Show's over

We have a maple tree just outside our 2nd floor bedroom window. We love the way it shades the house in the summer and we love the way it loses its leaves allowing the sun to warm the house in the winter. (On those rare occasions when the sun shines) But most of all we love watching the show every fall as it changes color. I took the picture above on September 23 just as the leaves were beginning to get some tinges of red along their edges.

A week later, September 30, there was noticeable color change.

By October 16 the tree was pretty glorious. For several weeks every October it's a little like having a huge colorful painting in the room. When I spruced up this room several years ago I chose the mottled green wallpaper, in part, to provide a nice backdrop for the yearly show. (It would be even better without the air-conditioner, wouldn't it?)

Today the leaves are gone completely from the tree, but now the view includes the sky and the hills across the way. (Downtown Portland is just on the other side of those hills) The leaves, now a wet, but still lovely, mat underfoot, are waiting to be raked up and hauled away.

I don't think I'd ever like to live in a place where the seasons don't change, appealing as a warmer climate might be. I'd miss the drama.