I’ve come to have a deep appreciation for Northwest falls. I don’t have access to New England. But every year, I become convinced we have the best kept secret here in Seattle. The colors have delighted me to no end this year. It’s a local magnificence, often limited to a few trees partying the color together. Traveling through the South in late October saw a much different effect. It was more like watching a splendid chorus with the synchronized effort of rolling Tennessee hills all changing at once. Seattle foliage is more like a chorus or a surprise glimpse of a single firework. The lack of synchrony means the effect lasts for months with delightful sights newly popping up on my street corner.
November storms are notorious for ending this show by shaking all the leaves down. We have started the equivalent of our NW winter with storms pounding the coast in rapid succession. The temperatures have already dipped to the 20s at night, about as low as we go. So winter has arrived.
I look out this morning at our tree. It is a late bloomer. But now the storm has finally blown all their leaves off.
It truly is the beginning of winter. Fall must be done.