Comparing the Colors--Year by Year

I have been taking Autumn pictures here in Fairfield Glade since we moved here in 2003. What has been interesting to me is to compare and contrast the different Autumns we have experienced here. One thing I do know from looking at my photos is that one of the prettiest years (as far as leaf colors) we have had RIGHT here in Fairfield Glade was 2007 (which was the year we went through a horrible drought). Then it was fairly dry again in 2008--and we had beautiful colors that year also. This year, however, we have had LOTS and LOTS of rain. And guess what???? Our tree colors here were not nearly as pretty (vivid) as the past two years. (We did see some pretty color ---but we had to drive on the Cherohala Skyway in order to get it this year!)


NOW---am I saying that "Dry Weather = Beautiful Fall Colors, and Wet Weather = Duller Fall Colors" ???? WELL---I have never read that anywhere, but for us here in Tennessee, it has happened for the past three years. We'll just have to wait and see what happens NEXT Fall.


As I went through all of my Fall pictures, I chose one or two from each year beginning in 2003 and ending last year in 2008. I didn't include any of this year's Autumn pictures since, other than showing our pretty dogwood tree, I don't really have many that are THAT pretty. We also were gone off and on for two weeks during October --so that didn't help either. The picture above was taken in 2003. This is one of the gorgeous Sugar Maples which are so pretty in Fall in our area.







This picture was taken in Fall of 2004 --looking from the golf course fairway to our back yard.







This is not really a Fall-color picture---but it was taken in Fall of 2004 when George and I were taking an early morning walk on the golf course. Pretty sunrise, isn't it???









This was in 2005---and was also taken along the golf course near our home.







This was taken in 2006--while we were taking a Fall hike.









Here is another picture of our back yard---taken in Fall of 2006.









This was our Redbud tree in 2007. The leaves turned bright yellow--and were so beautiful. (This year, the leaves on that tree just turned brown and fell off!)









These were some of the colors in our neighborhood in 2007...









In 2007, our Vinca was fabulous in the Lamppost flowerbed (as opposed to this year when it didn't do nearly as well). You can also see a few Pansies coming through.. Once the Vinca was gone, we added more Pansies.







2008 (also a dry year for us) was another beautiful year for Fall colors. This is one of the lakes in Fairfield Glade surrounded by Fall colors.









Finally, here was one of my favorite pictures taken in Fall of 2008. I love this one because of the reflections in the water.


Hope you enjoyed all of my Fall pictures. Each year presents its own unique beauty. Now we'll just have to wait until next year to see what kind of pretty colors we get here.


Hugs,

Part II---Our Yard (minus the leaves)

Be sure and read yesterday's blog if you missed it. This is Part II of the pictures I took on Monday afternoon ---after George and I finished blowing and raking the leaves in the yard. Guess what that picture above is?????? That's one of several squirrel's nests we have around us... Now that the trees are bare, the squirrels lose their privacy!!!!









I took this picture from the driveway --looking across the front yard. You can see some roses, the new flowerbed in front --and the 'lamppost' flowerbed.









Here is a close-up of the Lamppost Flowerbed . We have three round flowerbeds in our front yard. This past week--besides blowing and raking leaves, we also planted 48 Pansies in these three round beds. That will give us some color through the winter. Pansies do well here --unless the temperatures dip extremely low for a long period of time.









This is a close-up of our Confederate Jasmine bush. You can see this bush in the first photo of yesterday's blog. IF you remember from my Summer posts, this beautiful and fragrant bush has fabulous white blossoms all summer. This time of year, the blooms start disappearing leaving a deep pinkish color on the bush. So pretty!!!









Here's one more picture of our front yard ---absent of leaves!!!!! Look across the street into the empty lot. Can you see that big pile of leaves????? Most of those came from our front yard!!!!!









Now you can see the 'lower' side of our home. As you can tell, the English Ivy and our Periwinkle are great ground-covers for this area. In the background, you can see our large woodpiles. The wood to the left is THIS year's wood (which has been aging for a year) and the pile on the right is our new wood for next year.


Well---that's our yard in LATE Fall... I love all four seasons with Fall being one of my favorite times. YES---even with all of the work , I still love Fall. Now I'm getting ready for Winter---a time when hopefully, I can stay inside more and work on my Family History. And of course, that will include enjoying roaring fires in the fireplace most every single day.


Hugs,

P.S. Two Prayer Requests today please:
1. Let's remember ALL of our VETERANS today on Veterans Day. These men and women fought and died for US---and for our FREEDOM. Remember them and their families.
2. Please remember my blog friend, BETTY, upon hearing about the death of her sister.