Friday, October 19, 2012

Fall Foliage Tour


Are you ready for a fall foliage tour? Please join me as we take a stroll through the backyard before the autumn colors have faded. Autumn is one of nature's best treasures.

This is the maple tree on the western corner of the property.

 
The brilliant fall foliage is such a beautiful contrast with the sky and the fading summer beauty.
 
 
Colored leaves are in abundance.

 
A Katsura tree with apricot-yellow foliage. 

 
I just adore the heart shaped leaves on the branches.


The burning bush has striking red foliage.


It bears reddish-orange berries in autumn.


A smaller maple tree with pretty colors.

 
This Fothergilla bush was planted specifically for its fall color.  It looks nice next to the patio.


Decorating the branches are lovely berries for the birds to enjoy.


Would you like to come leaf peeking with us?  A glorious sunny morning greets us as we take a short drive to southern Vermont and Massachusetts. 
 
 
 The peacefulness of the Roaring Branch.  The river runs alongside the road for approx. 7 miles.  It is widely considered to be Vermont's prettiest river or stream. 
 
 
 
 
The First Congregational Church is located on Monument Avenue in Bennington.  It is also known as the Old First Church and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Don't forget to look up at the canopy!
 
 
As we strolled in the church yard cemetery near the resting place of the poet Robert Frost, a sinister crow happened to stop above us.  One might find it a bit eerie. 
 
 
St. Francis de Sales was the first Catholic church in southern Vermont.  This church dates back to 1854.
 
 
 
 
 
 
The First Baptist Chuch is located on Main Street.
 
 
This beautiful steeple has a glorious bell in the tower.  Can you hear it ring?
 
 
I hope you are still with us as we take a short hike through the Green Mountain National Forest.  This footbridge will take us on our merry way ...
 
 
 
 
 
 
My husband Michael on the bridge.
 
 
 
 
Sunlight illuminates these moss covered rocks surrounded by ferns.
 
 
As we are hiking back I spot a patch of dried wildflowers.  Beauty is truly everywhere. 
 
 
Shall we drive a little farther and head deeper into the Berkshires?
 
 
This imposing stone chapel was built in 1903 and named the Thompson Memorial Chapel.    
 
 
The west transept window, dedicated to President James A. Garfield (class of 1856), was created by noted 19th century stained glass artist John LaFarge and is one of only 400 LaFarge windows in existence.
 
 
This First Congregational Church was originally in brick and constructed in the Romanesque Revival style.  In 1914, the old brick was encased with white clapboard to resemble the neoclassical style, modeled after the 18th century church in Old Lyme, CT.
 
 
What do we have here?  A juvenile squirrel practicing it's balance and forage skills.  I carry this joyous sight with me as we start to head home.
 
 
Before you know it dusk is almost upon us with the sun setting over the lovely mountains.  It casts an amazing glow upon the clouds, and I'm reminded once again how simple things such as this give us so much pleasure - the end to a perfect day! 
 
 
Thank you so much for visiting me!  Did you have a good time enjoying the autumn foliage?  The first photo in my post was edited with the Florabella Collection using the Cream Canvas texture on soft light with an opacity of 60%.   
 
Today I am joining ...
 
Pink Saturday for 'Autumn Foliage' @ How Sweet the Sound
Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper
Sunday Showcase @ Under The Table & Dreaming
Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life
Favourite Photo Monday @ Blueberry Craft and Hobby
Macro Monday @ Lisa's Chaos
Masterpiece Monday @ Boggieboard Cottage
NF Inspiring Photography @ NatureFootstep meme
Garden Tuesday @ Sidewalk Shoes
Outdoor Wednedsay @ A Southern Daydreamer
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Home and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life
Rural Thursday @ A Rural Journal
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner
Fertilizer Friday @ Tootsie Time
Show Off Friday @ What About
Open House Friday @ Bernideen's Tea Time
Flower Art Friday @ Photos by LeAnne
Floral Friday Fotos @ Floral Friday
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense

65 comments:

Sunray Gardens said...

What beautiful Fall color and what great areas to visit just to be able to look around at all the beautiful buildings and great color.
Cher Sunray Gardens

KarinsArtScrap said...

wow gorgeous pictures and beautiful the coloring of the trees leaves.

greetings karin

sharonssunlitmemories said...

I thoroughly enjoyed our meander. Beautiful photographs. Your trees are magnificent - and you had such a lovely blue sky to set everything off.

Dee ⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️ said...

Gorgeous fall pictures Donna! Such amazing beauty.

Dee

Unknown said...

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful...love every photo..fall is a stunning season and you have showed it nicely..

Unknown said...

Beautiful photographs and I especially love the one with the fence and church in the background. Lovely post.

Karen

akawest said...

Very pretty..the dried wildflowers are especially interesting. I like the texture.

Jillian's Bella Rosa Antiques said...

Gorgeous photos....eye candy for a wonderful fall weekend. Thanks!

Jil~Say It With Roses said...

Such a pretty trip among all the gorgeous colors of Fall. Thank You!
♥ Jil

EJ said...

Beautiful colors!



My PINK is also a giveaway so come and check it out, you might want to join. Have a great weekend.

J.Rylie.C said...

Delightful and so pretty!

Come and link up at my Coolor Connectio meme through my PINK entry. Hope you join the fun!

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Thanks for the tour Donna! There is nothing more beautiful than Fall in New England. The colors are gorgeous!

Angella D. Crockett said...

Donna, thanks so much for the gorgeous photos....what a lovely surprise to see the beautiful churches along with the fall colors! Fabulous post!! Blessings, Angie

Clara said...

I love all of the pictures of the old churches in their fall finery. Great photos!
~Clara

Cynthia said...

I love these pictures Donna, all the churches and the bridge. Just beautiful foliage.

Cynthia

Liz@ HomeandGardeningWithLiz said...

Beautiful! Loved the tour. All the churches, river and bridge were awesome! Beautiful shots all of them!

Donna said...

Hi, Donna,
What a beautiful part of the country you live in. I love Vermont, and got to visit my cousin there some time ago. Your pictures are all beautiful.
Thanks for sharing.
Funny thing....when I saw your name.
I was Donna Harbour before I got married. Very similar to yours.

Anonymous said...

Vermont Foliage this year was amazing, glad you had a chance to take all those gorgeous pictures. Thanks for visiting my blog.
peg

Unknown said...

Oh My goodness you have captured fall! Your pictures are so pretty. This is a beautiful part of the country. :)

Love your blog!
~Liz

Unknown said...

I truly love all these pictues but the one's of the tree's with the Churches are so beautiful. I have always thought Church photo's in fall and winter are extra special. Photo#33 is my favorite...and of course the very first one is breathtaking..very nice..

Chubskulit Rose said...

Such a delightful and enchanting scenery.

Healthy Pink Snacks
Have an enjoyable Pink Saturday!

Jennifer Carroll Martin said...

Hi Donna! Thank you so much for visiting my blog - I jumped over and your photos are simply beautiful! Thank you for the wonderful Fall Foliage tour without all the hassle of travel and traffic :-) Gorgeous!!!

Unknown said...

Stunning photos capturing such amazing beauty!

Patty said...

Oh, Donna. What lovely photos. I enjoyed taking the tour with you. I took a walk today and took pictures of the neighborhood but don't know if I will post them after seeing yours. LOL. Have a great week!

Carlene @ Organized Clutter said...

Donna, that was a great post. Our leaves in No Minnesota have been gone for about a month now. Beautiful churches too!

Rhonda Langley said...

Pretty as a postcard! Thanks for sharing your beautiful fall photos!

forgetmenot said...

Beautiful Fall photos. The colors are so bright and vivid. I love the churches and the bridge surrounded by the beautiful Fall foliage. Nice work. Mickie :)

The Tablescaper said...

Such glorious photos and beautiful color.

- The Tablescaper

Judy Biggerstaff said...

Beautiful images, love the colors of fall. The church pictures are so special with the fall colors.

Our Neck of the Woods said...

So beautiful! I love burning bushes. We had one at our last house and I still miss it! I did save some leaves, though :)

Visiting from Sunny Simple Life :)

Robynartdesigns said...

Hi Donna, thanks so much for visiting my blog. Your colours of autumn are just beautiful. Out here in Australia we are in our Spring season, coming up for summer. Hope you have a wonderful week.
Robyn

Jill Harrison said...

gorgeous autumn colour! it doesn't really happen over here because our native trees are evergreen, so I always love to see fall colours from your country. And thanks for the tour also and for stopping by my blog today to say hi. Have a wonderful week.

Faye said...

Last week I commented on another blog that one of the best perks with the whole blogging thing is that readers get to see places they may never get to visit in real life. Your post today just proves that point. I have visited your great state but never in the fall. I can now see why so many people want to visit you at this time of the year. Glorious scenery!

Anonymous said...

I thoroughly enjoyed going along on this leaf-peeping tour with you!

EMily said...

Thank you for the tour! The fall colors are quite beautiful!

Terry said...

Gorgeous photos of foliage and churches, Donna. I really enjoyed seeing all of them. Hope you have a terrific day!

Hugs,

Terry

carol l mckenna said...

Absolutely beautiful 'drive' ~ gorgeous photography ~ (A Creative Harbor)

Anonymous said...

What an amazing display of fall color! I love the first two church shots.

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

Gorgeous photos. The church pictures are wonderful. What a lovely post.

Cindy Adkins said...

What gorgeous photos! I enjoyed all of them so much, but especially the ones of the old church. You have some beautiful trees in your yard. It's such a lovely time of year...wish it would last a little longer!
Cindy

Unknown said...

beautiful!

Everyone welcome to enter: ~Plush Velvet Pumpkins Giveaway ~ it’s perfect for this time of year!

Meihsia Liu said...

Wow...these photos are amazing!

Beverly said...

Happy Pink Saturday, Donna. Thank you for taking me along on this trip. It is our dream to one day visit New England in Autumn. Your photos are stunning, and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour.

Debra at HOMESPUN: http://www.thehomespun.com said...

What a beautiful beautiful tour! I loved it! I think that first church is my favorite out of all of the churches but your photos are exquisite ..

TheChieftess said...

Some beautiful fall color!!!

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

So much beauty in these pictures!

Anne Birdsong said...

Hi Donna, I’m Anne from Life on the Funny Farm (http://annesfunnyfarm.blogspot.com), and I’m visiting from Rural Thursday.

Beautiful pictures! The photos of the church are to die for. Love! Thanks for sharing!

Anyway, it’s nice to “meet” you! Hope you can pop by my blog sometime to say hi…

Jessica said...

Beautiful Fall pictures, beautiful views...really love all your photos :-) Dropping by from Color Connection :-)

http://www.kidsnpet.com/2012/10/visited-oceanarium-at-manila-ocean-park/

Chubskulit Rose said...

Thank you so much for linking up to Color Connection last week, come and join us again this week. The linky is up now.

poppilinnstudios said...

Gorgeous! Love your photos, Donna. My favorite time of the year too. Enjoy your weekend!
-Lynn

Denise at Autumn Sky said...

Fall is my favorite season, but we don't have much going on with pretty foliage. A few trees and the vineyards are changing, so I love seeing photos from other parts of the country.

Nancy said...

Love that red crimson maple by the church, Donna. Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous fall photos with us at Rural Thursdays! xo

Katherines Corner said...

gorgeous, gorgeous, did I say gorgeous? Thank you for your bloggy friendship and for sharing your wonderful blog at Thursday Favorite Things xo

Katherines Corner said...

P.S. Donna 54 comments That is awesome!

Unknown said...

thanks for sharing your fall. It's so lovely!

Joyful said...

What a wonderful series of fall photos. Beautiful!

Lmkazmierczak said...

Bear With Me...Very nice sequence of photos♫ Happy Weekend♥

Beth said...

What gorgeous photos, Donna! I loved seeing the churches and the rivers/brooks as well as how you decorated your gazebo. Your leaves are lovely!

4 Lettre Words said...

These are gorgeous! My husband is from Hoosick Falls, NY...so we stay in Bennington when we visit. It's always so lovely, no matter the season. You certainly found the most amazing colors, tho.

HansHB said...

Great serie of photos. So much different to see in your post!

Bernideen said...

this is so beautiful and a wonderful tribute to fall!

Southern Gal said...

Beautiful shots of fall foliage.

Rosemary said...

Loved the walk thru the fall foliage

Modern Mom said...

Beautiful pics!

White Angel

Joanna said...

Found your beautiful photos through photo friday link up! Absolutely love the first one!