Monday, October 26, 2009

Great Falls National Park

Yesterday morning, I went to Great Falls National Park. It might actually be the first national park I've ever been to. Along the road and in the parking lot, I was greeted by deer...
It's a beautiful scene even before the sun is all of the way up...

There is a fair amount of rushing water and trees growing out of rock...


It might also have been the best weekend for seeing colorful trees...


And I was being watched...


The Maryland side also had colorful trees...


To understand the scale of the place, look for a photographer in the lower right hand corner...






This helicopter flew past a couple of times...

It was a beautiful day...










Sunday, October 18, 2009

Quiet Morning

I was home for a visit last weekend. The leaves were just starting to change. It was a busy time, but I managed to get out for an early morning stroll with my camera.

This is the old maple tree in the yard. I don't know how old it is, but it is in pictures from when my dad was little...


This is the youngest maple tree in the yard. I can remember when it was moved from the woods and planted here. It was considerably smaller then...

Pink mums in the flower bed at the end of the sidewalk. A fall color?

The lower hog pen shrouded in fog as the sun rises...

I still like trees...

This is a woods we've always referred to as the pines. Note the current lack of pines. They've gotten old and were just cut...

The bottom soybean fields...

The hog's back is beginning to peek from beneath the morning fog...

Bright red sumac...

The morning sun reflected off of the pond through the catty nine tails...

The hog's back makes more of an appearance...

The upper hog pen and the small patch of soybeans...

The bottom fields with soybeans nearly ready for harvest...

The sun is getting stronger and the fog weaker...

The round top had some color...

My dad showed me this. Is it a tree or trees? Either way the branches merged into the other trunk. Very odd...

My little brother's place with the round top in the background...