With each passing day, the leaves throw off the emerald colors of spring and summer, and glow in the light with gold, and yellow, and orange. The smallest of breezes, brings a flurry of sunshine to my yard; contrasting beautifully with the brown of the earth. Despite the reminder that winter is not far off, it is a most spectacular performance by Mother Nature.

I had errands to do in town yesterday, and made plans to stop at Creamers Field to enjoy and photograph the autumn foliage of the birch, aspen, and poplar. I took Sedona with me for company.

The skies were gray and overcast, but the rain held off. I don't mind photographing under gray skies; the colors almost always pop. On my way to Creamers, I drove through downtown Fairbanks.

A few days ago, I went walking with Hannah through the downtown area, while her daughter had soccer practice. We passed an adorable log cabin with a beautiful garden, and I made a note of its location so I could go back and take a photo. I passed another property, which I've photographed in the past, and stopped to take a photo of it too. I love the way the homeowner sowed wildflowers on the roof of the log outbuilding. I did a little online research of the tax records for the house at left, and discovered that it was built in 1937 and is 687sf. I love that these homes are still standing, and still inhabited, so many years later.

When I arrived at Creamers Field, I was surprised to see so many geese still in the fields. I saw some cranes too, but for the most part, they've moved on to warmer climes. We started our walk near the barn, and followed the grassy Seasonal Wetlands Trail. This trail borders a wetland area where water level and wildlife vary seasonally. In the early spring, the melting snow and water runoff create a huge pond, where waterfowl stop on their spring migration. Click here to see a photograph of this area in the spring. As you can see, the water is gone now, and tall grasses have taken over the basin.

Here are some more photographs that I took along the Seasonal Wetland Trail:

We continued onward to the Boreal Forest Trail. This trail also changes dramatically throughout the year. In the spring, the area is flooded in some areas, and very boggy and muddy in others. There's a beautiful boardwalk that winds throughout the forest, making it accessible to both the handicapped and parents with strollers. Click here to see a photo I took in April, when the area was still flooded with water. Note that there weren't any leaves on the trees either. What a difference 5 months makes!

I took a lot of photos while walking the trail. It seems that everytime you turn a corner, the view changes. I just loved the natural look of the wood beneath the orange-yellow glow of the tree canopy. It was such a peaceful walk, and Sedona and I both enjoyed it.

When I got home, I took a few photos of our house beneath the birch trees. The leaves are really starting to turn quickly, and it looks so pretty - especially in the yard where I now have 16 sunflowers blooming and at least another 8 ready to bloom at any time. What's amazing is that even the tinier sunflower plants with the small blooms are opening up. Perhaps they know that winter is coming and are hurrying things along. They'll sure be pretty when it snows, if this keeps up!

Yellow trees, yellow flowers

I just had to include Airborne

We were planning to drive to Denali Park next week, and then drive the Denali Highway the week after, but with the way the foliage is changing so quickly, we decided to postpone the trip to the park, and instead drive the Denali Highway next weekend. I hope we're not too late for the fall foliage, but even if it is past peak season, the drive will be spectacular as always.

I looked back in my journal to gauge how much time we have left until winter arrives. Last year, we saw our first dusting of snow on September 29th. We did get about an inch, but it melted the next day when the sun came up. Our first laying snow came on October 23rd, and kept on coming. A week later, ice appeared in the Chena River. Based on last year's schedule, this means we only have about 6 weeks until we're under the cloak of winter. I'm not ready!