A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

October leaves in Vermont have a half life of about 10 minutes.  The "red-red rose that's newly sprung in June" outlasts our leaves.  We may have hit the very peak of excellent fall leaves today here, and lucky me, I was home.

My daily-rider is a dull modern bike, but I have a garage (and barn) full of old bikes

Today was also very like the October day I imagined for that opening scene of Up, Back, and Away.

Sooooo, what could I do but get on my bike and take a bit of a ride through the Vermont woods with my little point-and-shoot camera in my jacket pocket?

I am glad I recorded today's ride because it was as beautiful as any I have ever taken. And when I say "recorded" I mean it.

Lucky for you, you other residents of the Universe, I have this new MacBook as well as the aforementioned cheap camera.  I used the computer (and YouTube) to turn the bit of video I took into a very short movie.  My first iMovie manages to be dull and irritating, all at once, which I think is a kind of achievement.  It will give you an idea, however, of why I chose the Vermont woods as the place where magic happens in the book.  That's the movie, right down there.

I wish there was some way to give you the scent of these autumn leaves along with the pictures. It's a big part of the whole fall thing.  Maybe you had better visit...