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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

A Russet Autumn

Brunswick Town Commons

Most autumns in Maine are ablaze with color, but this year the hues are muted. After a dry August, Tropical Storm Irene battered the trees. The weakened maples were susceptible to fungus in a wet September. Instead of turning bright red or orange, the maples are spotted brown. Another theory is the unusual lack of frost makes the leaves fade slowly before falling. The maples should recover by next year. Still, the subtle shades are beautiful in their own way, and the variance in fall foliage makes you appreciate it all the more in good years.  Remember the reflecting pond last year? Other years we've hiked in the White Mountains once with snow and once with peak foliage, literally!

October is my favorite time to hike in Maine. The foliage peaks this month and deer hunting doesn’t start until November. The woods are safe even for a fawn colored puppy. Maybe next year she'll be big enough to scale mountains.

Already Scout has perfected the art of camouflage. Squirrels beware!



We paused to check out the local color:
I with my camera and Scout with her nose.
Mission accomplished: 
tired puppy!

Blog Watch: I'm not the only one with a new puppy. Nantucket Daffodil welcomed adorable Stormy to her home. Remembering the untimely loss of my last dog, my childhood friend Jennifer Mirsky blogged about Pet Loss and Support. On the subject of loss, support and recovery, Sapphire posted an update on Japan after the Earthquake.

18 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! I love autumn. The rich hues and warm tones are comforting and wonderful. The puppy is adorable! Thanks for sharing :) A beautiful way to start my morning.

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  2. Such a splendid time of year everywhere -- but Maine is stunning.
    I imagine that the little fawn puppy is enjoying every minute of it.
    Wonderful to share your adventures through ypur photos.

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  3. Beautiful landscape, photos and puppy. You mentioned deer season and I've heard some scary stories about the rutting season, stags and antlers. Enough to frighten a human off, let alone a puppy!

    Autumn is my favourite season. I have to say that a similar situation to yours has happened here in London. I live ten minutes away from the countryside and whereas last year we had a colour explosion this year it's been very subdued so far. Still, I love autumn. Can't wait till November! :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  4. I am hiking in Maine today!!
    Just wish I had a puppy like Scout with me. Or... Edward! I miss him so! But he's being spoiled rotten by our devoted dog sitter, so I'm trying to have a worry free holiday!

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  5. Scout is so precious. He makes you want to have one. Our area is well known for the fall foliage but so far there is not much this year.

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  6. Hello Sarah

    I love October and November-the leaves are a beautiful color in my area.

    Can not believe Scout is growing so fast!

    Have a great day.

    Best
    Tracy

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  7. How can you go wrong with a cute puppy and fall colours? We didn't get the hurricane but gale force winds have been blowing through for the last week so I, too, think our russet autumn has come to an end. Let's remember them as we go into the next month or two of grey and brown.

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  8. what a pleasure it must be to walk with that adorable pup through the fall leaves..

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  9. A lovely walk and a nap, who could want for more? ;)

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  10. Not sure what I love more- Scout or the changing of the leaves (which are rare here but it does happen...). I went to the blogs you suggested- the pug was too cute and the other blog was appropriate. We lost Bridget in February and I am still not quite there on a new puppy. Scout's photos make me smile though and I love it. She was a black lab, 12 and light of our lives. Went away for the weekend and came back and dog sitter said she didn't eat- NOT like her. long story short, rushed her to ER and she had cancer. No one knew and it was everywhere. Hardest decision I have ever made but did it for her. Still get sad. She was our baby. The kitties miss her too. Anyway, I enjoyed the blog you suggested on the loss of a pet. When we do, believe me, they will be all over the place on the photos hahaha.

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  11. The colors are very beautiful Sarah! Lovely woods and I can imagine how you can feel at ease with your sweet puppy and no hunting yet. Our maples are suffering from the same fungus but it is more than just maples here turning brown and falling off the trees. Our White Birch or Paper Birch are suffering too. It seems like other trees are as well. We have had a very wet September and October. I wish the rain could go to other parts of the world where it is so badly needed.

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  12. Scout is adorable!
    Like you, I like the more muted colors of the leaves. They are lovely in their own understated way.

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  13. Lovely subtle shades! I enjoyed the previous years reflecting pond photos and more...!

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  14. Weather or not, the colors look good to me, but not as much as that pup.

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  15. Even muted, your foliage is gorgeous! And what a great way to enjoy it all with an adorable puppy along. Scout looks like she certainly enjoyed the hike. Thanks for sharing this, Sarah!

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  16. Lovely colors of the fall. In India, we do not have a significant autumn, just a brief transition from monsoons to winter, so I miss the beauty I was witness to when I lived on the east coast. But this remains my favorite time of the year.

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  17. Scout is soo cute!

    I'm still loving the autumn colours, even though they're muted. It's pretty much happened here in Wales too, this year.

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  18. We've had pretty good color in our garden but our neighbor's maples had those brown spots. Now I know what caused them.

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