An Orange Obsession

This is a tree that I love, whose graveyard I drive by every day that I go to work. I think of it as my Sleepy Hollow tree. I've shown it here once before. It's the tree that has two grave stones (one of them says "our mother") gathered into its bosom, and there is something I find peaceful - even soothing - about all of that.

Lately, I've been chasing the autumn colors, and this tree (which I think may be a sugar maple, though its twisty trunk might try to convince you it's an oak) has been putting on quite a show. Foliage photography is a little game of color roulette: watching, waiting, deciding when the colors are "ripe" enough to stop. You want the colors at peak, the whole tree changed; but you want your shots before most of the leaves have begun to fall.

And so on this day, I gave in to my orange obsession. On my morning drive to work, I stopped and spent 15 minutes in this lovely cemetery, which is called Grays Cemetery. I took about 120 shots, most of which include this tree. The day was overcast, gray. The grass was wet. A large group of dark birds, probably crows, had gathered in the top of the tree, making lots of noise.

You can see one of the dark birds in the top left corner of the shot, in motion. And in the background is a charming little barn that belongs to the organic CSA (community supported agriculture) farm next door. There is mist rising off the hills, making its own special kind of magic. The orange color of the tree is just about at peak; beneath it is a soft blanket of multicolored leaves. May the colors continue to linger.

The soundtrack: the Cranberries, with Linger.