The Fall Color Project: An October Walk

Dave at The Home Garden began the Fall Color Project in 2008. Bloggers are invited to post links to their photos of autumn color at its peak. Last Sunday, I believe northwest Ohio reached the apex of autumn color. I'm delighted to share what I found and viewed through Fuji, a most worthy camera for a novice photographer.

On Sunday Fuji and I went for a quiet walk. The fall color in northwest Ohio is reaching its peak and begging to be captured and held fast.
The first stop, Goll Woods, a 321 acre state nature preserve in Fulton County, offered a pleasant walk.
The deepness of tall stands of trees creates a sanctuary for wild things…birds, animals, plants, moss, fungi, and a humble walker.

The light filtering in...
made me ponder how much brighter the woods will be after the fall of leaves, but with light the dark mystery of a wooded area lessens. Often walks in the woods are quiet sojourns with plenty of time for reflection and introspection. The laughter of children, with adults tramping close behind, and the cries of blue jays punctuated the cool October day, yet there were times when stillness gathered round giving me moments of just being.

On any excursion finding treasures presents excitement and delight. In the fall nature tenders fists full of flaming red, burnished gold, nut brown, and glowing orange leaves collected and preserved by treasure hunters.
Gathered acorns with jaunty caps, buckeyes, and nuts retrieved and pocketed become a remembrance of the day. Then there are the feasts for the eyes that can only be captured through a camera lens…the rich browns of shelf fungi thriving on a fallen limb, tiny colorful, leaf canoes navigating the Tiffin River...
deep blue berries picked over by birds and overhead leaves in shimmering yellows and earthy browns creating a canopy of color against the soft blue October sky.

After traipsing about the paths in the woods, we headed for a picturesque setting in Williams County, George Bible Park. What we, Fuji and I, found were trees on fire...
and liquid reflections softened in a mirror of water.
The small park differs from the forest primeval of Goll Woods. Instead of ancient 400 year-old towering trees, a gentle idyllic setting invites visitors to rest for a spell, breathe in the crisp air, and soak up glorious vignettes awash with fall color.

The ephemeral beauty of fall passes by in the span of a deep sigh. The trees now clothed in ornate gowns will soon drop the colorful covering and stand naked to the world, but that’s another story for another day. Stop before the show is over and if only for a few minutes live the gift that nature presents each fall.

“It is only when we are aware of the earth and of the earth as poetry that we truly live.”—Henry Beston, Herbs and the Earth

All in all, I took nearly 200 photos on my walk. I've selected what I find to be the most interesting photos and if you're up for more fall color, take a look at the Flickr slide show.