Autumn Splendour

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving, and today I’m giving thanks for the splendours of autumn.  All week the colours have been spectacular!

This  view along the driveway at Glen Villa gives some idea of how brilliant the colour is.

The red leaves are a sugar maple on fire. The white posts in the distance mark the entry to the China Terrace.

On the stone wall of the house, Engelman ivy is a symphony of scarlet, red and maroon.

The ferns are dying back but still offer a sharp contrast in colour to the ivy on the wall.

The colours on the hillside above the Big Meadow are a mix of apricot and spun gold.

The remaining greens make the colours appear even more vibrant.

The fields above the house are equally splendid.

The figures of Abenaki Walking III are in the foreground.

Everywhere along the Timelines trail, the colours are singing — not sotto voce but con brio...

This scene is part of The Clearing of the Land.

…not piano but fortissimo.

At the Skating Pond the ornamental grasses are at their best.

The plumes of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ shine by the Skating Pond.

In an old farm field, the Big Chair is almost shockingly white against the autumnal colours.

The Big Chair and column are part of The Past Looms Large, one section of Timelines.

Up close, the different colours on oak leaves separate into greens, browns and touches of red, making the veins stand out prominently.

Oak leaves have a texture that begs to be stroked.

Even when colours begin to fade, beauty remains.

Ferns in the woods sing a quieter song.

We know that these glorious colours won’t remain much longer. We know that their brilliance means that colder and whiter times will soon be here. But even with the dying of this year, there’s humour to be found.

Who put the apples on the Seigneurie sign? Thanks for the laugh, whoever it was!

Happy Thanksgiving!