but truth.

At any rate, I checked off another day on my 365 Days in Colour list... one more week of brown!

011

Reflecting...

010


365 Days in Colour

It's been a Whirlwind Week

"Slow down, you move too fast. You've got to make the moment last."
- 59th Street Bridge Song, Simon & Garfunkel

October Foliage

My Favorite Time of Year

I love October - the smell and crunch and color of the leaves, the crispness in the air, soups and sweaters, apples...

Flowing Leaves

A Chilly October Day

#006 in my 365 Days in Colour... There was a little gap between this one and the last, but the project is supposed to be inspiration, not frustration or stress, so I'm taking it easy on myself.

Preparing a New Generation