One October Morning

Heavy frost rimed the vehicles and coated the roofs this morning. By 10:00, it had warmed up to 2 degrees and the sun was bright. There is a residual haze on the far side of the lake and in the foreground there are swans. A small flock came in as we were walking and their landing initiated an introduction and conversation with the swans that were already on the lake.
Some of the dots you see are geese or possibly ducks. There was a mixture of water fowl enjoying the day.
This is iconic rural Alberta. Farm buildings and grain bins in the distance and pasture land in front.
A bright splash of orange caught my eye and without my glasses, I wasn't sure if the colour was leaves that were still clinging to the tree or if it was something else. As you can see, the orange is a coating of lichen. A couple of the mature dying tree trunks hosted it; I am not a mycologist so all I know is it's pretty.

Scroll to the next picture.
















I love the trembling aspens. They have lost the round leaves that quiver in the wind and make a sussurant soughing. In fall, the leaves turn bright yellow and are like gold coins. Fall and winter reveals their grey-green trunks. Most aspen do not grow from seeds although they do produce seeds. Groves of trees are clones which have come from the roots of other aspen. This explains why groups of trees lose their leaves at the same time have the exact same shade of yellow.








No walk is complete without a picture of the dogs. Patch, the Jack Russell, is thirteen and had some health issues earlier this fall. Now she feels really good but will only enjoy a walk if we take her out of town so she can't hear guns from the army base, nail guns from shingling or any other suspicious bangs.
The little guy doesn't care where you take him for his walk. He loves them.
We flushed a mule deer out of the long grass and it bounded away. I tried for a picture when he turned to watch us but it was too far away and I think I missed him. Patch chased him for a while but of course, didn't come close.