Saturday, October 2, 2010

I Heart Fall


Happy October my friends!

This is my most favourite month of the year. I am wrapped around this season like a warm fleece blanket. The air feels so fresh...so good.

And the trees have been turning ever so slowly. What used to sound like a soft wishhhhhh as the leaves flickered in the summer breeze, now sounds like a restless rustle. The leaves are indeed restless. I stood very still in a maple forest this afternoon and watched them fall. Some spun in rapid tight spirals, angry to be separated from the branch. Others twirled in open, loose circles like the graceful arms of a figure skater. And some were completely motionless, except for the slow, quiet drift to earth.

Have you ever been lucky enough to watch a leaf the very moment it separates from the tree? It's kind of like watching a meteor shower. Hoping that you will see that soft beam of light right exactly where your eyes are aimed at the giant sky. Usually you see a flash in your periphery and glance quickly at the fading star before it vanishes. Usually you see the leaf as it is already floating. I have yet to see one detach.

As I set up my tripod and peered through my camera, I would hear soft sounds as though a hiker was approaching...it was only the sound of the leaves settling after their graceful flight through the sunbeams. Little golden whispers, all around me. My only company as I settled into my solitude. Click here to see the images I captured today.

I was happy in those trees. So very much in the moment as I listened, and took in the scents that fall exhales. And as I silently expressed my love for the forest and its beauty, the forest told me how much it loves me too....down by my feet, next to the river, was this most perfect heart shaped stone. I couldn't stop smiling as I returned along the path. The stone in my pocket and a knowingness that love is all there is.

19 comments:

  1. Happy October. We don't exactly enjoy an autumn in Mumbai, but it heralds the end of monsoon, the trees look greener, the sky is bluer and the sea sparkles reflecting the October sun. Nothing is as beautiful as being out there in the nature and you capture it all so well. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. I heart fall too! Isn't it the most perfect time of year? I just wish it lasted longer. :( The other day it was quite breezy and as I stood under our big tree out front, the leaves rained down on me. It was quite magical!

    Happy October Jaime!
    xo Catherine

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  3. you heart fall and it hearts you back with a gift you can hold in your hand. your beautiful words are an autumn not yet here for a while, so i am off to see your pictures. i am still a student of fall love, still saying goodbye to summer though october is here. your words are a lesson in love.

    xoxo
    Debi

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  4. fall is loving all of us right now and i couldn't be happier....

    well, finding a rock as perfect as that one would make me happier, but it is for you to love and hold and caress and keep close to your heart....it truly means something !!!

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  5. You've expressed the beauty of the autumn forest so perfectly - both in words..and in images here. It's all so romantic!!!

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  6. That's how you found the stone? Lovely!

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  7. This is so inspiring and beautiful. I could feel myself there.

    For some reason, it brought to mind an afternoon I spent with my daughters when they were 6 and 5 years old. We were walking across a bridge and stopped to watch the river flowing beneath us.

    "This is like Pooh Sticks Bridge" one of them said - recalling an episode of Winnie the Pooh they'd seen recently.

    So we went down to the river's edge, gathered small stones and reeds - and dropped them over one side of the bridge, running then to the other side to see them flow by. It was a magical afternoon.

    Thank you for triggering this memory for me!

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  8. oh yes...my favorite month too and fall is finally coming here. yesterday i sat underneath my oak and listen to the wind through the leaves knowing they will be falling soon.

    gorgeous write.

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  9. oh your picture is bliss :)
    totally autumn

    and haven't been here for awhile and noticed how gorgeous your new banner photo is also!

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  10. Yes, Jaime, I have been lucky enough to watch a leave at the very moment it falls from a tree. I've also noticed if you watch long enough that every leaf has it's own unique way, it seems, to fall. Some fall so gracefully, some dance, so dive bomb to the ground and others fall in such a way that you can feel the sadness of another season passing. Beautiful, beautiful shot.

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  11. Me too.

    (I am a little envious of your heart shaped rock. I continue to look for them but they are elusive. :)

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  12. I love your point about never seeing a leaf detach. I never have either. You photo drew me in because I collect heart-shaped stones, too. As soon as I started collecting them I suddenly saw them everywhere! I end up giving most of mine away as little gifts and mementos to friends, but I love knowing they are out there!

    Sending you warm hugs, sweet friend. xoxo Gigi

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  13. October is my favorite month in the Inland Northwest. I'm not sure that I've ever caught a leaf at the exact moment of its detachment from the tree, but I have seen, in the distance, a flurry of leaves all falling through the autumn sunlight at once. The bright colors caught in the sun flash like snow or fairy dust--it is pure magic.

    I'm giving away a copy of my short poetry collection this week on my blog, and since you are one of the loveliest people I have connected with, I'd like you to get a chance to participate if you want. =) The giveaway is here:
    http://wingedpaths.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/thank-you/

    Huge hugs to you,
    Amy

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  14. Autumn is my favourite season and you've captured the feeling perfectly here!

    Thanks so much for visiting my blog and for your sweet comments. I visited your website and love your style.

    ~ Lynda

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  15. blissful photos. i miss the changes in the seasons.

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  16. Lucky you and your ♥ shaped rock - so cool. I never used to like autumn, but it is becoming one of my favorite seasons.

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  17. I am just scrolling through your lovely blog. Your photos hold such a special light in so many ways. You know, I just found a rock pretty much the twin of your heart rock...When I get back home to Sooke I will sit down and read your blog. I am in Sydney right now looking after the folks place. I live in Sooke and would love to meet up with you some day. And THANKS so much for all of your kind comments...p.s the pull ferry is a nice stroll from my house!

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