Promise of Fall?

A very busy day, with visitors from California and dropping off a few prints for an exhibition in Springfield.

I captured the top of this tree (surely a maple), high in front of our house as the sun was going down. Although only modestly colorful, it's still distinctly brighter than nearly all the other trees around. We returned here from Europe just three days ago and were shocked at how green everything still is--this is Columbus Day weekend. Fall color has been fading the past few years, and we are not optimistic that it will be any better in the the next few weeks.

Over Columbus Day weekend in 1995 a friend lent us her house in Rheinbeck NY (on the Hudson, about at our current latitude) and the leaves were absolutely dazzling--just stunning. I have not seen them so bright since, and I now fear I may not see them so bright every again.