(Simply brilliant)

You can get into all kinds of debates over the seasons and which is the best.

(White River in Mt. Rainier National Park)

I think we can quickly write off winter as most people’s favorite season, unless maybe you’re a diehard skier or just like being cold all the time and watching your heating bills skyrocket. Or, if you live in western Washington like I do, there’s the endless days/weeks/months of gray and twenty-seven different types of rain ranging from drizzle-mist to downpours. So, winter? No, not the best.

(Blue and Gold)

(Better looking than tasting)

Some folks prefer spring, saying it’s the season of renewal, rebirth, growth and all that. To me it means allergies: sneezing, runny nose, itching eyes, and a head that feels like it’s stuffed full of wet cement. Plus I have to start cutting the grass again, the stupidest chore ever invented by mankind, because guess what? It’s still raining for the sixth month in a row but now it’s warmer and the *#$&! grass grows an inch a day but it’s too wet to cut and pretty soon it’s up to my knees and…sorry, I got carried away for a second there. So, not a lot of love for spring here.

(The White River)

Many would vote for summer as their favorite season, and it does have a lot going for it, especially in terms of outdoor activities. You got cookouts, picnics, ball games of every sort, swimming, bicycling, and best of all (for me) it’s hiking season. On the negative side, in many parts of the country, let’s be honest, it’s just too stinking hot for too long. Me, I sweat just thinking about temperatures above 75 degrees, so while summer has lots of positives, it’s not my favorite.

(Blue and Gold #2)

(Sunburst)

(Big Blue)

Then there’s autumn. The sweltering days of summer have receded to a dim memory and while the rains have returned to some extent here in Washington, there are still a lot of beautiful sunny days as well, with pleasant but not stifling temperatures to go with the sunshine. You can still get up into the mountains for a late season hike or two, and of course, for most people, the season of autumn means colors galore. Now the naysayers would point out that all that color we love so much is really the sign of death. Okay, so the leaves are dying, but at least they’re nice enough to put on a show for us before they go. And so I thought this was a good time to share some of that autumn beauty with everyone with a photo essay on autumn.

Enjoy!

(Leaves afire)

(Big leaves, lots of color. I like ’em)

(I have no idea what these are but they’re purple and they’re cool)

(Dead but beautiful)

(Ground cover, Spray Park, Mt. Rainier)

(Ground cover, detail)

(Golden blaze)

(Burning maple)

(Frosty morning)

(Frosty morning #2)

(Playtime)

(A parting shot on the White River)