Colored Leaves, Part 1
Sep 29, 2014 by Arthur
(No, our van didn’t look back and turn into a pillar of stones. This is just one of the interesting things we encountered on our “van trek” into Vermont). It has always been a desire of Bonnie’s to be able to be in Vermont during the season of colored leaves. But, the timing was never just right nor was it convenient for us to make that trip from Tennessee to the hills of Vermont at just the right time to enjoy the changing of green leaves to colored leaves.
The beautiful reds and yellows mixed with the deep greens of the evergreens is truly a sight to behold. So, this year we were able to make the trip that Bonnie has long desired to take. We were not disappointed. After we left Durham, NC and the memorial service for our dear friend Ron Mayers, we headed north out of town toward Vermont. We figured we would arrive at Bonnie’s sister’s home in East Calis sometime near the end of the month of September. That was supposed to be the right time to see the colors that would bring spectators from miles around to witness the changing of the guard from summer to fall.
We were able to enjoy some personalized tour service by Bonnie’s brother-in-law, Don. He drove us all over the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and we of course took many photos. It’s a good thing that cameras today are digital and 35mm film isn’t needed. Taking several hundred pictures by film would certainly cost a pretty penny for film, not to mention the cost of developing all those pictures. But with digital we have the philosophy of “We can delete the ones that aren’t any good.” But, if truth were known, we don’t do that as much as we should. Why? Because… they’re digital, of course. And we can store those on our hard drives pretty cheaply.
Last year on our trek around the edges of the U.S. we were pretty much following the seasons. So we didn’t really get a good look at fall and colored leaves. As we drove through some desert areas we also happened to be driving alongside a river and Bonnie would call out, “Wait! Stop! Slow down! There’s a “yellow tree” over there. Isn’t it beautiful? And I would respond appropriately, “Huh? It’s one tree! …but yes, it’s beautiful! …How many pictures are you going to take of that?”
Well, as I said earlier, we were not disappointed by the sights that greeted our eyes in Vermont. I would certainly recommend to everyone that they make that trip at least once. And, I’m told, it’s best to come around the end of September to see it up front and personal. Plan a little time around the end of the month to allow for God to do His creative work. Sometimes it’s a little early and sometimes a little late. But it’s always worth the wait.
