FALL

We had rain off and on and wind last week --  the first official week of Fall in the USA.  One windy afternoon we were reading quietly when there was a strange and loud noise outside our window.   Here's what we saw:

 

FALL  (two definitions) 2020

 

My first thought was that this poor old tree just gave up on 2020 (because why not? -- It really feels as if we're all just waiting for the other shoe to drop.)   In reality, saturated ground and sudden wind may have had something to do with the tree's demise.    No buildings or people were hurt  and we were happy that it was "not our problem."  That is the head of maintenance for our complex surveying the damage.    I grow fond of trees and it was sad to see whenever I looked out our windows.  This weekend a crew came in and chain-sawed it all away.    

 

 Below are some more conventional (and happier) pictures of Fall around our neighborhood:

 

Weekday walks, Eugene  -- first week of Fall 2020

 

September is such a nostalgic month -- I think because it brings back memories of starting school.   My archives don't  go back quite  as far as those boxes of crayons and new workbooks, but because I didn't have many new pictures for the week I did comb through them.  

 

Fern Ridge Lake Oregon                                              2012

 

I looked for September pictures  that would work for the sharing sites that I like to join.   We spent part of the summer/fall season at the Lake for several years when we were full-time RVers.  (We traveled the rest of the year.)

 

Mergansers, Bald Eagles, and a Bear ---   Haines Alaska 2014

We spent almost four months in Alaska in 2014 -- the trip actually ended in mid-September,  so these pictures would have been taken earlier in the summer.  But I was still blogging about that trip for weeks after it ended.      There was so much to see and do there!   

 

 

 

Vermont  2001

 

I used the above picture in the first FullTime-Life blog post I ever made in September 2007  (and have repeated it every few years to mark the start of the season.)   But it was taken several years before that on our first RV trip out of the western states.  We loved this trip, loved that part of the country,  and loved being leaf-peepers.   

 

 

And here we are back home in the neighborhood in September 2020 --  one of the paths we walk along the Willamette River.  A lovely place for dreaming of the past and planning for the future!  We are grateful for time to do both.

 

Thank you to the hosts of the following  --- for the sharing opportunities they provide and also this week for the impetus to do a search through "the olden days" of the blog so that I'd have pictures that would fit all of the themes! 

  MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;   THROUGH MY LENS;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  SIGNS SIGNS;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;  and  SATURDAY CRITTERS; 

 

Comments

[Arun Goyal]

LOvely post.Its always disheartening to loose a tree .

[Cathy Keller]

You had some really interestig photos! Amazing photo of the fallen tree. Wishing you well and have a grand week!

[Debbie]

this was great sallie, i enjoyed reading!! too bad about the tree, i grow fond of them too. we have many trees we look for, when we are out for a drive - i would miss them if they were gone!! our stormy season has already started, and we have already had many trees down and days without power!! i have not enjoyed much of 2020, lets move on!!!

the mergansers (one of my favorites), bald eagles and bear, oh my, were so fun to see!!!

and i remember that "FALL" picture from the past, that's a clever one!!!

[Rain Frances]

"Perfect" conditions to down a tree that size with such big roots! What a shame! Your photos are lovely, I love seeing the critter shots! Oh the photo of the scarecrows is so funny! Thanks for sharing! :)

[mae]

Your representations of autumn scenes are great. I love the quiet and peaceful ones. Too bad about the tree, but it's good it did no damage.

be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

[eileeninMD]

Hello Sallie,

Happy Autumn! Great variety of photos. I love the Mergansers, Eagle and the bear oh my! The barn decoration is really cute. Will you be leaving for Florida soon, warm weather and sunshine? Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day! Have a happy weekend! PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

[Diane Bohlen]

It must be nice to walk along a river. Great memories of September. We love September because it is Spring and the temperatures are perfect.

[Linda W]

Love the eagles and bear! That "fall" scarecrow picture is funny.

[Margaret Birding For Pleasure]

Always a pity to lose a tree and hopefully another one will be planted in its place. Love the 3 critter images. Have a lovely weekend and stay safe

[Riitta k]

On dear, good that nobody got hurt. Your autumn mosaics are beautiful & the sunset is gorgeous. The bench looks so inviting. Happy weekend, stay well.

[Carol]

love the stuffed characters hanging on the barn

[Peter B.]

LOL, love the "have a nice fall" shot! Looks like you are already enjoying some pretty color. Heat wave here in S CA, so doesn't feel like fall at all. Hopefully soon.

[Suzan Batz]

Love your amble through September and the anticipation of October.
We are still in the summer mode of temperatures..suppose to be 99F. today..I'm so ready for cooler weather.
Sue

[Jim, Sydney, Australia]

We say Autumn in Australia.

[betty - NZ]

I was just commenting to Hubby on our way to town today that things are always changing and your poor tree proves that with a bang! I hope they replant a tree there.
I am enjoying your photos, as always, whether they are recent or old. Your initial post photo is quite versatile each year.

It's great to see you at 'My Corner of the World' this week!! Thanks for linking up.

[Barb]

Glad that tree missed people and buildings! So many in our forests are falling now because of beetle kill several years ago. They're drying from the inside and cracking in high winds. Our fall is nearly over here at high altitude - we're already looking toward winter.

[Joe Todd]

Stopped by to say Hi. You always have great blog posts. All is well here in Ohio. If I can get a little more motivation I'll start blogging again. Stay safe

[Stevenson Que]

Oh Sallie! the fallen tree sure looks scary! I would wanna be near then when it fell haha but that photo you shared from Vermont looks super cute!

[DeniseinVA]

Oh wow, that poor old tree. So glad it didn’t hit anything and no one was hurt. Great photos and I enjoyed the collage from Alaska. I chuckled at the scarecrows hanging out the barn window. Thank you for sharing that again as I had missed it before. We are making plans for a road trip too, but it could be a while I guess. Good to plan though and we'll all be on the road again one of these days. Happy thoughts :)

[Tanza Erlambang]

beautiful images...
love the second photo from bottom.

Have a great day.

[Veronica Lee]

Love your fabulous Fall series, Sallie.

So sad about the tree.

[Yvonne]

Love the barn photo taken on your trip out west. You have such a lovely place to walk close to Your home, to enjoy the tranquility of nature.

[William Kendall]

The bear is quite a beastie!

[klara]

lovely fall series. glad that fallen tree didn't do any harm.

[Bob Bushell]

The tree, can't wait any more, the wind had done it's job. I love the Bear, and 'have a nice fall', funny.

[Wally Jones]

Thank you for sharing a terrific collection of fall images! You have certainly been blessed over the years to be able to travel and enjoy the many beautiful places America has to offer.

Our Florida "Fall" is almost here and bird migration is getting into full swing.

We wish you happiness and joy!

[Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade]

LOL the Vermont photo!
The poor tree, yes, I feel like that tree. Just lay down and give up on 2020. It has been an awful year but we're still here plugging along and thankful because others are worse off.
Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

[bill burke]

So glad that fallen tree didn't hurt anyone. I love that "have a nice fall" photo, it's great!
Enjoy your day, Sallie.

[// Heidrun]

It's always a pleasure to read your post. Falls is so much beautiful, the colors of nature are fantastisc.

Have a good week.

Happy MosaicMonday

[tomthebackroadstraveller]

...it's always sad to lose a tree.

[Lady Fi]

Poor tree! Love your autumn shots!

[Jennifer Jilks]

Wow. That must have been a shock.
We are hoping for rain tomorrow. But not too much!!!
I agree with Margy, that barn is a hoot.

[Florence]

We have had our first cool front today and it is a blessed relief from the heat and humidity. I love all things autumn.

[Fun60]

Fall is on its way. The barn decorations made me laugh.

[NatureFootstep]

lol, there were several kinds of FALL in your post today. But not much red anywhere to be seen. :) Maybe it will come, at least a little. The fallen tree did not seem to have made much damage. Good!

Glad you liked my "fungi-girl! :)

[Lisa]

I like your "conventional" autumn pictures. So very pretty. Shame about that big tree.

[Colleen@ LOOSELEAFNOTES]

You live amongst the wild! We lost our power with the rain, probably pulled a tree up at the roots. I had a nice chuckle at the Fall sign. Let's hope humor and good graces break the fall we are in.

[Alan Bates]

A very nice beginning of Fall post. Sorry about your tree. Not even they live forever. We had one split down the middle and it took a few days for our tree guy to show up and take it down. We were a little nervous. He showed us, it was split all the way down to his final cut on the trunk.
I love the Eagle shot, they winter here and I have seen one occasionallly but to see a bunch like that would be a treat.
Fall is my favorite season, the bugs go away, the snakes go wherever they go, and the brush dies back. The air is drier. Here in Tulsa Fall lasts a long time.

[Lavender Dreams]

That's a great Fall photo...to show EVERY year! I love it. And I'm glad the tree didn't 'fall' on anything or anybody. Sure is a beautiful time of year there. When I spend 3 weeks there several years ago, it was this time of year. I still have such good memories of being there. Enjoy your week!

[Pat]

My neighbor has giant trees on her property and I always worry something like this will happen one day as we get occasional wind storms. WE were so happy we visited Alaska last year before all the restrictions of the present. It is so beautiful there and I'd love to go back one day. Enjoy autumn's splendor, Sallie! It's my favorite time of the year.

[Penelope Notes]

Glad no one got hurt. The tree looks in perfect health but the roots seem too shallow to withstand much water or wind. Surrounded by my neighbor’s trees, it is always a concern on a windy day that one will fall. It’s not always easy to predict which one that might be.

[Penelope Notes]

Glad no one was hurt, Sallie. The tree looks in perfect health but the roots seem too shallow to withstand much water or wind. Surrounded by my neighbor’s trees, it is always a concern on a windy day that one will fall. It’s not always easy to predict which one that might be.

[Gaelyn]

I think it's hard to loose a tree, rather like an old friend. Love all these fall photos and especially the barn.

[Julie Margaret Bryant]

I did enjoy looking back through your photo albums with you, the bear in Alaska and the Fall photo in Vermont were my favourites. Shame about the tree falling down though.
Stay well, stay safe and keep on making those plans for the future. As Winston Churchill once said "if you're going through hell, keep going"!

[EileeninMD]

Hello Sallie,
I enjoyed all your Fall images, past and present. I am always sad to see the trees come down. The Autumn leaves, hydrangeas and views of the lake are all lovely. I love the barn decorations, very cute. Love the Alaska bear too. Great photos. Take care, enjoy your day! Wishing you a great new week!

[Elke]

Wonderful posting with all the photos, be it bears and wild birds or the strop dolls, close to the tree it just doesn't hit anyone. Autumn is here with you.
Happy week
Greeting Elke

[iris Flavia]

Oh, I´m sorry, but you made me laugh with giving up on 2020!!! And the other shoe.
We have to keep laughing in these crazy times, too!
Fall has only happened temps-wise, leaves are still all green.
A bear, how scary!

Dreaming of the past is always good - and glad we can plan for the future, as complicated as it is these ... days, weeks, months...

[Angie]

Sallie - as you know, I spent a lot of time this week going through my archives looking for pictures of Maggie. It was such an additional blessing in that it reminded me of all the wonderful excursions we have had as a family. At one point, my husband looked at me and said "No wonder it takes you so long to write a post - you are easily distracted!!!" Thanks for sharing from your archives for Mosaic Monday - I remember that barn picture from a previous post, and it still makes me laugh!

[Sondra]

Fall is such a beautiful season, it's really my favorite time of year...the wind down from the heat and stress of Summer, now it's time to cozy up and enjoy a hot chocolate and let it all go! Soon we will have a new leader and we can breath a sigh of relief and maybe sleep better!. Happy week.

[Martha]

All such beautiful photos and so nice to see fall has arrived in your neighborhood. Love the fall barn decoration too! :)

[Amy Franks]

My favourite season. Not sure what I'd do if I ever saw a bear though.

[Margy]

The fall barn decoration is a hoot. We aren't walking as much because we only have access to roads and trails when we are in town. I did have mishap walking while we were on a boat trip to some of the small islands along our coast. I wasn't looking where my feet were going and stepped in a pothole. I went flying and when I landed I had a cut on my hand and a weird looking little fingers. We went back to the boat to clean up then headed back to town for me to go to the hospital. Five hours later I had three stitches and a set broken little finger. It's been almost three weeks now but it still hurts. What a way to end summer. - Margy