Maine woods

I never cease to be amazed by what trees look like in areas with reasonable rainfall. Like Houston, or Maine. I spent a delightful couple of weeks in the latter location recently...primarily delightful due to the presence of not two but THREE adorable grandchildren. But the local flora, as well as the wonderfully cool temperatures, was another draw.

The photo above was taken in Robinson Woods, in Cape Elizabeth. And here's one from Sewell Woods, in Scarborough...

But you don't have to drive far, in the Portland area, to see wonderful trees. Just down the street is where I saw most of the fall color that I was hoping for on this trip. Unfortunately, rain at the wrong times, as well as generally warming trends, big-picture-wise, are making leaf-peeping more hit and miss. I was a bit too early for the peaks of color, but saw plenty all the same. Mostly on a walk with my host family around their neighborhood cemetery.

As long-time readers of mine will know, during my semester in London ('way back in ought-8) I lived within a couple of blocks of Brompton Cemetery, where I loved to walk, especially with newly arriving guests working to get their bodies on European time. Cemeteries are just wonderful places for walking (and biking, as my granddaughters can attest), and Evergreen is one of the best.

you can see the host family here, although the bike riders are pretty far ahead

Here's another shot of early fall color and monuments...

...and you can see other neighbors also take advantage of the lovely weather and the expansive trails...

The reds are the most vibrant here, and I couldn't resist zeroing in on them (although I'm not happy with this camera's capture of vivid colors; but good news! I've got a new one now and am hoping for great things!)...

The yellows are eye-catching, too, as you can see elsewhere in the neighborhood...

Not only are these leaves good for passive peeping and photo-snapping, but when you've got a super-crafty (in a good way) mom in the house, collecting them can result in these wonderful pieces of art...

Aren't those nice!? In spite of the cold snap I got to enjoy during my visit, there were still lots of flowers blooming in the 'hood. And I'll show you some of those next time.