It's my favorite time of the year...in spades! So, as you'd guess, even in the midst of a pandemic, Astrid and I wanted to get out to enjoy the colors. But, much to our surprise, even by now, at the end of October, we're still only at the beginning of our tree changes.
So, what you get in this post is what we DID see. We really weren't that disappointed!
First, on October 10th, Saturday, we went to our nearby Lingebos in Vuren, just 6 km from home. It's actually an artificial forest (284 acres) created by the government in the 1960s as a recreation area. To be honest, for how beautiful it is so near to us, we should go more often!
This is what it looked like that day, with only a few trees changing colors.
But as you see, there was plenty to see.
And just about everything else going to seed!
I didn't even see Ms. Ladybug until I got home. A nice surprise.
Mother Nature knows that even what we might see as imperfect is perfect.
I immediately thought of this from Martin Luther King, Jr:
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
Then, just as it started to rain, we had a fleeting glimpse of the Childlike Joy we all need these days.
From my first photo to the last, it was only 35 minutes.
But we were filled up.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
The following Saturday, on October 17th, we decided to try another forest, the Mastbos (1409 acres), this time in Breda, 40 km from home. It's one of the oldest pine forests in the Netherlands, planted in 1515 with Scots pine seeds from Nuremberg, Germany.
This was where we parked and started our walk.
Before turning off from the main road, I loved the sunlight on the cut lumber.
Once again, the color change was still at it's beginning.
But still...enough to make us happy!
We weren't the only ones out that day.
But sadly, the next day many roads to the forest were closed because of coronavirus,
which is spiking now all over Europe, as well as the rest of the world.
We were lucky to have been there right at the wire.
We needed the autumnal fix!
We had seen the Bouvigne Castle, from 1554, as we drove into our parking spot,
and made sure we walked back to it before leaving.
(No, it wasn't open.)
Then, while walking back to the car, this is what we saw all along the path:
Lichen is one thing and actually stands on its own.
But then, it was like the Faeries came out in force to serenade us around their homes.
Some of these I've never seen before!
Some made me believe in growing older gracefully.
Some reminded me of why "it takes a village,"
something we so desperately need in these estranging times.
And because it's almost Halloween, how about a big
BOO.
(It actually creeped me out!)
This time we had 2 hours of filling up our senses with, and I repeat myself,
my favorite time of the year. God willing and the creek don't rise,
maybe we'll get another walk in before it's all gone!
Till then, let's hope and pray next week's American Presidential Election remains as "calm" as possible.
(sigh)
I think we got as lucky as we got with all the mushrooms we "collected" be able to sink a ship... Maybe it was too warm yet to make the colours change, from what I heard is if we get close to freezing at night, the colours will pop. I hope we get another shot at the colours, you know what they say: "three times is a charm".. What a great collection of mushrooms you got and the Autumn feel too. IHVJ.
ReplyDeleteInstead of getting all the colors we wanted, Astrid, we got more mushrooms than we ever could have expected. I think we may have gotten the better end of the stick?! Thank you for sharing this experience with me!
DeleteNou julie 2-de poging is heel goed geslaagd met al die prachtige paddenstoelen collages
ReplyDeleteWat zijn dat er véél, echt mooi
De 2 herfst missies zijn dus goed geslaagd :-)
It may not have been what we expected, Marjolein, but we definitely were not disappointed in either place!!! Bedankt.
DeleteMmmm fall. And beauty all around! Wonderful how you've captured it here.
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly, Ruth.
DeleteI love the collages you made of the people and nature, the details you featured and the overall beauty of nature and people.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marie. It all has filled up my senses!
DeleteIf this is what you are seeing now, you are at least a week or so behind us, but we are late, and I have no idea how rains yesterday and today will have changed things by the time the sun shines. Good to know you are both well. All’s well in CT for us. The world is sore.
ReplyDeleteWe do know that we are behind, Ted, but I have a feeling in a couple more weeks we'll be seeing what we expect! In the meantime, the world IS sore, in so many ways. The coronavirus is raging out of control even here in Europe, so we're feeling it all closer than ever now than the rest of this year. We also see what's happening in America. And now we wait for the week that is to come, trusting it will not fly off the rails. I don't expect to have any clear result till a week from today, Friday. Can we hang in there that long? Surely. (sigh)
DeleteSo beautiful! My favorite season as well…
ReplyDeleteWe are into countdown now…my stomach is in knots.
He MUST GO.
Sending love…stay safe!
xoxo
Robin
Please pay attention to the Hubbell newsletter you got me onto, Robin. It really has helped keep me sane these days. It's not over till it's over, of course, which means not a one of us is forgetting 2016. Hang in there. Hopefully by a week from now we'll know with pretty much certainty who has won. The entire world is hoping with us. Trust me!
DeleteOh my lord, looking at your photos give me a semblance of normalcy. Thank you. You know what a fangirl I am with your photos, but those fungi shots are another thumbs up. I can't remember a time that you posted mushrooms, but these shots are excellent.
ReplyDeleteThe election over, I can breathe a sigh of relief.
Most kind of you, Maria. Thank you. I think ALL of us can breathe easier these day, even though it appears the entire Republican party has not yet conceded. How can they until their boss does???!!!
DeleteI enjoyed your walk and those photogenic mushrooms. That pine forest must have reminded you of Georgia? I’m going to drive back to Atlanta to vote in mid December when early voting starts for the senate seat.
ReplyDeleteMy younger daughter (the physician) just called me and told me not to go grocery shopping anymore, even during senior hours. She said her hospital (in suburban Nashville) has no more beds; they can’t even take care of patients from car wrecks or heart attacks. She explained that if a “super spreader” goes into a store it gets in the air, and even if you walk in there a couple hours later you may catch it. Many of those 160,000 people who caught it in the US yesterday wore masks and kept distances, but the super spreaders explain it. As for the elections here, it will be a while before people can discuss politics. Being French I was used to talk about it with people from different viewpoints without animosity – not here. A GA blogger (from Dublin, GA – south GA) came and wrote a nasty comment on my blog. I published it because I enjoy all opinions, but I still think we should be polite and understanding.
Bless you, Vagabonde, for your commitment to the voting process, AGAIN, during such a tenuous time in our pandemic lives these days. I should be receiving my runoff ballot this next week and plan to mail it immediately, if not sooner!
DeleteIn the meantime, please stay careful during these unprecedented days of super-spread. Your daughter is right. We're hearing every day on CNN about hospitals running out of room. Let's just hope people are sane and wise enough to stay home during the upcoming holidays. God have mercy.
PS. I just checked, that blogger who wrote a nasty comment on my blog, she and her husband emigrated to the US from the Netherlands, how about that!
ReplyDeleteI declare! It shows you how ignorance can come from anywhere!!! :(
Delete