What beautiful colours you are getting there Marian! That locust against the blue sky is grand. This is the year of mushrooms here too. I should get some photos to show you. Fun to have the human (and furry) interest in your shots too! I think your walk to the mailbox is longer than mine. I'd guess mine is a 4 minute walk.

Beautiful Marian ! We have very little fall color here yet-but I just love this time of year, that slanty quality of light and our vineyards are spectacular when they turn. Right now though we are still in the midst of the grape harvest, and there is only a hint of the fall color to come...Oh, kind of an embarassing question, but which is Tommy and which is Nolon ??
Kathy in the Napa Valley

Thanks, Marie and Kathy.

Tee Hee , Kathy, How would you know? Nolon is my husband. Tommy is the kittie. Our severe summer drought has diminished the normal lushness in this area. It remains to be seen how the rest of the color turns out. There is always a bus tour this month, of the "Flaming Fall Revue". It starts at the county seat town, and proceeds on a route that the local Forest Service maps out. I went on it a couple of times after we first moved here, but now am surrounded with the beauty, both at home, and every time I go to town ( which is 23 miles from us). People come from all over to go, espacially States close by, like Texas.

Marie, The sky today was grey, so those pics aren't as pretty as the locust tree pic. I have lots of mushroom pics. I love all the variation to be found here. I think it is 600 feet to our mailbox.

Marian

What a treat to go on your stroll with you Marian. You sure have some wonderful fall color and you are really mastering the new camera.

Michelle

Oops! I don't know what happened to that missing pic. I deleted some from PT to make more room, but didn't think I deleted that one.

Thanks Michelle. The color is just beginning. I hope it gets lots better.

Nice tour, Marian. You certainly have an abundance of fall color. I can see why they would offer a foliage tour in the area. Aren't Oakleaf hydrangeas great plants? I probably have half a dozen different varieties now.

Where did the season go?

Sue

OMIGOSH! Bravo Marian.... You're pics have captured all the brilliance and the magic of fall! *Love* those mushrooms too. Something about that pic of Nolon & Tommy and the winding road...tranquil, soothing and a little pensive too. I don't know why but that pic really touched me.

And *your deck*! Is that fabulous or what???? What a wonderful job you did creating such a little paradise for yourself. I know it must have brought you such pleasure this season. You should post a couple pics of it on your fridge so you can look at them all winter and be reminded of the beauty that will unfold again next spring? :-)

Thanks for sharing these pictures Marian. I'm sorry I didn't get to see the one of you though! :-(

Ei

Here is the missing pic:
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Sorry Eileen. No Pic of me . :-) Thanks for the compliments. I have loved that deck view, and will so miss it this winter. But will have lots of beauty indoors, partly thanks to you for the orchids. Did you see where I posted that the first one you sent me is putting on flowerbuds? The slipper isn't showing any sign of blooming, but is growing real well, putting out several new leaves. I am confident that it will eventually bloom. I will try setting it out on the deck next spring. That may do it.
I think both Nolon and Tommy were a little tuckered out from the wood's trek. Poor Tommy keep losing sight of us , and mewing frequently for us...(smile). He is such a hoot!

Thanks Sue. Yes, I love the Oakleaf Hydrangea. I had it planted at the opposite end of the house, and it was doing very poorly. I transplanted it to the current location 2 years ago. It seems to like that spot, as I figured it would.. since I planted it too close to the house! LOL
I wish I had taken time to groom the bed around it, but I am still getting chigger bites, and that is prime territory for them!

Marian, you certainly are mastering your new camera. The tour was great and I'm so glad that Tommy conquered that illness he had this year. Our color is really coming on too, but the canopy is thining out fast. I think from the drought we had most of the summer. Thanks for sharing. Norma

Such a pretty Autumn walk, Marian - thanks for thinking of it. We dont yet have much color going on here in Northern Virginia. I love that Black Gum - such a pretty photo shot that is w/ the winding driveway.

Look forward to seeing more. Thanks for sharing.

-Cindy

Marian, your fall color there is just beautiful. Our foliage has just started to turn here. Nice to see Nolon and Tommy too. It always amazes me how much Tommy reminds me of my old Abraham that I lost a couple of months ago. Thanks for sharing your walk with us.

Eden

Hi gals. We just completed a 'loop' drive to Jasper (our county seat) then to Harrison, and back. The woods are PITIFUL! This summer's drought has really played hob with the trees. So sparse and so much browning. I took all three of my cameras, hoping to see lots of color. There is hardly any! I didn't take one pic! This area usually compares with you Easterner's lovely fall colors. I certainly hope there will be a burst of color before all the leaves fall!

Thanks Norma, Cindy, and Eden, but I sure hope to have better...:-(
I am feeling rather sad about it. I pray that next year will be a better year, all the way around.

Marian

Marian, I just loved going on your fall walk with you and 'family'. I love the photo of Nolon and Tommy taking a break. Tommy is just too cute. You really do have a lot of lovely fall color.

Deanne

Thanks, Deanne. I should have taken some pics of Tommy in the woods. :-)

Marian, I enjoyed your tour....we are getting lots of color now too, but they tell us that because of the drought, the leaves will drop so rapidly that if you blink you may miss the color.

We were just in Harrison yesterday. What a nice town it is! My husband used to travel down that way and he was amazed at the growth. We were in Calico Rock; it was my first time to see the White River....very beautiful. Are you far from Harrison? We went down with my sis and bil from Iowa. They would love to find some White River waterfront property....we left them in Calico Rock and headed home yesterday. We noticed some very beautiful color down toward Gainesville, Mo.

Hi gldno1, I heard on the Springfield news that that area is getting close to their peak, so we should about a week or two behind them. But , as you say, the leaves are falling so rapidly. I think we got more rain recently than Mo., but probably too late to help.

Yes Harrison is growing rapidly, espacially towards Missouri, and to the west. We have seen a huge change in the almost 30 years that we have been back here. I have been near Calico Rock, but not in it. Our son went to Arkansas State, so I would drive that way going to Jonesboro. My only experience with White River is crossing it when we go to Springdale. It used to be more visible before the new highway was put in. :-(
Yes, most of the Ozarks are beautiful, year around.
We live 23 miles from Harrison on top of the Gaither Mountain near Compton. I presume you are in southern Missouri since your zone is the same as ours.

Marian, we are about 20 miles northwest of Springfield, Mo. I would have thought you would be a zone warmer....I guess it is the mountains. We almost went through your town to go down to the Boxley and Ponca area to see the Elk. Have you ever heard them? We understand you can hear them in the evenings.

Marian, your pictures are beautiful!! We're just starting to get some color. Will probably have a lot next week, it's supposed to get really cold in the next day or so....highs only in the 40s!!!
Thanks for taking us on the walk with you :)
Brenda

No, gldno1, we haven't heard the elk. Thank goodness they haven't found our place yet. It is too closed in with woods, and they apparently prefer more open spaces. I guess you 'did' see the elk? They can be a hazard on the highway near Boxley. Jasper has an Elk Festival every year, but we don't go. One of our friends has a pasture/hayfield that they frequent, and are hunted in.
Yes, this 'mountain' is a thousand feet higher than Harrison. Our temperatures range close to Springfield's. Harrison is generally about 10 degrees warmer.

Brenda, thank you, and you are welcome. :-)
We have a low in the 30s in our this week's forecast.

I took more pics of our immediate area in and around our yard today.

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I hope you enjoy them...

Wow Marian , a couple of those have really vivid color. It was cloudy all day here which really made the colors intense. Norma

What nice colour you still have! Reds, oranges and bright yellow green! Our leaves are pretty much gone by now but as I was blowing them off the lawn and into the beds I noticed the hostas have turned beautiful golden shades. Soon it will be time to cut them back before they become a soggy mess that attracts the slugs.
We have lots of black walnuts that have fallen and make the mowing difficult. The squirrels show up more than usual once the nuts are on the ground.

So pretty Marian, here the fall color is just starting.Someday I'll make it out that way to view it in person !
Kathy in the Napa Valley

Very pretty Marian! You have as much fall color there as we do here right now. What a lovely display!
Deanne

Thanks all....

Norma, it was the clouds, and the direction that I was taking the pics, that made the differance in the brightness. A pretty blue sky would have been nice, but I see the colors better when it's overcast. Did you notice the Hydrangea under the Dogwood in the front of the house pic? It has filled oud really well after the deer stripped it. :-)

Marie, the squirrels are shelling out the black walnuts beneath the tree, and eating them right there. It is a young tree so doesn't have a large crop yet, but large trees in the area are loaded, and falling all along the roadsides. I don't care for the flavor of them so don't mind the squirrels getting them. It's the sweet gum balls that make my mowing difficult...:-( Not fun to walk on either! The little sweet gum behind the house isn't big enough to set balls. The big tree in front is a volunteer, but I planted the one in back. It was a big tree, but a strange wind broke all the top half off. Nolon cut it down, and this is a new sprout. I keep debating if I want to let it get big. I hate the balls, but love it's multi-colors.

Kathy, you would love the fall colors here. Spring is lovely too, with the Flowering Dogwoods,Redbuds,and Amelanchiers ( called "Sarvis" by the locals, and "Serviceberries" by others.) We have seen lots of lovely pics of the fall colors in Jain's garden, not far from you.

Deanne, I am hoping to get out on the roads, and take pics of the broader views. It is socked in with fog today, so maybe tomorrow. There are usually some gorgeous hillsides between here and Jasper.

I love the additional pictures Marian. The 3rd to the last is my favorite, what vivid colors. The one time that I was in Arkansas was right around this time in Oct. In fact I keep a vacation journal and we ate breakfast in Harrison on 10-21-94. I noted in the journal how beautiful the hills and all the fall colors were. We also did some hiking around the Buffalo River.

Michelle

Very pretty Marian. We don't have much for fall color around here this year though I heard on the news last night that we're at the peak. We've had too much wind and rain I think. The trees are looking great in your neck of the woods though. Wish I could have taken that walk with you!

Eden

Boo hoo, Michelle...to think you were so close and we never got together! We are close to both of those locations.

Eden, almost all can be seen from our house windows and lots more, espacially golds and yellows. If only it would last for a month or more. I get a thrill every time I look out of a window.

This morning there was an added attraction of a buck deer between the deck and the Dogwood! It was watching me through the sliding glass door. Yesterday an even handsomer buck was out at the far edge of the old garden spot.

Wonderful fall foliage Marian! You have a nice palette of trees and shrubs in your yard-it must be such a pleasure to see it all on your walks. Cloudy days really are the best to show the colors. Thanks for posting and keep on posting as long as you have such vibrancy of color!

Thanks, Monique.
Almost all of our yard trees were planted by me. Only the Oaks, the Serviceberries, and the Ashes were already here...planted by nature. I guess you all recognize the Ginkgo ? I think it is my very favorite.

Here are more of my Saturday 21st pics:
The first two are our driveway Sugar Maple, taken going out and coming back.

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Next is more of the woods back of the pond.

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LLamas in a neighbor's pasture.

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Continuing on, down "Francis Hill".

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And down 'our' hill.

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If you all can continue to open this thread, I may add more from my tomorrow's trip to town. Let me know if you are having a problem with it.

Marian

No trouble at all for me! Very enjoyable!

Keep it coming!

I didn't find much to take pics of in town today. The light was not right for what I did see.
So there are only two more.
The first is of the Maplewood Cemetery.

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The second is of the valley below our mountain. It's not very colorful.

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Marian

Marian, you have made me want to visit the Ozarks! I have never been there, but I love the unpaved roads and path to the mailbox. Must be a nice walk everyday. It looks very peaceful and quiet. Thanks for sharing...

Drema

Marian, thank you for all the work you did to upload these photos (thinking of your dial up connection). They are beautiful photos and I love the fall colors that you captured. Thank you for sharing it with us.

T.

Hi Marian!
I'm so sad that I don't get the time I need to linger on these extra threads-I see I've missed some spectacular color and fabulous photos! You really have such good fall color-ours has been a disappointment-kind of drab: (
It's so exciting to see so much of where you live.
That is such a great image of Nolon and Tommy-frameable!!

Thanks for taking the time to post so many pics.

~Babs

Today's pics, before the rain started. Sorry for the blurryness. I guess I should have put a coat on! Brrrrrr

Pyracantha:
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Dogwood beside Pine tree.
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Tulip tree, with pecan and persimmon on left, and small Dawn Redwood on right( the yellow behind the redwood is a witchhazel, on the back corner of the house.).
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And last, but not least, another pic of the Ginkgo. The Serviceberry is rapidly losing it's leaves,but the dogwood is still great. I really love that Ginkgo!
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Marie, I am sure you know the redwood is deciduous, like the Tamarack. I wonder how many people have thought it died when it shed?
I have a small Bald Cypress also. I planted a Giant Sequoia, but lost it...also a Douglas fir,and a Cedar of Lebanon. I had high hopes! :-)

Marian, you have beautiful fall colors! Thanks for all the time taking the pics and posting them.

We are having a perfect morning for viewing the pictures. I have dial-up so it is incredibly slow, but it is raining outside (hallelujah!) so I am just drinking coffee and waiting.

My son planted a Ginkgo but it was incredibly slow growing and he lost patience with it. They have moved and I don't think he will plant another one. How old is yours? I love the gold color.

Please post a few over on the Ozarks Forum. Maybe it will spur some renewed interest there.

Thank you.

Drema, don't you have unpaved roads in the country there? Most of the county roads here are unpaved. Yes, it is generally quiet and peaceful. Usually the sounds are nature's sounds, but we hear the cousin's saw mill when the air movement is bringing it toward us, and airplanes. The mill is not annoying, since is is a productive sound. I like the sound of planes.
You do need to visit here, both in the spring (when the dogwoods, redbuds,wild plums, and amelanchiers are in bloom), and in the fall. I don't know of anyone who has been disappointed when visiting here. You would be welcome to come out to visit us, also. The road to the mailbox is our driveway. Is is a nice, but rough, walk.

T, I don't have much of a problem uploading pics. The only time it is rather slow, is from My Documents to PT. Since my time is not of importance, I just click on what I want to upload, then go do something else for a few minutes.
You are very welcome, and thank you.

Thanks Babs. I'm glad you found time to 'drop by'. :-)
I almost deleted some of the less spectacular early pics, but decided they were needed for the "Progression" title.

Gldno1, Thank you! As I said to Babs, I almost deleted a bunch so it wouldn't take so long to load, then changed my mind. I absolutely love my Gingko. Yes, it is very slow growing, but I have time to wait. :-) Naturally if a body is not planning on staying in the same place very long, it would be disapointing. Mine is about 15 years old (I think). I may give some thought to posting pics on the Ozark Forum. It just may stir up some responses. Thanks for suggesting it.

Marian