It happens this way every year – I see all the photos from family, blogs, and on the Internet of bright fall foliage.  It’s gorgeous and colorful and I am oh-so-jealous.  Fall comes later to central Virginia and in early November, I finally decide we’ve missed it.  The colors are nice, but nothing spectacular.

And then the magic happens and peak color happens.  Starting Monday this week, the color change went from pretty to brilliant.  The reds are bright, the orange shimmer, and the yellows look like gold in the sunlight.

I have to pay attention when I’m driving because I want to gawk at the lovely trees lining the expressway.  During lunch today, I was fascinated with the bright red trees lining the apartments behind the restaurant.  I didn’t read, I looked out the windows the entire time I ate my sandwich.  The trees were backlit by a bright sun, shining right the leaves which made it even prettier.  I couldn’t take a picture with my cell phone – the back lighting is hard to get right – but I could enjoy just watching it.

So here’s to enjoying the moment and appreciating beauty in nature, whether the leaves are still up or not (or for other parts of the world, green and leafy).  Remember to look around and simply enjoy what is there right now.

This picture from last weekend has my favorite combination of colors – yellow, maroon & orange, with a hint of green and brown!

Seasons autumn fall colors fall foliage