Falling

I know, I know, the pictures of my fall decorations a few days ago were really intended for those of my readers with matching chromosomes, but here are a few photos we can all appreciate ;D

As I pulled in the driveway, a few weeks ago, this was my view... lovely.  That's actually the neighbors' garage, but it's the Virginia Creeper hanging from the Douglas firs that takes my breath away, especially in the afternoon, when the sun is low and shining right through it.

I walked through the gate into their back yard, to show you the other side.  Different, yah?  Beautiful, but not as dramatic.

Yes, it really is that red.  Most trees here turn golden yellow, so the red is a treat.

I do have an ornamental maple, back in the back, that was just beginning to show...

 

A week or so later I grabbed another shot, because I love that vine :D

We have a tree along the driveway that we don't know what it is.  My grandma (who lived here before us) thought it was a pecan, but it doesn't look like any pictures of pecan trees I've seen.  If it's a nut tree, it's not native here and has never produced a single nut. Who knows.  The bark is smooth and gray, and the leaves are quite large.  And - just now - bright gold.  Reminds me of Lothlorien, in the Lord of the Rings.

Beautiful, with the maple at its peak :D

I've said before that my camera is smarter than me, so I take no credit, but enjoy the results ;D

Especially knowing the colors won't last long.  Even as I clicked away, a cloud blocked the sun.

I'll wait, snap a few more pictures.  Maybe the cloud will pass...

...or maybe not.

We have to savor fall while it lasts, because we don't get much of this...

...before it turns to this.

And this.