Autumn 12-09-23

We do have seasons in SCalifornia,, but they are not as spectacular as more northerly locations.   We need  the  temp to drop  to 40F for  some plants to turn color, whereas  some just turn brown and quickly fall.   The thermometer has only dropped to about 45F, so not  much  color. 

This block wall is covered with  Virginia Creeper (I think).  The NW facing side is pretty much still green.

I've  fiddled  with this image trying to show the redness, but this is the best I can do.

KoKo gets impatient when I spend too much of his walk taking pictures.  

The Nandina along the drive-thru at Starbuck's becomes more red each time we go there.

There will be a lot of leaves and twigs on the ground tomorrow morning. The wind has been strong all day and is still howling tonight at 10pm.

The palms lose huge dry fronds if the homeowner doesn't have them trimmed. 

Did you know that outdoor Sanseveria grows berries?  This poor plant is still recovering from the yard cleanup in early summer, but it is gutsy enough to put  out a few berries.

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Autumn in Southern California 09-23-23

The first  day  of autumn and there are quite a few plants blooming.  No autumn leaves here for at least another month or so. 

Mexican Bird of Paradise.

Crepe  Myrtle

Rose of Sharon  (a hibiscus)  with  a little caterpillar damage.

Bougainvillea

Kangaroo flower

Plumeria  (Frangipani)

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It must be autumn 11-02-20

I have been housebound for a month now and it seems that autumn just passed me by.  There re several streets in Fullerton that are lined with gingko trees and I usually cruise by several times during the season, just to get a heartful of the gorgeious yellow glow.  These are from previous years. 

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Autumn pictures 10-24-19

Guess my neighbors are not so into Halloween this year.

At least this guy is whole - as a skeleton can be.  

Sweet gum (Liquidamber)  leaves on blue fabric.  

On this day in 2012 I was at Bishop Creek on the east slope of the Sierra where my husband and I loved to go camping, fishing, and hiking. 

The aspen tress are amazing. 

And there are towering Jeffrey pines to provide contrast. 

 Bishop Creek was not very full, less so than in years when we have lots of rain. 

It is a beautiful, peaceful area and I think I will schedule a trip up for next autumn.  

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"Last Walk in Autumn" 11-03-18

Autumn it always a time of memories for me.  My late husband Floyd and I both loved the season and especially to go up to the east slope of the Sierra for a last camping trip of the year.   He died in 1990 and when I participated in the Journal Project in 2007 this is one of the quilts (8-1/2" X 11") that I made.  It is based on several photos taken on our last trip in 1989.   I pin it up for a month or so this time of year. 

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Autumn is here, I think 09-25-18

The leaves are starting to fall.  They don't turn colors much due to the drought and just the dry SCalifronia climate, but there are some trees that turn a little bit.  I used to have a weeping birch near my front door that turned lovely varied colors, but they are not long lived trees and it died (as did many others in the neighborhood) several years ago. 

These pictures are from October 24, 2006

And here is an autumn quilt that I made in 2006 and donated to the first SQG November Fest auction.  I hope someone is enjoying it this colorful season. 

"Autumn Trellis" Del Thomas  2006 Approx 24"W x 32"L

Cotton fabric, cotton batting, cotton thread.

Machine pieced, appliqued, quilted.  

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Sorry, not tonight 10-28-17

Oh, Dear!  I guess I will have to give up on those fast round trips in just a few days.  I have been wiped out today and have not been able to get through the pictures I took on the way home.  Since they were strictly point & shoot whilst driving I had to dump about half of them.  But I wanted to show you the difference in the two routes - I-5 and Hwy 101.  Very different drives.  So, I will work on them tomorrow after meeting friend Liz for coffee.  I'll take KoKo in his stroller so he can have his fill of staring at everyone and everything.  As long as no other dogs are around he is happy in the stroller, but I keep the leash tightly in my hand in case another dog comes into the area. 

Here are some pictures from Mary's area above San Juan Bautista.

There are two redbud trees close to the house and they are lovely in the fall.  Almost gone by now though. 

Those heart shaped yellow leaves are enchanting.

This the front yard - just California Live Oaks and fallen leaves.

The tree by the driveway that Mary immortalized in a quilt which is in the TCQC.

The native Toyon trees are covered with red berries in the winter - very Christmasy.

And right beside them are masses of poison oak which has such beautiful colored leaves in the fall and winter.  But beware - it really is poison, don't touch.

The madrone trees do very well in this area, but they are a short lived tree.  Fortunately they leave many tiny trees growing when they die.

Buckeye trees are plentiful, growing wild. See the buckeyes hanging in the top right quadrant of the picture.

 

And here they are in close up.

This is the motel down at the bottom of the hill, right on CA156 Hwy.

The locals call it the "Bumpy Motel" because of this peculiar stucco surface.

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Wordless Wednesday 10-18-17

 

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Road Trip Maine - Just driving today 09-02-16

Not much to take pictures of - blue sky with little fluffy white clouds, trees both deciduous and coniferous, cars, trucks, construction zones, a few farms in the distance, three horses and a herd of dairy cows and some goats.   Much of this too fleeting to snap a shot.  I tried to pick up a bit of the first changing of the leaves, but again too fleeting as I drove past.  You may not be able to even see the difference in these images.   Just a hint of yellow, orange and red.  I only saw a few sumac turned the lovely red, but I wasn't quick enough with the camera.   Tonight  I am in Erie, Pennsylvania, at another HIE.  It is attached to an indoor water park and is very noisy with children running around and hollering.  Glad I have my earplugs to help me sleep.

 

 

 

 

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Another Del quilt from long ago. 05-12-16

Here is a quilt I made after taking a class with Sandi Cummings at Empty Spools Seminars. The leaves are cut from the same fabric I used on the back and machine appliqued over the "trellis".  I donated this one to Surfside Quilters Guild for the first November Fest. 

 

"Autumn Trellis" Del Thomas  2006 Approx 24"W x 32"L

Cotton fabric, cotton batting, cotton thread.

Machine pieced, appliqued, quilted.  

Detail of raw edge appliqued leaf.

Label on the back of the quilt.

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Autumn and Repairs 09-23-15

Lombardy Poplar - San Juan Bautista - Oct 2008

 

Autumn officially arrives sometime tonight, I believe.  With the heat we are having it is hard to believe that my favorite time of year is here.  Perhaps El Nino will bring early rains to put out the raging brush fires and give some relief to our dying landscape trees.  This wonderful Lombardy is gone now - a victim of the drought, I think. 

 

My car is in the shop for a new bumper from where some jerk backed into me when I was traveling last summer.  Something got joggled loose this summer and there is enough of a rattle to be irritating when on the highway.  Meanwhile I am driving a Ford Focus that is so low it makes me feel I am sitting on the pavement.  With the Dodge Caravan and then the Lexus RX I have become accustomed to sitting up high and feel at a disadvantage being so low.  But I have enough to do at home this week that I won't be driving much.

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Remembering Bishop Creek 11-01-14

It has been two years since I drove up to see the aspen trees above Bishop, CA, along Bishop Creek.  It is an area that my husband and I tried to visit every year - either for the trout fishing or just to look at the fabulous landscape.  This trip was October 24, 2012.

Bishop Creek is lined with willows and aspen. 

The road climbs to over 8000 feet and can be closed in snowy weather.  

The little town of Lone Pine is at the base of the Sierra.  One of these peaks is Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in California and the lower 48 states. 

Driving home through the Owens Valley there were herds of wild elk grazing.  

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