The last couple of days could very well be the end of the brilliant fall color display.  It lasted a long while considering that the leaves began changing in mid August and it is now early October.

I couldn't resist taking the scenic back roads home over the weekend just so I could take in the final colorful show.  The ponds were still filled with waterfowl; swimming over the calm water, through the magnificent reflections on the surface.

I have enjoyed so many autumn scenes but yesterday I experienced my favorite.  I pass by the Strathcona Wilderness Centre each time I go to work.  When I drove by yesterday, the morning light was perfect.  

There is a trail close to the road.  It is lined with tall aspens.  Enough leaves have fallen to carpet the trail.  Where the leaves once clung to the branches, spaces opened in the thick canopy to let the sun's rays shine through.  The warm morning rays lit the bright yellow aspens with a glow like I've never seen before.  The tall trunks created shadows across the trail, enhancing the bright light coming through the upper branches.  The sunlight combined with the bright yellow leaves created a scene that glowed with warmth, welcoming hikers to a magical autumn wonderland.

Mother Nature's art exhibition is drawing to a close.  The wind has tugged the leaves from the branches.  There has been a killing frost the last two nights.  Beautiful ice crystals covered the leaves.  I stepped onto the deck in the early morning and had another first time experience.  The morning was quiet and still.  I could hear the ice crystals crackling on the leaves in the poplar tree.  By the time I got home yesterday, the leaves had fallen to the ground.

The weekend forecast looks great.  I just might get my leaf bonfire.  It's an annual ritual.  I light the firepit and stoke it with wood and leaves as I cover the lawn furniture with tarps and do the final chores to put the yard to bed for the winter.  This time of year ranks up there with my love of winter.  I'm savoring every color, every fallen leaf, every clear aurora filled sky and all that nature is offering.