15_the_circle | opportunity cost

[OT from cottage renovations]

November in the Grove is our time for the annual leaf crop harvest, or it would be if it had any market value. Failing that the next best thing is to pile them along the walkways and paved roads from which they are collected by impressively massive and noisy machinery and hauled off to become compost. The nearby Asbury community used to accrete truly massive leaf piles but some sort of development has been underway over there and that part of their facility has been a construction site for rather a while now so our excess biomass has since been diverted to places unknown.

As the leaves turn and fall into the ever-shortening days one has to choose carefully: any time spent moving leaves is subtracted from that available for walking around to appreciate and perhaps record the show, and vice versa.

The images below represent Saturday's trade-off in this regard:
(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)

Step out the back door and the low hanging leaves of the dogwoods are right there, catching the afternoon light.

Cornus florida

Meanwhile out in the circle the Japanese Maples are at it again, leaves glowing like bright jewels:

Acer palmatum

Down at the other end of the Grove the stately sycamore is using the same light into a different, but equally compelling way against a wonderfully blue sky ...

Platanus occidentalis

... and nearby these stellate leaves are not to be overlooked.

Around the corner and a ways down Brown Street the light is helping along this found composition. There's a lot going on here: paint on paint on cement; shadows on brick and mortar; bits of detail that at first seemed extraneous but on taking another look seemed to belong.

Heading back along Oak Street, looking up into the sugar maples the effect was once again completely overpowering.

Acer

Coming back to the Circle one returns just as the light is starting to run out.

127.0.0.1 a/k/a ::1

That was yesterday. This afternoon's images are still in the camera. With any luck they will appear in this space in another day or so.