Autumn Leaves

I’ve always loved the beauty that Mother Nature creates in autumn. The crispness of the air. The bounty of produce and the aromas of autumn cooking. The smell of wood fires and the crunch of leaves under your feet as you walk. To top it all off is the brilliance of colours of changing leaves. A feast for the senses!

The journey from summer to winter often results in being short-changed for our fall season. It never seems to last long enough to suit me.

This year we’ve been a bit luckier. The leaves were starting to get that hint of colour change in the second week of September. By the first day of fall on the 22nd, the beauty of the season was in full swing!

Until about a week ago, we actually had temperatures well above the seasonal norms – several days in the 20C range or even higher! It was windy on several days - which took the leaves down a little faster than most of us would prefer, but it certainly didn’t stop many of us from getting out and enjoying Mother Nature’s handiwork.

Sunday, September 26, the temperature rose to 23C here in Winnipeg - which was well above the seasonal norm of 16.8C. It was a VERY windy day with gusts at 40-50km but I decided to take a walk with my camera and check out Mother Nature’s latest artwork. The leaves were blowing off the trees quickly – some even blew in my face as I walked - but it was surprising at how much was still hanging on.

My photo skills aren't the greatest - especially when you factor in my sight (or lack thereof!) but I really enjoy taking and sharing these pics! I never know how good the shots are until I actually upload them to my PC and see them on a full screen. Sometimes they are too blurry to use and other times I am delighted with what I have captured! I took a LOT of pictures as I walked and created two slideshows from that day.

This first one is all pictures from the walk to and from a nearby park.


Once I was inside the park, the wind seemed to disappear in the shelter of the trees. I could hear it in the distance and above me in the upper branches of the trees, but overall it felt more like a light breeze on a very warm afternoon. In other words, it was a perfect time for a walk in the leaves!

All the pics in this second slideshow are from a park that is about a mile or so from me. I hadn’t been to this park in years. I’d forgotten how beautiful it can be – especially off the paved paths. The views along the dirt paths that run parallel to the river were beautiful. I took far more photos than I planned but was quite pleased with what I found when I uploaded them to my PC and viewed them on a full screen.


I was actually surprised by how much green was still on some of the trees in the park on that first walk, so decided to go back again on the following Sunday - October 3. A lot of leaves had gone down in the previous few days, but it was still a beautiful walk with much to see and enjoy.


What a great way to spend the beautiful autumn days!

Here in Winnipeg, the leaves are pretty much gone from the trees now and the temps have cooled down to more seasonal norms. It was beautiful while it lasted and I look forward to Mother Nature’s colourful display next year.

dn