Tiny Tuesday : : Leaf

Many trees are totally bare now, but I found this little leaf on top of my car when I came back to it after my coffee, and I liked the look of the red on red, although putting something into the frame to demonstrate its small size would have spoiled the composition.

There was frost on the roof this when I got up this morning, but by the time Ozzie and I took ourselves to Spring Lake, a down vest and a turtleneck shirt kept me warm and provided pockets for keys and phone. I felt so unencumbered that I decided to make this an iPhone only camera day.

The sun lighted the hills with a slightly golden light unique to autumn, and the air was so crisp and clear that they seemed just an arm's length away. There has been enough rain to turn the open spaces between the darker green trees a brilliant, almost unearthly emerald. The lake was quiet and placid, the noisily honking geese having moved on for now.

An egret stalked through the grass on his stilt-like legs, neck stretching out with each careful step as he searched the tall grass for excellent egret fare. Just a few feet away, dogs walked by without a glance at the large white bird. It would seem that much of the avian wildlife here has evolved to recognize the fact that dogs are on leads, and the dogs in turn know that birds can fly and they can't.

OilMan and I had lunch at VJB, the winery down the road with the beautiful patio. There were only a few other tables occupied, I suspect, by people coming, like us, to pick up our wine club offerings and staying for lunch. In a carefully choreographed dance of sorts we picked up our plates and moved from shade to sun as the shade from the winery building marched across the patio.

It is difficult to imagine a more pleasant, if rather self indulgent way to spend a late November day....