More fall color in Arkansas
On the morning of November 10th I found this view along US 71 south of West Fork, Arkansas, when we were barely an hour into our 550-mile journey back to Austin. The mix of green leaves, red leaves, orange leaves, totally bare branches, and patches of blue sky was only the first of many bright combinations I stopped to photograph that day. You’ll see some more of them over the next few weeks, mixed with scenes from central Texas.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
It’s almost like a wash of vibrant paint that has found its way into the otherwise less intense hues of tree greens and sky blues.
lensandpensbysally
December 3, 2013 at 7:14 AM
I like your description, Sally. Now that I’ve read it, I can see the horizontal areas of red as if they’d been loosely painted across the picture.
Steve Schwartzman
December 3, 2013 at 7:44 AM
One of those journeys when you never really make any progress but just don’t care! The memories will brighten up any winters day to come. Nice shot.
davidoakesimages
December 3, 2013 at 7:39 AM
That’s a good way to put it, David. There were plenty of stops, and some impulsive decisions to turn down this or that little road to see what photogenic things it might hold. Arrival home wasn’t till after nine at night.
Steve Schwartzman
December 3, 2013 at 7:50 AM
Some of life’s best journeys are along the blue highways and little traveled backroads. One time in the upper peninsula of MI we spotted a 4-bathtub-Mary grotto in a front yard of a farmhouse.
We’ve seen many using 1 tub like these. http://bathtubmary.blogspot.com/ But never 4. Either they were uber catholics, or had recently remodeled all their bathrooms and couldn’t part with the tubs.
Jim in IA
December 3, 2013 at 8:48 AM
It’s good that you provided a link because I’d never (consciously) seen a bathtub Mary, much less one with four tubs. Had I found something like that I’d certainly have photographed it. Going off the beaten track can be well worth the time.
Steve Schwartzman
December 3, 2013 at 9:31 AM
If I did photograph it, it is still in the pre-digital age somewhere in an album. Let me think about that.
Jim in IA
December 3, 2013 at 11:41 AM
Love the mix of color!
dhphotosite
December 3, 2013 at 9:21 AM
Yes, the mix appealed to me, too, at least after the red grabbed my attention.
Steve Schwartzman
December 3, 2013 at 9:32 AM
This is a wonderful example of “more is more”. I used to think the best photos of fall foliage were those with huge swaths of a single color, but I’m coming to enjoy mixed woods, whether it’s a scene like this or something like montucky’s firs-with-larch. I especially like the inclusion of the bare-branched tree – a hint of things to come.
shoreacres
December 3, 2013 at 9:16 PM
Your “more is more” as a statement of diversity holds true for wildflowers as well. An unbroken colony of dense bluebonnets, for example, is usually less interesting to me than one with flowers of other colors mixed in. When it comes to fall foliage, because we have limited amounts in our warm climate, I’ll take whatever I can get, whether of predominantly one color or, as here, many.
Steve Schwartzman
December 3, 2013 at 9:43 PM