Autumn window views...

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

Albert Camus

Baby and I have been enjoying the view from almost every window lately.

From her perch, Baby can admire the cherry tree next to the shed.

Orange, gold and red are visible through the slider...

... the family room windows...

...and the living room.

I hope you're all enjoying fall colors in your neck of the woods!

Donna

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and Concord Center

We love visiting beautiful Concord, MA, especially in the autumn.

Amanda was home for a couple of days in mid-October so on a particularly sunny afternoon we decided to visit Concord for a few hours of fun.

That almost always includes a visit to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (click here for last October's Sleepy Hollow post, much more in-depth!).

A closeup of gifts that visitors have left on top of Emerson's grave.

... and in front of Thoreau's grave.


Louisa May Alcott's grave.

And one of the black squirrels that make their home in the cemetery. All of the Sammy Squirrels in our yard are gray (with an occasional red squirrel), so I was quite excited to see this little fellow and his friends as I have never seen a black squirrel before!

After the cemetery we visited Concord Center.

Here is the beautiful (and reportedly haunted) Colonial Inn...

... that I blogged about here last year, including photos from inside the 'haunted' room!

Old church spires against blue autumn skies... gorgeous!

And the old graveyard right next to the church.

Concord Center is just so picturesque. We were a couple of weeks early for the peak fall foliage, but you can click here for my post from last year, Colors of Concord , to see how this exact spot turns spectacularly GOLDEN at the height of its autumn splendor!

Red Lamp Lady is still the mascot for the Concord Lamp & Shade shop. I think she'd look fantastic in our little cottage, but since we don't have any extra room or money these days, I'm afraid she won't be moving in with us...

The colors of autumn were everywhere...

...especially at one of Cafe Chatelaine's favorite shops, Nesting on Main!

They are geniuses with vignettes and arrangements...

I always want to bring a little bit of everything home with me!

There is eye candy around every nook, cranny, and corner.

Be still my heart.. I soooooooooooooooo would love this for our little cottage! Maybe some day!

So Happy 375th birthday, Concord!!! It is always SUCH a pleasure to visit you!

Donna

Happy Halloween....

...from our cottage to yours!

Baby couldn't resist jumping into a pile of leaves, and it didn't matter to her that they were faux leaves on the dining room table. Good thing, because Baby is not allowed outside! But if she were, this is what she'd see in the yard right now...

More faux leaves, but this time in a whiskey barrel.

The maple tree in its gorgeous autumn attire...

... of orange and gold...

The hostas seem especially pretty this fall. The green has given way to a vibrant gold. And as you can see, it's hard to keep up with the falling leaves. They're everywhere...

Some stopped short of falling to the ground, deciding instead to rest on the garden gate wreath.

The side yard sports some shrubs and trees that have donned their orange and rusts, while others are holding onto their green coats as long as possible.


The ivy that climbs the chimney has started to turn...


And if you take a peek in between the leaves...


... you'll see little blue berries. I'm sure they are probably there every year, but to be honest I have never seen them before! One thing about blogging and taking (closeup) photos - you sometimes discover things that might otherwise have gone unnoticed!

I had hoped to post photos from some recent cemetery walks, including Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, MA, but time has not allowed. Although it would have been nice to post those before Halloween, they will definitely make an after-Halloween appearance!!

Hope you and your loved ones, young and old alike, have a safe and Happy Halloween!!!

Donna

October in New England

It was a beautiful 70 degrees here today so I headed outside, with camera in hand, so I could share it with you! (brrrrr... the 40's are predicted for tomorrow!)


We're only on about a 1/3 acre lot, but there's a lot of color going on in our small yard...


Come on along and I'll show you some of it...


The backyard is ablaze with yellows, oranges, and reds.

Our sweet Suchi (Sooshi), who appears in my sidebar, is buried back here...

Every time we dig a hole to plant something, we find BIG rocks so over the years we've (and by we I mean hubby) built a meandering stonewall of sorts...

I actually don't use this birdfeeder anymore...

... but it's never been taken down. I truly like the convenience of the screen feeder off the dining room window (no trudging through the snow to fill it!)

I love our birch trees....

Fungus? Fungii?

One leaf hanging on ....

From behind the stone wall...

The girls thought this small strip of trees along our property line was a huge forest when they were little... They spent lots of time playing in there... And that's where our Suchi is now buried...

This is the maple tree that we lost a HUGE part of during a major ice storm last winter. Thank goodness a good portion of it survived because it's so beautiful...

There's still a lot of green in the yard. It's been a funny fall.. perhaps due to our extremely wet/cool early summer...

Another shot of the maple tree....

Wishing you all the beauty of autumn, wherever you make your home....

Donna