Joanne Sisco

October Colour

How can it possibly be the end of October already?!

It seems like I was just knee-deep in summer stuff then, POOF!  It was the end of October.

As usual, when I looked through my photo library for the month, I had an appreciation for how rich this month turned out to be.  There were so many great memories,  but one particular theme stood out – autumn colour.

We had some pockets of unseasonably warm weather which gave me the chance to play a last round of golf amid the changing colours and falling leaves.

Golfing

Fall golfing is wonderful … especially when I get to spend the day with my sister.

Tina - golfingHowever, golfing in October comes with some unique challenges – like trying to find your ball with so many leaves littering the course.

Golfing 2

With the fall colours exploding around us, Helen and I took the opportunity for a day trip into cottage country north of Toronto.  We were rewarded with outstanding views of autumn at its best.

The view from a scenic lookout tower in Dorset was spectacular in spite of the overcast day.

Dorset Tower 3
The tower is 30 metres high (100 feet), but it was built on a hill providing visitors to the observation deck a view of 142 metres (465 feet) above the Lake of Bays
Dorset Tower 4
Photo taken from the car (I wasn’t driving!) travelling down from the scenic lookout tower.

Dorset Tower 6

Meanwhile, back in Toronto at the Scarborough Bluffs, the leaves have been slower to change, but the landscape is no less spectacular.

Scarb Bluffs

Scarborough Bluffs

I don’t normally feature photos of the skies, but we’ve had such interesting cloud formations, they’ve been impossible to ignore.

Scarborough skies
Morning sky over Lake Ontario at Scarborough Bluffs

It won’t be long now before all the colour is gone and we will be entrenched in the grayness of winter.

I can only enjoy the colour now while it lasts.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Seaton Trail

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Changing Seasons is a monthly photo feature hosted this year by Su Leslie at Zimmerbitch.

112 comments

  4. How did I miss this post? Hi Joanne. I love seeing the autumn colors. You did a spectacular job of capturing the trees in all their glory. Great to see you and your sister having such a good time — that’s a fun picture. Hugs on the wing.

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    • There likely won’t be much left by the time this day is over. It was raining yellow leaves on the weekend in the winds and today there is actually a wind advisory in the forecast. It’s going to be a blustery one!

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  7. It’s worse, it’s November already… I vividly remember when I was telling myself this spring that I need to go out and shoot the flowers, which I never did — so last call to get out and shoot the autumn leaves, I guess!

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  13. Your trees looks so pretty. The colors are amazing. We’re having a drab fall, so I’m jealous. I didn’t know you played golf. Is there any outdoor activity that you don’t do? I’m impressed by your umph.

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    • hahaha! The people who know my game would say I don’t actually play it – more like torturing it 😉

      Ironically, even though I’m from the north, I don’t like winter sports. I’ve never been on downhill skis and at this stage of my life, it’s unlikely I will ever try. I’m not a huge fan of falling – especially if there might be speed involved 😉
      Last year I tried skating and it’s terrifying. Again, falling. And again, people who know me question why I would want to try. Maybe this is my version of senility 😉

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  14. I love the colour of autumn leaves. Your photos are all great and it’s hard to pick a favourite. Perhaps I’d have to choose the last one of the Seaton Trail – the colours are so vibrant and the photo so crisp.

    Jude

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    • Thanks Jude. When the sun is out, it’s like the trees light up. It’s glorious.

      I should mention that I’m having a lot of difficulty commenting on your blog – as in, I can’t. I’ve tried through my Google Account and as “Anonymous’ and yet my comments seem to just disappear.
      Love your photos from Portugal. It’s been on my wish list for a long time. Cliffs, castles, great architecture … sounds like my kind of place!!

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  17. Since my wife doesn’t read your blog, I can say what I’d never say in her presence: I do sometimes miss the northern color changes and cooler fall temperatures. If she knew I said that, she might make me sell our home here in Florida! The trees in your photos are so beautiful. There really is nothing like those shades of brown and red on the leaves. – Marty

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    • While the warmer temperatures are very tempting in February, I really have no desire to permanently move south. I like the seasons, I even don’t really mind winter … except that it overstays its welcome.

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  19. I thought the changing of the colours was late this year as well, especially here in the city. When we drove to the cottage last week we were treated to some wonderful colours along the way. The squirrels are eating my pumpkin on the porch. I hope that isn’t a sign of a hard winter to come but I think it might be.

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    • The sad part about fall is that the pretty phase is so short. We seemed to suddenly go from very warm to cold … at least it feels cold compared to the heat we’ve been used to.

      Usually when it starts to cool off, life gets a bit slower but I don’t feel that happening yet. Not such a bad thing 🙂

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  22. Gorgeous autumnal colours and the view from that tower is wonderful. Our temperatures have plunged suddenly and from a fairly mild October we now appear to be heading straight into winter. I hope this doesn’t mean we are in for another cold one, although I prefer cold and sunny to mild and wet!

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  23. So pretty and serene, Joanne. The white cliffs are spectacular and that sky over Lake Ontario! Wow. We are in full color here, but so many leaves are falling now… soon we’ll be looking forward to lengthening days and spring.

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  24. I do love the fall colors, but then winter comes, Ugh! We don’t have brilliant colors yet, I’m hoping they come soon (or else the leaves will be gone without the fanfare). I love taking pictures when JG is driving, that was a great shot. Love the sky photo as well. Enjoy it while it lasts.

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  25. Our fall color has been slow to show. Thanks for sharing yours. It’s good to be able to get outside and move through the woods in late October. Unless you’re golfing, then the woods aren’t do great.

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  30. I’m envious of your Fall colours, Joanne as where I live in Australia we don’t have the same trees. Further South we do, but not in the tropics where I live. We do have beautiful Jacarandas which bloom each October for a short time before they fall and leave a carpet of purple. Nature is wonderful isn’t it?

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  31. Beautiful, Joanne. I’m glad you’ve been out enjoying the weather! I have too – too busy to blog in fact. But will have a Changing Seasons post up soon as the weather is most unpleasant today! 🙂

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    • I was most unhappy to wake up to a dusting of snow on the ground this morning 😕 So far my wish that we would have a long and pleasant fall isn’t working out so well.

      Glad to hear you’ve been getting out to enjoy the weather every chance you get. Looking forward to your Changing Seasons post 🙂

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    • Thank you. Every once in a while I take a photo that really makes me smile. That was one of them 🙂

      Yes – there is no questioning whether we are sisters or not … although I wish I shared her height and leanness 😉

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    • oops – sorry, the sequence of photos might be a bit misleading. The house is actually in cottage country about 2 hours north of Toronto. The only view of the Bluffs is from a small spit of beach at the base of the cliffs – or from Lake Ontario 😏

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  34. Beautiful post Joanne. I loved the cloud formation over the lake. Stunning! I have to admit I was a little jealous when I saw your golf cart standing beside someone else’s….glad you got out one more time! Until next year…

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  35. I’m with you. I have no idea where the month disappeared to. You have lots of nice color there, and it was great that you were able to have a nice golf day with your sister, who, by the way looks a lot like you. Nice shot. That was also a great morning sky photo. 🙂

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    • Thanks Judy. The day I went walking down at the Bluffs, I had so many great photos, it was a challenge to decide which ones to use. What a wonderful problem to have 🙂

      Sadly, I don’t get to spend a lot of time with my sister. She lives about 2 hours away and spends the winters in Florida. In fact they just left on Friday and I miss her already 😕

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  37. Those clouds are seriously cool. Love the variety of autumn colours — from yellows to almost bronze-y reds. Hope the season stretches out a bit further for you to enjoy.

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    • Yes – we’ve been told that all our lives 🙂 We are however quite different – she’s tall, I’m not. She’s thin, I’m not. She’s fair, I’m dark – yet somehow we still manage to look alike 🙂

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  45. Lovely color. We have not had much color yet. Very late this year. “They say” because of the bizarre weather there won’t be much although we are seeing some yellow on our maple and red on our dogwoods.

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    • It’s the end of October and yet many of the trees still have all their leaves. There have been years when we’ve had major winter snow storms and leaves were still on the trees. I hope this year isn’t going to be one of them 😕

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