TINSEL TOWN

That same icy-blue morning (mentioned in the next blog) created a stunning effect

on spider webs.

This one was surely part of the Web Street of Dreams,

due to the builder's flair for knotting an intricate foyer:

Nature's tinsel



The sun came over the mountain before I left this area,

so this is the same string of web, shimmering differently:

And more, sky-high:

We have white lights strung on the trees in our front yard,

but we sure can't top what the holiday spiders have done!

I have never seen a plain, one-way, hanging web,

but now they are all over the trees, exactly like the most
meticulously-hung tinsel.

 And garlands too!

ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL, AND BRRRRR!

A couple of days ago we had our first heavy frost.

The early morning air was actually blue, and so was I by the time I

got back from my ramble!

Mud puddle art.

Interesting how the tiniest pine needle and twig shard influence the patterns:

Two different focal points of the same scene:

SOLO RAMBLE IN THE WOODS

A last day of autumn, and it was not raining; it was refreshingly cold, and I had to get outside!

This time I truly did go on a "ramble", with no preconceived idea of where I would go.

I found myself discovering the Tokul Creek area:

But the direction I headed took me past a favorite and familiar stopping place first:

Snoqualmie's old mill pond.

The mountains' reflection was not going to be good because there was a riffle

on the water surface, but I really liked the monotone trees on the opposite shore:

I had to break the "don't center objects" rule for this shot; it was

just so nicely graphic to me:

The woods were dark, illuminated only by the ruffles of the creek.

Plus, the last remaining leaves were giving  their all:

 I was surprised to find an actual trail:

  As daylight faded, I enjoyed the solitude, and the gathering of fog over the trail.

I didn't go any further however, having seen a new sign warning of bear and cougar

in the vicinity.

 I was home in time to settle in with this stamp of approval on my outing:

LOW WATER LEVEL/ HIGH EXPECTATIONS

Pat and I headed up to Rattlesnake Lake - a favorite photo ramble.

We had hoped to find the water down enough to photograph tree stumps with their reflections.

No such luck.  Too much water; there wasn't even a "beach" to walk on.

So, before turning around to head back to the car, I

got these tree reflections:

I love how the colors look like abstracts in oil.

 and watercolor.

 The only other color at the lake:

In my frustrations to come home photo-less,

I grabbed these while they lasted, closer to home:

Variegations in a stand of poplars, with a "me too!; me too!" peak-a-boo maple.

 

GOING...GOING...GONE

I'm a little late in posting these colors, which are now completely gone. 

However, our autumn was especially long this year, and these leaves looked like this

until just a few days ago; less than two weeks for sure.

I was wishing for cold weather to come, so I took these photos close to home as a

tribute to their staying power, and a hopeful farewell too.

This is a reflection in the pond across the street from our house:

We hardly ever get to see a good sunset from our house. 

When it is there, it is usually the fringe edges of a whisper of color that we see.

However, a sunrise like this is not uncommon, seen here

from my computer window:

Here is a good example of the part of a sunset that we see from our front porch, zoomed in .

The clouds show uncertain weather was approaching:

 And this is the normal front-yard view with the leaves screaming just before they dropped:

A drive up the road a bit offered this end-of-season picture: