More Autumn Color
from Cincinnati

It looks as though we may yet have a lot of nice weather in store in Ohio’s generally iffy climate. I am not sure but this evening may be what has been selected as Halloween here in our area as it actually falls Sunday and school the next day.  That was never something that stopped us as kids when I was one of the masked marauders.  We went out whatever night it was and went to school the next day.  Today’s temperature is 69 degrees, nice enough to sit at the end of our drive to dish out the goodies.  I have set there in spitting snow.  The keeklers don’t come here like they used to, there are more fruitful locations that are chaperoned probably a better choice, we didn’t have to worry about terrorists putting hurtful things in our bags when I was going out to gather up the goodies. 

Moving along, we are taking advantage of any day that is nice to get out.  We took one of our favorite jaunts on the 25th.  It rained all day Saturday and all of the good color I saw in the rain and couldn’t photograph at the time was gone overnight.  Not to be cheated out of what might be left, we took one of our favorite scenic drives, about a half hour from our house on Sunday. 

Some of Cincinnati’s most beautiful scenery lies in the Spring Grove cemetery.  Truly gorgeous, it could be a haunting great place for Halloween festivities.  I don’t think they do anything outlandish for Gould and goblins but think it could be a money maker.  I ought to  ask.

Spring Grove cemetery (A short Spring Grove history, CLICK HERE and Spring Grove arboretum SITE, CLICK HERE)  is not only beautiful, it is an historic site as well as very involved in plantings since its beginnings so is classified as an arboretum as well.  The cemetery is not the run of the mill outing for scenic drives but the scenes are not run of the mill, either.  (Civil war generals buried at Spring Grove, CLICK HERE).  Besides the artistic monuments spread over the huge area (733 acres and 40 miles of paved road in this cemetery) there are plantings you might normally see only in another country.  This is a cemetery well worth a visit if you love genealogy or are interested in plant life or just love beauty.  I have photos I am excited about and won’t post them all at one time saving for days I won’t have new photos to share.  So, here is a little more fall color via my camera from the Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio. 

The colors we found were vivid.

This is a Sweetgum tree and the backside is burned brown with some green in it.  It surprised me and it’s still hard to think there could be the contrast from one side to the other. 

The trees above are not an autumn orange but a brown you see on evergreens whose branches have either died or maybe have a seasonal change.  The trees were standing in water and their are many knees in the water as well, like you find with Cypress in the swamps of Louisiana.  You don’t normally see knees in Ohio that I know of.  The height of these trees is around 110 feet, (John’s calculations, not mine). 

This photo taken on October 16 is not in the cemetery but about a mile or 3 from our house headed north towards Kings Island a theme park you may be familiar with.  It was one of the more colorful trees I have seen this season and I was going to include it in the previous entry but it was somehow left out.  You can see clearly we are not the update community with wiring underground.  I guess this dates progress made in parts of the country.  I wouldn’t miss the wiring if it is ever decided to make it disappear from the scene. 

Regards and have a great week,

A bit of Autumn from
Cincinnati, Ohio

The temperatures here are decent.  We have been getting some rain and in some cases a lot but Sunday was another really beautiful day.  I have re-opened my windows for fresh air all day and night.  Boy I hate a closed up house.  I can’t breathe.

No photos on Saturday as we had constant rain but Sunday, we had a good time taking photos most of which will be in later entries.

Here are some photos with a bit of our Fall color in Cincinnati, just a taste of what we got for the year.  Our fall color has not been spectacular but much better than last year, 2003. 

October 16th, this Maple is in good color.  I can remember in my earliest grades in school being required to pick up and bring the prettiest leaves we could find as we walked to school.   I would have preferred to avoid the house and take the photo in the back on the school ground.  Some photos of picturesque homes are wonderful but photos of homes in my neighborhood make me feel like a realtor.  We didn’t have time for picky at the moment.  No matter, the tree deserved its photo taken. 

October 24, most Autumn colors, the reds and orange’s are gone now. We decided to spend the day hunting for color and it began at the end of our street.  Looking north, this photo is taken just behind us but from the other side of the street.  The Kroger store planted these trees alongside their lot and they turn a really fine gold.  I spotted the guy on the cycle and planned the shot.  I wasn’t sure I would get him in a decent focus but, gotcha. 

Another shot looking South from inside the Kroger store lot.  The golden trees were wonders of color and the shadow made them even more interesting.  The little yellow car coming out of the drive helped me make a decision on the shot I wanted to try to catch.  See that blue sky with billowy white clouds?  It was like that all day. 

October 25, This is my street today, the trees are brown and dry, no color left.  The tree in the foreground is an Oak.  The trim job is terrible, making it shaped more like a Maple.  That tree is one my children used to play under when small and it was the scene of a small fight the kids had with the acorns that led to dents in the siding of the house.  I was told I would have to pay for the repairs on the siding.  As I had witnessed the whole thing I said I would be glad to pay for my share of the destruction as soon as all of the parents were called.  The girls had begun throwing acorns at my son when they tired of playing with him.  He retaliated in same.  I never heard anymore on that one.  Anyway, the Oaks have not colored as you might expect them to but only gone from green to brown with none of the normal magnificent color.  Looking East, clear to the end of my little street across the road you see hills in the background and they slope down to the Little Miami river.  I’d say it is about a mile from my house.  My end of the street is in a dip and we stay cooler all year long.  Spring is a few days later than the homes in the sunshine and the snow stays longer and colder on my little dead end.

October 25, directly in front of my house you see lying the signs of Winter.

Regards to everyone and have a great week,