I’m looking out at my cherry tree, bare of all but a few last wet leaves, as I sit here at the computer downloading photos. I had forgotten about my trip to Golden Gardens Park a few weeks ago on what was, most likely, the last nice day of Fall before the rains came. This grove of trees at the water’s edge has such a sense of place, the strong verticality of the closely set trunks contrasting with the openness of the water, sky, and mountains. They set off the brilliant color of the leaves on the bluff that sets this long strip of beach from the rest of the city. The long angled light of Fall highlighted the patterns and textures of the bark nicely for my camera.

I feel fortunate to live in a place so filled with natural beauty. I appreciate the change of the seasons here. The storms of Winter come early along with the dark. Our Northern location give us short days and long nights this time of year. It’s a time to cozy up inside, work intently at the studio, and find time to celebrate the holidays with friends. And time to look for inspiration through my photos from the warmer, sun-filled days of the year.

We’re having a beautiful Fall here in Seattle. Through some mysterious set of climate circumstances, we’re having much more vibrant Fall color than usual. We had a few days of sunshine and blue skies and then some gray and stormy days, each one setting off the colors in different ways. And the colors change from one day to the next it seems. This Japanese Maple in my garden went from deep red to brilliant yellow/orange over just a few days. And we’re only one blustery storm away from them all being on the ground.

We’re are doing a small remodel at our house. I say small but, really, is there such a thing when it comes to remodeling? Even though we’re not doing any of the work ourselves the project has expanded to fill all of my time. Between decisions about tile, paint swatches, and bathroom hardware I haven’t been spending much time at the studio.

But one thing I love about any remodel project on an old house is discovering what’s beneath the walls. Our house was built in 1906. These photos show the remnants of old lathe and plaster walls with layers of wallpaper just before they got covered up with smooth, new sheet rock. I love the unintentional abstract compositions and the way they show the layers of time. Each person putting their mark on the wall, making choices about the way they want to live in their home, just the way I’m doing now.

Madrones are one of my favorite trees. I love the way they twist out of rocky soil, their sinuous branches covered with a combination of smooth inner bark and a cracked and peeling outer layer.

This morning I went for a walk around Seward Park with Jim Demetre. He writes about art (among other capers) and has set aside time to walk and talk with artists. He laughed when I asked him if he had an agenda for our discussion. We had an interesting conversation about trees and food, art and family, remodeling and the pleasures of a good down jacket. He’s a charming tour guide and very knowledgeable about native plants.

We stopped along the way in a small grove of Madrones. Some of them are quite damaged by age or the weather but still growing around their scars. Now there’s another topic for conversation.