Autumn Beauty - not far from home

I have a wonderful friend in Tampa, Florida. Over the past few weeks, she has been lamenting the fact that the temperature has been in the upper 80's there. As a transplanted Kansan, she has been longing for a taste of home.

So, I went out to my yard yesterday to capture a few images.

I didn't have to go any farther to get a wonderful variety of color and texture. The last of the yellow roses, with their beautiful orange rose hips, to the fabulous deep veined red leaves of my new viburnums, everywhere I turned, there was something beautiful!

We have had an unusually cool and wet year.

I'm sure that must have helped the trees and shrubs give us such a wonderful, colorful fall.

I love the sunlight pouring through the leaves.

Angie - this post is for you, kid. Miss you tons - and I hope you're enjoying these images of home. . . with the breath of autumn you just can't get at the beach!

The beautiful blue sky was an extra treat yesterday. We have had so much rain, I thought I was in Seattle.

I love this one - so simple, yet so beautiful. These are the little crabapples from our three-year-old pink flowering crab that I love so much. It is a beautiful little tree, and was featured in my blog when we got a dreadful late snow. Fortunately, it didn't ruin the tree.