Hello and a happy new week to you. It was kind of a dreary cozy weekend here in northern Illinois. However, yesterday was dry and the sun came out a few times for about a minute each, enjoyed those brief glimpses. Being that it wasn’t too cold, my husband and I went for a walk in one of the nearby forest preserves. The one we visited yesterday is my favorite; I feel like I am in a fairy tale when I am here.
We don’t get a ton of fall color, even less this year, but the colors we saw yesterday were quite beautiful. I didn’t anticipate taking photos, but I had my phone with me, so I can share some of the magic with you.
Instead of the golden arches these are tree arches.
Make a wish–wishbone tree trunks.
Aspen trees, says my husband. I thought these were birch trees. I didn’t know aspens grew here. Anyway, the shade of white caught my eye as it stood out from everything else.
I didn’t realize that oak tree leaves can turn anything but brown. Now I know they can be beautiful reds and oranges.
I think fairies must live in this old oak tree. I may, or may not, have caught a glimpse of one. 🙂
Whenever I see mushrooms, I must go and check them out; I find them very intriguing.
All in all, it was a good Sunday. I learned a couple of new things and spent some time out in nature, which is always rejuvenating.
Today, it feels like winter, but the sun was shining practically all day long. I spent about four hours photographing doll ensembles today. Now, I will enjoy a cup of tea while I start to edit them.
I hope you’ve had a good day!
❤
Cindy Rice Designs 
Beautiful trees and pictures, Cindy. Thanks for sharing them. Love your darling little sweaters and vignettes that showcase them.
Hi, Susette. Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed my photos. I don’t think I’ve ever had in my possession 6 complete little doll sweaters. It is kind of fun to see them all together. Have a great day today!
Thanks for sharing your beautiful scenery. I always love to see it.
Hi, Wendy. I’m happy you enjoyed them. My “world” probably looks quite different than yours, especially with the seasons being flip flopped. Enjoy your day! ❤
Your photos are fabuloso! What a wonderful place to be able to visit. I’m wondering what oak tree? Looks a bit like our pin oaks. Not native here, but we have them. Leaves stay on all winter and turn brown. Looks like a dead tree until spring when the leaves finally fall off and new growth emerges. Apparently, we just don’t get cold enough for them to lose all of the leaves. Wish they did.
So, I’m on the fence about the Aspen/Birch trees. Leaning towards Aspen although apparently you can have Birch too. Out here, we have non native Birch that have a beetle and kills off the top of most. Aspens in Colorado and probably high country in the Sierra. Would be interested to know the real tree. 🙂 Right now, I have a bunch of spruce seedlings growing in a pot. Received this strange Xmas present last year, Grow your own tree kit. So of course, I had to go along and follow the directions. Go figure. Also have several Fir trees that seem to come up volunteer around here in pots too. And then there are the Redwood seedlings. All need to go to a forest. Not good near houses especially after the fires coming so close. Oh, sorry to prattle on about the trees, but they interest me.
Enjoyed your fun post. Thanks so much for sharing. Can’t wait to see the new outfits/sweaters.
Joy, I think you are a secret arborist, and didn’t tell us. Come on, fess up… Sorry, just kidding around with you.
I know the oaks you’re talking about. I see those in suburban yards all the time. They looks very strange after a snowfall. What fun you are growing your own spruce trees. You can grow your own Christmas tree. Do you have an avocado tree or trees that produce edible treats?
I agree, keep those big trees away from the homes. A non burning tree should be invented. That, a way to move water across the country, so it can be more evenly divided up. Too much here, not enough there, not good. So now I’ve prattled…
Thanks, Joy. I enjoyed reading about your love of trees. ❤
I actually have grown an avocado tree from the seed. A neighbor whose family lived in southern CA gave us some fresh avocados from her parents home. Of course, I had to poke the seed with toothpicks and put it in water. Shortly after a tree began to sprout. I planted it in a pot and it was doing very well. Unfortunately, they do not do well outside in northern CA, so when the neighbor returned to southern CA, she took the now quite large tree along with her in the passenger seat and returned it to her parents home where it was successfully planted. Crazy Joy!
That’s so cool! ❤ Your hard work starting the avocado tree continued on to produce food. I adore avocados; they're my daily habit, love them so much! I have a little compost pile in the backyard where I throw produce waste and coffee grounds. There are quite a few avocado sprouts growing out of the pile. They'll be gone soon, if not already. 😦 Thanks for sharing your avocado plant story!