Where the color is always temporary

‎I took this picture just about a week ago as a test shot during my autumn walkabout with my daughter, and already the scene no longer exists as it did in this shot. These trees stand guard over the entrance to the valley, just beside a major arterial road not far from our house. Every year they turn spectacular shades of color, and every year we make the trek here to capture them in the moment.

Since my daughter and I were here a mere seven days ago, most of these leaves have fallen to the ground. Some still cling defiantly to the branches as the first snow of the season falls from the steel-grey sky, leaving little more than forlorn bare branches to sway in the damp breeze.

It is its own beauty, more muted than the pixels you see here, and it serves as a stark reminder to grab the chance while we still can. Because things change quickly in once-verdant valleys and everywhere else, and do-overs never seem to be part of the equation. Looks like a return trip to capture whatever it looks like now is in order.