Autumn in the Suburbs

My sister Wendy has been posting gorgeous photos on her blog from her neighborhood nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and today she asked me how the fall colors were doing down here in Texas.

Autumn doesn't really exist here in Texas, it's just a myth. The trees stay green for months and months, and then suddenly the leaves turn colors and drop all in one day. You have to be careful not to miss it.

So today I'm going to give you a tour of MY neighborhood. Katie and I are going to go to the park.
Proper headgear required.

Here is the lone surviving tree in my front yard. Notice the four or five yellow leaves. If I stand on my tippy-toes, I can see that pretty little red tree over the wall. Ooooooh. Ahhhh. Now we're going to head down the street. Don't speed!

This plum tree was bursting with color yesterday morning, but when I came back today, there were only a few leaves still clinging to the branches.

This is the soccer and baseball field next to our park. Notice the lovely yellowish-green trees and still-very-green grass. Also notice our lovely tornado siren on the left. I'll bet Wendy doesn't have one of those.

That siren has gone off only one time since I've lived here, and let me tell you that sound struck fear in my heart. I'm really glad I don't live in one of those houses right underneath it, or I might have wet my bed.

Now we have arrived at the playground. Can you see Katie?
Katie: Wanna play, Neighborhood Kid?
Neighborhood Kid: Why are you still wearing that helmet? Not cool.

Here is another random tree:And here is another random tangent: See that PVC pipe cage in the lower left corner? It's covered in chicken wire and encloses an orange tree. It drives me nuts with curiosity. I want to pound on this guy's door and ask: WHY? Why do you do this? Why don't you just go buy your oranges at Kroger and live your life, man, LIVE YOUR LIFE!

But I haven't. Yet.

So that's about all of the colors we'll probably get to see around here. Texas seemed strange to me when I first moved here, because it's really flat and the trees seem really short. I was accustomed to hills and tall pines. I love it now, though. Landmarks here are visible from miles away. I love being able to see the city skyline when I'm out and about.

The most beautiful thing about living here, by far, is the sheer volume of sky that is visible. It just surrounds me and swallows me up. I feel like I could reach out and touch it. So that's a beautiful day in my neighborhood. You should come by sometime.