First Frost

 

October on the Messalonski

Some of my best images come from my consort. This is one of them. Fall on the Messalonski at the Quarry Trails. 

This first frost seems early to me, at least compared to last year. After the first cold bit, I harvested all of the apples, and am now drying a bunch of herbs. I've dried herbs before, by hanging them in bunches and waiting, but the flavor was always lackluster. Dried green vegetable bits. But with the new dehydrator, I thought it was worth revisiting. I was right. The faster drying in an enclosed container must make the difference.

Fall Gifts

And these are the last of it. . . two eggplant, a large handful of cherry tomatoes, canned applesauce, and sage, tarragon and rosemary to dry. I'm going to dig up one of my rosemary plants and see if I can nurse it through the winter. Not likely, honestly, but worth a try. I used to do this with a banana plant that I had for years in Pennsylvania. That was 25 years ago, when seeing a banana plant outside in a temperate climate was really crazy. Smile. Suddenly, I'm longing for one of those. . .

What more perfect food?

Ah. And that was a cart-before-the-horse moment, wasn't it? Here are images of the apples on the tree. These are McIntosh (I'm pretty sure), and they were late to ripen this year. They made a fabulous pie and very tasty applesauce.

 

 

Not a bad harvest. . .

 I don't feel quite ready for winter. While I'm enjoying the chill in the morning immensely (34F this morning), and the days have been ideal. . .in the high 50's, low 60's. . .I want it to last for a while. So! I went from being annoyed by the heat in Boise, and now a little trepidated by the possibility of early cold in Maine.To quote Bob Dylan, "Maybe I'm too sensitive. .. or else I'm getting soft. . ."

from my bedroom window

This is what I see when I wake up in the morning. The cooler morning walks have been truly wonderful. Jasper is clearly taken with the cooler weather, and so is the Red Maple outside our bedroom window.

Yard and dog

I've been trying to capture the feel of the dappled light here for quite some time. This image is not so successful, but maybe some of it is how it makes Me feel, not an objective feel? Or maybe not. There are things that the lens just doesn't catch as completely as the human eye can. When were were in New Mexico, much was made about the quality of the light. Artists have sought it out, Georgia O'Keefe being only one of many. And it is lovely. It somehow sharpens and softens at the same time.

An attempt to capture dapple light

But the light in these woods is also extraordinary. The fecund quality of these woods is enhanced and, again, both sharpened and softened by it. Just differently. We often have this experience of not being able to tell what color our walls are, because of the way the green-filtered light hits them. 

Leaves, soil and streams of light

 

I'll close with one of nature's own compositions. Leaves and sunstream. What a place.