Tuesday, November 9, 2010

A Harvest of Words and Photographs



I walk in the park in the early morning hours and see the sun rise.
I took my camera along this day to record it's beauty,
and to reflect on the words of poets and sages.


"Even if something is left undone,
everyone must take time to sit still
and watch the leaves turn."
~ Elizabeth Lawrence


"The thinnest yellow light of November is
more warming
and exhilarating
than any wine they tell of."
~ Henry David Thoreau
 

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me,
fluttering from the autumn tree."
~ Emily Bronte


"When the trees their summer splendor
Change to raiment red and gold,
When the summer moon turns mellow,
And the nights are getting cold;
When the squirrels hide their acorns,
And the woodchucks disappear;
Then we know that it is autumn,
Loveliest season of the year."
~ Carol L. Riser


"For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together.
For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad."
~ Edwin Way Teale


My shadow grows long, the sun has risen, my walk is over.
 Even in my little urban park
the beauty of autumn never fails to delight me!


"I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its tone is mellower, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow.
Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer,
but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age.
It knows the limitations of life and is content."
~ Lin Yutang


I am adding this post to Susan's Outdoor Wednesday, and Jenny's Alphabe Thursday .. the letter this week is "H." Thanks to all! Please visit all these wonderful blogs and join in!



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52 comments:

Unknown said...

Beautiful post, and how nice that the little squirrel posed with a smile. We have had lots of rain these last few days, and so many of the leaves are gone. But I did enjoy them while they were here. I love the mood in your photographs, I can almost feel the sweater weather.
Karen

Sheila said...

Pat - I love your early morning photos and the quotes that accompany them! My favorite is of the squirrel in the tree. November sunshine certainly brightens the gray days.

Cheryl D. said...

What gorgeous photos!

Kat said...

Pat, as always your photos are stunning. What a magnificent morning stroll. Love that squirrel, he's a chunky little fellow! Lovely quotes, perfect for your photos. Kat

Claudia said...

"But of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age" - such a graceful way of putting it for nature, for humans, for the world. And you captured it.

pam said...

Love it! I want your morning walking route!

Ebie said...

The colors of the morning light and a little mist is a welcoming scene. Still in bed when you made your first step in the park. But I am enjoying the early mornings through your photos.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Oh, Pat! I absolutely loved this post. What beauty both in the quotes and in the photgraphs. Loved that fat squirrel. LOL! He looks so guilty. I am a HUGE squirrel lover from the word, "go!" And I adore the shot you took of the walk with the trees. All of them are great. Your sunrise shot is really pretty with the sun reflecting off of that bench. You are a marvel with a camera! Thanks for sharing and Happy Outdoor Wed. to you, Pat!

XO,

Sheila :-)

podso said...

I almost felt like I was right there on the walk with you; the photos are magnificent!

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Ahhhh...what a beautiful place place you have for your walks...happy fall!!!

Blessings,
Linda

Christmas is right around the corner…hop over to enter my gift card GIVEAWAY…WIN some Christmas cash!

LV said...

A truly stunning outdoor sights for today. You did an excellent job combining the photos and verses. Nice job.

Tales From My Empty Nest said...

As always, your pictures are gorgeous!!! And I enjoyed your quotes too. I enjoy the beauty of the early morning too. I saw where you won a giveaway recently. Congrats!!! Love & blessings from NC!

Elaine said...

What great pictures One doesn't mind a walk when you have this much beauty of nature to enjoy

Pondside said...

You have a beautiful place to walk.
I marvel at the trees and open spaces you show us, so close to one of the biggest cities in the world.

diane b said...

It truly is a beautiful season and one of the drawbacks of living in the sub-tropics is that we don't experience all those colours but the weather is perfect. I love the second picture the best but the walk in the park was lovely and the words thought provoking.

Ginny Hartzler said...

Oh, my!! This may be my favorite post of yours that I've seen!! As I scrolled through, each picture is better than the next! The pose of that squirrel is so cute! The third picture and the last two are my favorites. You have an amazing photographer's eye!

Proud Italian Cook said...

I love the photo about the light of november, you certainly captured it perfectly Pat!

RNSANE said...

Such beautiful autumn photography and the quotes are perfect and very thought provoking.

I've just gotten home today from a four day hospitalization...no fun being a patient though I am always amazed at all the gadgetry in this modern day. I remember spending hours counting IV drops, adjusting, etc while, now, machines do it all.

Anonymous said...

Pat,

Lovely shots! No I didn't get your letter from San Francisco....I was worried about your too! I will write this weekend. Glad you are OK

Lynne

Mary said...

Pat~ Love your long shadows and early morning light slanting through the trees! That squirrel photo made me smile :-) Wonderful quotes too~

Anonymous said...

So pretty,love these photo's,down south we have lots of loblolly pine so we don't get the color as much...BUT,thankfully we can share those amazing sunrise.
-Jo
-LazyonLoblolly

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

What a great place to start the day Pat. Very inspiring and I'm so glad you took along your camera to show us the sites.
Sam

RoeH said...

So pretty! Nothing beats early morning. When you coming out to Arizona again?

Old Kitty said...

Awwww Pat!! I feel very mellow and autumnal now. I love the poems and quotes you've added here - they compliment your beautiful pictures perfectly. Thank you for sharing your walk here - it's great to know that even in the most urban of places, there are precious spaces for greenery and nature to thrive! take care
x

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Good Morning, I wish I were more of a morning person because I love seeing the sunrise. We can't see it from our home due to the mountain ---but I always love it when we go to our special cabin in Arkansas.

You had a fabulous Fall walk in the park --and your pictures are fabulous... Looks like you may have been the only person there that early... That is also special.

Thanks, Pat.
Hugs
Betsy

Gracie said...

The first of the poems really suits me......

Carol said...

Your pictures are stunning! Looks like one fantastic morning! I love the leaves that have dropped, can hear the crunch under the feet in the crisp morning air! Beautiful!

La said...

Thank you for taking me along on your morning walk. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Have a wonderful day! La

Tracy said...

This walk is rejuvenating to see in photo alone, so can imagine the bliss of actuality in the great outdoors! Love all these quotes... And that squirrel... *sigh*... It snowed here today--2 inches, which will probably not last long, and almost no leaves now. Many thanks for your lovely stop at my place yesterday. :o) Happy Day ((HUGS))

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Autumn has always been my favorite season. Your words and pictures were beautiful today.
♥, Susan

Judy said...

Beautiful pictures...and beautiful words to go with them! The 'more mature' I get...the more I enjoy this season...autumn. And you captured the feeling of autumn perfectly.

GailO said...

I wish I had the energy and motivation to get out that early in the morning! The light you captured is amazing...and the quotes you found to go with them are perfect...this could be a book on an ode to autumn:)

Lovella ♥ said...

I so enjoyed all the little poems to match the pictures. I thought for a moment that the squirrel in the tree picture was loaded on it's side . .but what a fun surprise to see the squirrel sitting on the teensiest branch.

The sun is shining here today. The leaves will be cleaned up .. again. It's so much more pleasant on a dry day.

steviewren said...

You're a woman whose made of better stuff than me. Early morning is a lovely time of the day, but I doubt I will ever be outdoors at that hour to see the day begin. The photos are beautiful...I will be content to see the dawn through your eyes.

dianasfaria.com said...

Thoreau's quote about November's light is so true!
and you have captured it perfectly in your pictures Pat!

H said...

Fantastic photos. The images are so clear and the light is stunning. What a wonderful way to begin the day :)

Carol said...

What a beautiful place to take a walk.

Donnie said...

Those were gorgeous photo's. Happy Outdoor Wednesday.

Betty said...

Thank you for sharing the beautiful Northeast Fall! Wonderful photos and poetry.

lissa said...

great photos! I like the Bronte & the Lin Yutang quotes

genie said...

What a superb post with wonderful photos and quotes. That squirrel captured my heart immediately. He looks so cute up there in his tree. Your photography is beautiful.

Anonymous said...

These are beautiful pictures, and you've picked wonderful quotes.

Teresa

Kathleen said...

Stunning pictures and word pictures!

Annesphamily said...

Pat this is so beautiful and I am always intrigued coming over here. Love the blog and all your creativity and heart you put into these posts! Love and Hugs Anne

Jeanne said...

Hi Pat, this is a lovely outdoor post. Your photos make me want to be there. Love the squirrel. I am always amazed at how they sit so still when one is taking a photo.

Happy outdoor Weds.
Hugs, Jeanne

Anonymous said...

Stunning phots and lovely quotes Pat. I love Autumn the best of all seasons with it's lovely colours.

We're having wind and rain at the moment.

Sorry this is such a catch up with you. I had a week of flu then a week of catching up with the real world before catching up with Blogland. :-)

Yes I have started making for Christmas -just.

Congrats on the big surprise- I was always wanting to know and my gut feeling was wrong both times with mine. LOL

Unknown said...

I loved getting to see the beauty you see as you walk. It is amazing. The quotes are wonderful too.

Susan Anderson said...

What a wonderful, pictorial journey!

Thanks for taking me along...

=)

Jenny said...

Pat. Your lovely journey through November made my heart feel warm and calm.

That sounds silly, perhaps, but the combination of your quotes and the amazing pictures just really touched me.

Thank you for this incredible stop on our little journey through Alphabe-Thursday.

You are a woman of compassion and vision.

I'm so happy our paths have crossed.

A+

And a big hug from the teacher, too!

Blooming Rose Musings said...

What a lovely morning walk. How can one not be inspired by such beauty? As always, your pictures are beautiful and the prose is perfect. I can almost feel the crispness of the autumn air.

Linda said...

Wonderful post as usual...you have a great park to walk in...and what a pretty sunrise through the trees...lovely!

Judie said...

Oh, yes. This is an excellent post. I can relate to this!!