Thursday Morning After the Rain

 

Fall Color Up Close

 

Michigan landscapes right now are bursting with color, begging to be photographed with wide angle lenses or painted on giant canvases. My mission this afternoon was different. Instead of looking for stunning vistas from the highway, I went on foot around the edge of the woods and aimed in close, focused on sunlit leaves. Many of these shots were done in HDR mode, with three successive exposures stacked together, and the wind often kept those stacked images from lining up exactly, which is okay with me. At least one image was a ordinary single exposure. Nothing more seemed to be required. See if you can spot the one I mean -- and tell me which image is your favorite, because I'm having a hard time choosing myself.

Good Morning, Jack Frost!

 

There was ice, there was snow ...

 

And the wind was very cold --

but there was sunshine, too.

It's a beautiful day in northern Michigan!

A Wild Grape Leaf in Fall

 

Was Friday Peak Color in Leelanau?

 

I Can't Stop with this Tree

 

Hot Buttered Toast...

 

...dripping with honey!

From a Distance ... Or Up Close

 

Michigan autumn is beautiful either way. Agree?

Too Soon They Leave, Too Fast They Fly

Why are these leaves in Omena changing color so soon? Will they fall before fall arrives or hang on through the winter?

Canada geese and sandhill cranes have not left yet but seem to be thinking about it, gathering their energy for the long journey south.

I Meant to Say This Earlier

That is -- Good morning! What a beautiful, shining, sparkling morning after yesterday's rain! The day called out to Sarah, as it did to me, and we had to make time for a little adventure before our day in the bookstore. 

The water at the Bight looked heavenly in the morning sun.

Inland, away from the water, the world was no less lovely.

Sarah waited patiently while her dog-mom obsessed over tiny flowers and leaves and stones along the road (even bindweed and chicory looked great to me) -- and then we stretched our legs and ran back to the car, just for the fun of it!

Here are the fossil treasures I collected this morning. Sarah has her olfactory memories, and I my pocket objects.