Randomness and a Camera

Wandering with the boys this morning, through grass wet with heavy dew, it was quiet at the park, the only sound an occasional snick from the shutter as I took random photos...





There were so many colors in this one tree, I couldn't believe it...red and yellow, burgundy and gold, orange and green.  It was just glorious in person...











Standing beneath, an umbrella of hues as I looked up...













And underfoot...like fallen stars...









As we headed toward the river, we cut through the picnic area.  I liked the curves and lines of this cement picnic table, and the funny holes in the center sections.  I crouched down to line up the two holes and just as I got this photo, the dogs scampered after a squirrel.  Since they were leashed and I was at the other end, I tipped over like a bowling pin.
 

Nothing like laying in the dirt on a cool Fall morning...though the boys thought it was funny, judging by the licks and tail wags.

After brushing off the debris and smearing mud down my pant leg, I put away the camera and we walked along the path that meanders beside the river.  The dogs were sniffing and snorting, I was enjoying the quiet and the views when I spotted something across the river.  Pulling the camera out of my zippered hoody, I focused on a large rock and hit the telephoto.
 
What a handsome fellow.  A very large Blue Heron...

I took a few more shots, but the boys were getting antsy and no doubt tired of me stopping and starting the walk to take photos, so we carried on until the trail ran out at the small boat launching area.  At this point, we usually climb a hill and make our way back to the car, but just as we're turning for the rise, something again catches my eye across the river.
 
The river is wider here, at the boat launch, so I'm thinking I won't be able to hold still enough to steady the telephoto, but it's worth a try...




A Great Egret.  And wow, not only is this a rare sight of an elusive and beautiful bird, but check out that cave in the rocks--which I didn't even notice before I took this photo.  What a perfect place for a nest or a safe hideaway...








As I was trying to juggle the leashes, my camera and two restless dogs, the egret took flight.  I was really cranky because I'd missed a most excellent shot.  It flew a short ways downriver, just about out of my telephoto range, but I managed one last photo as it landed in the water...

These lovely Fall days will soon be over, the trees will be bare, their vibrant colors gone until the greening of Spring; birds are leaving for warmer climes--already the Turkey Vultures have left for California.  One day they're floating in wide, lazy circles over the valley, the next they're away.  The deer are getting thicker coats, the fawns now teenagers, gangly and confident.

 

I still have much to do in the gardens, front and back, though I haven't had to mow the lawn for a week, or water my pots.  I can almost feel the time slowing down, the hibernation months coming on the Winter winds...

 

And I am so very much looking forward to it.