October 15, 2014

Autumnal Equinoxity

Returning to The Ranch at the end of a long day on patrol, I found myself piloting the TDS MINI Cooper Mobile Tactical Unit westward into the setting autumnal equinox sun on a cloudless evening:



The roadway climbed upward into the setting sun, incrementally directing more of the sun's rays into my field of vision:



Brow furrowing (above) as the brilliance intensifies.....



Eyes now closed (above), the trillion candlelight luminosity burning through my eyelids and bestowing upon me abilities of superhuman, x-ray vision.



Flibbity jibbit!



Who put this roadway here?!

One day earlier, I snapped a few photos of the clear blue sky above The Ranch:



Note the falling leaves I captured in the photograph, above.  At right is one of our many ash trees which probably won't survive another 5 years thanks to the vile Emerald Ash Borer.  Our ash trees cycle through the widest range of fall foliage colors.  In the earliest stage of autumn, the ash tree's slender leaves first turn purple (above, right).  For the arborists among you, an oak tree looms at left and at lower left (light green leaves) is a black walnut.  In the photo below you'll have a better look at the ash tree's upper leaves turning purple:




We're enjoying our ash trees while we can.  Three of them are scheduled for removal next month.



Two days after my drive into the blinding heart of the sun, I photographed more benign sunlight filtered through a red oak sapling.  This little red oak is a bit of a woodland mystery as there are no other red oaks found nearby.  Two years ago its leaves flashed bright red and, sensing that it was thriving, I had a few small maples around it removed in order to give it the space it will need.  Last year it's autumn color was more subdued. 

Later that same evening, Mr B and I took in our last Reds game of 2014.  But first, I ran the Jeep Main Battle Tank through the car wash:



A giant soap bubble appeared upon my windshield:



I'll spare you the usual truckload of GABP photos, but here are two highlights:




From our table in the Riverfront Club, I spied this barge heading up the mighty Ohio River and managed to capture it almost symmetrically under the ballpark's Budweiser sign.

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