I miss him

I didn't miss the colorful leaves in Springfield after all. We missed the peak but that is okay. There were other things that needed to be done.


The squirrels there are bold. This one just stared at me so I stared back. I think he has an acorn in his mouth.

I believe these are sugar maple leaves. Isn't that blue sky something?

The day before the funeral was beautiful.
Then it turned stormy and cold, gray and windy.

I like this tree near Murl's grave. The bark has such an interesting twist to it.
Nobody knew what kind of tree it was so we took some fallen leaves back to Emby's house and her daughter, Swanut, with everyone's help and a dichotomous key, identified it as an American Basswood or Linden.


We may be wrong, though, as the Worldbook Encyclopedia at home shows that tree to be much more pyramidally shaped and not so round.

I just needed some kind of reference point if I was ever going to be able to find the spot again.



All the grave markers in that area are the flat kind which makes it a very serene place but difficult to get ones bearings.



So that nobody is under the impression that the fall color of the leaves on the trees in California are not as pretty as elsewhere, here is my Chinese Tallow.

I just love her, even if she is a bit crooked.
And you can't get these colors just anywhere.

(Go ahead, click it.)

Edit: Can you believe it? These trees are considered invasive and are outlawed in many places. Lots of people hate them.

I am dismayed. I will have to check with my wildlife biologist. Ta?