Love the fall...

To keep in the spirit of the fall, I thought I would shed some light on my new re-discoveries.  Last year, at this time, I was taking a class called Broadleaf Plant Identification.  This class focused on plants that mostly stayed green and did not lose their leaves during the winter.  Because you are so focused on learning the plants, you tend to ignore all the other plants out there.  The broadleaf plants stand out, everything fades into the background.  So the fall colors were okay but they weren't important to me as I didn't know the trees and was focused on something else (a typical problem encountered each quarter with a new ID class).

And then we finally got to the deciduous plants in my spring ID class.  But they weren't changing colors then, just leafing out.  And while it was great to learn the plants and see their blossoms, we didn't see them in their truly colorful stage.  So now that I know these plants, the world has opened to me, much like it has with every new thing I learn.  And of course, because it's education about my outside world, it literally means the world around me is opening up.  It's a very cool experience and one that I enjoy sharing if you couldn't tell from my posts throughout the year :)

So, I would like to point out a few of the plants that I have been walking by lately that have made a great impression on me...

First off... Euonymus alatus 'Compactus' or dwarf winged euonymus

Uh yeah, let's just look at that color.  This is not photo-shopped and, like all these other photos, is taken by my phone!  This plant can seem rather boring all other times of the year but in the fall, it stands out in this hot pink color.  And when I say hot pink, I mean it!  It is one of the more vivid fall colors out there.  This bush is just cool and although most of its leaves are gone, it's had quite a run!

Next we have Cornus kousa or the Kousa dogwood

Close-up of leaves

Kousa dogwood in front of a red maple

Although the Kousa dogwood is in the shade in front of the red maple in this picture, you can see from the picture of the leaves above it, it has a very rich coral color.  The leaves are also unique and it provides such a nice pop of color in this smaller-growing tree.  And of course, let's not ignore the red maple (Acer rubrum)... stunning as well.

And last but not least... the sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

Colors from beautiful gold to...

Hot oranges and corals

This tree has such a stunning array of colors!  It is best when the light catches it... so beautiful.  And now I put it all together... this is a dominant tree on the east coast and probably one of the reasons the fall colors there are so beautiful...

Conway, Massachusetts

I'm not sure if these trees are sugar maples, but this is the beautiful scenery that greeted us when we visited a friend going to school near this spot in 2010.  And, on a side note, it just so happens the same college is the top contender for my next scholastic school move... Conway School of Landscape Design.


But back to here... just a few more... here are the kids enjoying their afternoon stroll...

Milo in his new hoody

Fynn checkin out the scene

Happy fall everyone!


PS.  If you get a chance, go see a fabulous fall-themed show the Seattle Women's Chorus is presenting.  This weekend is the last weekend for Hallows in the Cathedral.  Truly a VERY cool show... I mean just look at the scenery...

So spooky!  Enjoy... we sure did!

To everything (turn turn turn), there is a season (turn turn turn)...

Ah let's set the stage... because I love me some music from the Forrest Gump soundtrack and we need a little background music, please...

It's definitely a new season... Fall, back to school and all that it brings with it.  This weekend I took a break in studying (read procrastinated on school work) and we went to a nearby pumpkin patch.  It was gorgeous weather and so much fun albeit we were the only people there without kids.

Doesn't that look like fun?  There were lots of activities and it was fun to get lost in all the pumpkins.  I was a little saddened by the fact that I didn't find too many imperfect pumpkins.  I always enjoy picking the "Charlie Brown"s of trees or pumpkins... the ones that aren't as attractive.  But alas, mostly perfection.  So I had to make up for it with some mini gourds, warts and all.

And here they are displayed proudly around our doorstep...

And I must say, even though it was unintended, they go very well with our hold-out flowers that grace the stoop...

Diggin the orange...

I always love the fall.  The chance to get back into things like squash and sweaters.  And drink fun drinks like pumpkin spice lattes.  On that note... I'm not one to plug a product but I must say, Starbuck's ad campaign this year for their version of the pumpkin spice latte is very funny... I'll even go so far as whitty.  This is my favorite commercial...

Oh my lord, too funny.  I just envision doing that myself... opening up the door in the morning and yelling "Pumpkin spice!"  Never gets old.

This quarter I have now embarked on the more serious horticulture classes: drafting, business management and weeds.  I am putting in the building blocks for grad school and will hopefully be heading that direction next year.  While I ponder the differences between Landscape Design and Landscape Architecture and how that will influence my future career, I would like to share a recent experience in my weeds class.  But first let's take a trip down memory lane.

In college I was a youth group leader at a local church which was so much fun.  Every fall we would take the kids on a rock climbing/camping weekend at Mt. Erie.  Each year I would be the good leader and let all the kids get up on the rock and I would support from below.  But in my final year, I decided to take the plunge.  Surprisingly, it wasn't that difficult.  Picture it...

http://www.summitpost.org/mount-erie/153999

I'm not sure what the name of the face we were climbing was called but it did look like this.  Anyway, when I got to the top, it was one of the coolest feelings... you truly felt like Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Titanic where he says "I'm the king of the world!"

On a side note, heading to Mt. Erie (which you can drive up) is defintiely worth it as you have some of the most amazing views...

So, back to the current situation.  In my weeds class, we are supposed to bring in samples of weeds with ID cards we make.  Don't worry, there is a connection to these two stories.  Well I didn't know quite a few weeds in my yard so I took pictures and then asked my teacher.  She gave me hints to help me figure out what they could be.  While that was frustrating at first, it turned out to be a good thing.  With the clue, I was able to figure out what weeds I had which was so exciting, a true feeling of triumph!  It turns out I have wall lettuce and nipplewort growing in my backyard.  If you're worried, these are very common weeds in this area.  Anyway, it was a very exciting accomplishment indeed.

That's it for now, just thought it was time for an update.