October in Acadia, Maine

Leaving this weekend for a week in Acadia Park, Maine.  Every day is a harbinger of the winter to come:  leaves turning and coating the earth in a carpet of yellow and red, a chill in the air during my morning walks with Ralph, horses are getting their winter coats, my garden is going belly-up.  However,  the eggplants are hardy; still growing, at least until a hard frost.  Every winter that I have left on this earth is a gift; one I didn't appreciate when I was young, but now there is a joy to each morning and every sunrise is a wonder.  These are days when I remember being in high chool and then college,  wanting to be a writer or painter:  writing all the time,  painting as often as I could. Time changes all those things, sometimes for the better, sometimes not..my camera has become a substitute for a pen or a brush, so perhaps those dreams are finally coming true.
These two images were taken on one of my walks with Ralph..G9 of course..can't be carrying an SLR with a crazy Jack Russell terrier alongside.