A Sweet November Country Drive

Hello, Dear Friends! As we prepare for the cold, dark days ahead, 

come along with me on a sweet November drive to say

 our final goodbye to another lovely autumn.

This is the road we travel to and from our home in 

the foothills of the beautiful Cascade mountains

 near Mt. Rainier in Washington State. 

I've traveled this road a thousand times. 

It always takes me home. 

 The trees have lost their leaves, revealing their lovely form against autumn skies.  

Red berries of viburnum glow above the tawny colors

of dried grass and underbrush. 

The subtle, soft hues seem so beautiful to me. 

The birds love these berries, which sustain them throughout the long, cold winter.

xx 

"Some of the days in November carry the whole memory of summer

as a fire opal carries the color of moonrise."

- Gladys Taber -

The tall, black cottonwood trees are the last to lose their golden leaves.

xx

" How beautiful leaves grow old. How full of light

and color are their last days."

- John Burrough -

 

Looking back. 

xx

Green and gold. 

An unharvested pumpkin patch. 

Did the farmer overplant? Did he lose an account? 

Did he become ill or injured?

A bonus for migrating geese and other wildlife.  

xx

"October is the month for painted leaves. Their rich glow now flashes round 

the world. As fruits and leaves and the day itself acquire a bright tint just before 

they fall, so the year near its setting. October is the sunset sky; November

the later twilight."

- Henry David Thoreau -

Goats and sheep in a pretty little farmyard. 

Pastel barns for tranquil horses. 

A timeless scene. 

Rural America. 

It looks rather lonely here. 

The corner ahead is the scene of many deadly accidents

and a farm further on was the tragic scene of domestic violence 

murders a few years ago. 

Do you believe that certain places have bad Karma? 

Have you ever arrived someplace that gave you bad vibes?

I'm sure we all have tales to tell! 

xx 

" I know that I have died before - once in November."

- Anne Sexton -

Sunlight breaking through to illuminate golden trees

brightens the spirits as we move on. 

xx

" Now in November nearer comes the sun 

down the abandoned heaven."

- D. H. Lawrence -

A railway bridge over the river has been converted

 into a pedestrian bridge through 

the Rails to Trails project. 

xx

" The river this November afternoon

Rests in equipoise of sun and cloud:

A glooming light, a gleaming darkness shroud

Its passage. All seems tranquil, all in tune."

- Cecil Day-Lewis -

" November at its best - with a sort of delightful menace in the air."

- Anne Bosworth Greene -

An old loading shute by the now defunct railway station. 

I'm sure these walls could tell some tales. 

This little town reminds me of a favorite book and movie;

'Fried Green Tomatoes'. 

I am a big fan of nostalgia. 

Another movie I love; 'Sweet November'

starring Charleze Theron and Keanu Reeves. 

I am also a hopeless romantic. 

xx

Such pretty fencing amidst the tall evergreens. 

xx

"The unwelcome of November rain had perversely stolen

the day's last hour and pawned it with that ancient fence, 

the night."

- F. Scott Fitzgerald -

 Mist-shrouded mountains. 

xx

" So dull and dark are the November days. 

The lazy mist high up the evening curled, 

and now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze;

The place we occupy seems all the world."

- John Clare -

On a clear day, you would see 14,411 ft. Mt. Rainier 

in the middle of this photo. 

An eagle stands guard in the tree. 

Can you imagine waking up to this view every day? 

A very lucky cow. 

 Mt. Rainier rises above the mist like a mirage. 

" The house was very quiet, and the fog - we are in November now - 

pressed against the windows like an excluded ghost."

- E. M. Forster -

Pigeons on the roof. 

A logging truck glides past as we return home.  

Silhouettes. 

These remind me of an Arthur Rackham illustration. 

" Not yesterday I learned to know

The love of bare November days

Before the coming of the snow, 

But it were vain to tell her so, 

and they are better for her praise."

- Robert Frost - 

Almost home. A hole in the sky over Mt. Rainier. 

" It was November - the month of crimson sunsets, 

parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, 

passionate wind-songs in the pines."

- L. M. Montgomery -

xoxo

Thank you for coming along, Dear Friends! 

xx

Today I am linking with: Saturday's Critters.