Category Archives: Autumn/Fall

Happy Birthday Virgos!

Virgo, the Virgin, August23 – September 22 Virgo has a gentle, quiet soul and a quick analytical mind, which they use for problem solving and helping others, and they also excel at practical long term planning.
https://society6.com/ryanmcgurl/collection/astrology-signs?curator=ryanmcgurl
https://www.etsy.com/listing/683609484/virgo-zodiac-birthday-card-astrology?ref=shop_home_active_10&frs=1

A Hike through Purgatory Chasm

I’m always amazed that for as long as I lived in the Boston area, there is still so much I haven’t seen. Of course this means when I go back there to visit family, there is always something new to do. On my recent trip I took several new to me hikes, including Purgatory Chasm. It was surprisingly crowded considering the cold weather and that there was a football game on. I didn’t mind seeing other people though, its nice to see families spending time together outdoors.

For so late in October, the foliage was still surprisingly green, but the woods were still beautiful. I especially enjoyed the rocky terrain, which is so different from the flat ground and sandy soil around my home in North Carolina.

Overall, the hike was pretty easy. The trail I took started along the top of the Chasm, tracking alongside it, with interesting views down to the floor of the gorge. Then there was the option for a short side hike to Little Purgatory, which follows a stream to a series of little waterfalls. Finally, hiking back out through the Chasm. This part was a little more challenging, with lots of big boulders to scrabble over, but fun.

The hike was beautiful, and although I got some good shots, I’m not thrilled with my photos. The mid afternoon light was uneven, and with dark rocks and bright sky.

I would love to come back to this spot in the winter. I think that with the leaves off the trees the landscape would look even more dramatic, I might even be lucky enough to get some ice or snow. With the late afternoon, just before sunset, light at my back I could get some beautiful shots looking up the Chasm.

Curated Collection, Autumn

I’ve actually been working on Christmas stuff this week, which seems unbelievable to me because its still mid October. But I want to have any new artwork and greeting cards for the holidays finished and posted by early November. And I really should get my Christmas knitting started. Actually should have started that months ago. At the same time I’m still taking fall photos. Can you tell I’m a little discombobulated right now?

So here are some lovely fall artworks for you to enjoy. Check out the whole collection here on Society6.

Fall Foliage Epic Fail

  Does this look like mid October to you?

Last weekend I was in the Boston area, to visit family, not for the purpose of photographing the changing leaves. Fortunately, because I would have been really disappointed. I was still a little disappointed. When I looked at the foliage report a few days before I left, it was supposedly going to be peak color during my trip. As you can see, that didn’t happen. Most of the trees were still really green, and the ones that were changing seemed to be dull brown, not brightly covered.

It was still a good weekend. My grandparents are doing well for the most part. They are all in their mid to late 80s, so they do have health problems, but nothing new or catastrophic at the moment.

I had planned to walk around Boston and take pictures, but since the color was a disappointment, I mostly stuck to some parks near my parents house, south of the city. One new place I checked out was Mount Auburn Cemetery, which is where I took the picture of the Boston skyline. Its a really pretty place to walk, and if you like cemeteries, the old gravestones are interesting.


A dead Queen Anne’s Lace wildflower. One of my favorite wildflowers, I even like them after they are done blooming.

Virginia Creeper. I did manage to find some fall color, this bright red vine growing on the side of a trail.

I love all different pumpkins and squash. I took advantage of all the pumpkins displayed at a garden center to take some photos.

Birch Bark. This doesn’t grow in North Carolina, not where I live anyways. This is from a park near my parents house. I used to walk here all the time, but I don’t ever remember all the birch trees. There must have been some, and maybe I just never noticed because they aren’t that unusual in the New England area. Either way, its been about 15 years since I lived nearby, so what were a few seedlings, has turned into a grove of trees.

How is the foliage where you live? What are your favorite subjects for fall photography?