A Taste of Winter in Fall

The first snow has fallen on this mountain and it was not a welcome sight for myself but I know many ski and snowboard enthusiasts were thrilled.

Here is my potting bench on the back deck and my poor bamboo bending under the weight of the wet snow.

With the leaves on the trees still it was a bit much for them, there was a danger of many limbs snapping even though we really did not get more than a few inches.

A lovely dogwood next door. If you look closely you can see the snow is still falling in this shot.

My Butterfly Bush was not holding up well either. It is really about 8 feet tall, I have made sure to cut it back to a mere 12 inches or so for the winter once the snow melted.  That prevents it from breaking and normally I don’t have to do it until late November.

The morning did provide some interesting subjects to photograph. My Spring Delight Japanese Maple looked a bit sad.

Thankfully the sunshine returned and so did the mild temps returning us to normal for this time of year.  Lovely views from my windows.. the same sad dogwood in the photo above now fully recovered and continuing her Fall display.

The oaks across the street at the feet of the tall pines and firs.

More dogwoods, these do not get as much sun so they do not turn as red as the ones that do.

The sun sits lower in the sky this time of year, you can barely make it out on the horizon as it rises for a new day. 

For those of you unfamiliar with how large these pines can get, this photo below is of the base of a huge sugar pine.  That trunk is 4 feet across.  Don’t you know it is pretty scary looking when these monsters start swaying in the wind.

My Happy Chappy rose is still blooming away.  Since the majority of the plants have quit for the year this guy stands out. 

I have been painting in the studio a bit.  I will be back to share what I have been working on and finally get another Learn to Paint post up. 

Until then, stay safe!