Maple

I seem to be turning into an iPhone landscape photographer lately. Partly laziness, partly an inability to ignore the amazingly lovely scenes that have been presenting themselves on our walks this Fall. Soon enough we'll move into Winter and I'll be fixated on birds right in front of the house, I suppose. But for now you get a maple that has turned fiery orange. If you embiggen the photo you'll see a tiny person walking up the driveway to the farmhouse, under the tree. That's Andy. He and his wife, Polly, live in the picture perfect farmhouse at Oakfields Farm. They don't own the place, though - they rent the house from the owner, Susan, who lives in Charlottesville and comes out daily to oversee the operations of the farm and the care of her horses. She is the person who owns also Edgefields Farm (contiguous) which is where the pond with the wood ducks is. The extra shows that the wood ducks are still there, and today were joined by the local great blue heron - probably the same one that periodically appears in the creek behind/below our house. At this point I'm starting to think those ducks will be staying until/unless it gets so cold that the pond freezes. Which it sometimes does, but not always. Famous last words - watch them disappear now that I've said that!