Bumpy Pumpkins

Nice smooth flawless pumpkins are out. Pumpkins that look like they are suffering from blisters, boils and warts are in. Humans have always been drawn to the grotesque and Halloween is a time when we can explore and celebrate that which might make us uncomfortable or a little scared. There is a perverse beauty in these knobbly pumpkins, each one undoubtedly unique. There is also another benefit. With such an aggressively  textured surface, who will notice deteriorating soft spots or the gnawing of squirrels?

Inconvenient Sunset

Have you dreamed about enjoying a sunset on Key West or imagined sitting in a café, watching the colors reflected in a lake? We usually have no control over where we are when a spectacular sunset appears. This one made the sky seem so much wider as it spread a wash of pinks and purples over roofs and sidewalks. Here it is, along with the lamp posts and telephone wires that inhabit my everyday world. When something like this happens, just stop and enjoy the gift.

Dilapidated House

Although it does not fit the conventional image of a haunted house (nothing Victorian in the style of this sad little bungalow) it has that same aura of spooky near-abandonment. The house is a mystery, partly hidden by the vines that have conquered the chimney and are working to pry up the edges of the roof. Who lived here in happier, tidier days? How did it get to this collapsing unloved state? Too far gone to be saved, what will eventually replace it?

Leaves In Transition

After some too-hot October days, autumn is finally here. In the Appalachian Mountains, north-facing shrubs and trees have started exchanging their wardrobe of summer greens for autumn hues. I love this oh so brief moment, when we can enjoy every color, all at once, and really study the details. Some leaves resist the change, some have lost the chlorophyl in all but their veins, and others have committed to the blazing reds that will carry them on a breeze, down into the valley below.