Fall is finally here!

I took a few pictures around our house and property today. I'll probably take a few more in about a week or two, when more leaves have changed. It's been a rather cool & crisp morning here, and I actually got a little chilled while outside snapping this photos. Anyway, the one on the right, is at the top of our driveway and the one on the left is looking down our driveway, toward our road. That hill, in the photo on the right, can be a bit tricky in the winter time. You either have to smash the gas, or put it in 4 wheel drive to get up the hill and to the garage.

This is the view from the other side of our driveway, looking toward the road. Yes, it's a long driveway, and yes, I would LOVE to have it blacktopped. But that stuff costs money....lots & lots of money!! So it'll have to wait awhile! You can't tell from this picture, but there is a small creek that runs through our property. I'll have to get some pictures from a different angle so you'll be able to see it. It's really pretty in the spring time, after all the snow melts and things start to green up around here. It's pretty in the fall too, but the water is very low, since it's been so dry around these parts.

I took the shot on the right, from where I was standing when I took the picture on the left. Make sense?!?! LOL The trees in the background look much prettier than in the picture, but you can see the side of my house. It's actually the garage. And in the foreground you can see the weeping willow tree we planted about 4 years ago. It was barely 4 feet tall when we planted it, if even that tall, and now it's well over 8 feet tall. I just wish the thing would grow faster!! Weeping willows are my favorite trees. I have many a fond memory of climbing them when I was younger. Anyway.....

This tree here is some type of maple, I believe. It's leaves take forever to change in the fall, it seems. I love this tree. My kids call it "Mommy's Tree." I would be heartbroken if anything were to happen to it. This is the tree, when we looked at this property before buying it, I said to hubby, "when we build, I want the house near this tree." He just rolled his eyes. Typical man! When we did in fact start building, I was adamant about the tree staying, and nothing coming near it. I didn't want lumber, bricks, blocks, etc. stored anywhere close to my tree. This tree provided us with shade many times while having a quick lunch or supper during the building process. Our dogs have chased squirrels up this tree. Our first dog, Tipper, chased raccoons up this tree many times. When the winds of Hurricane Ike came barrelling through, I was nervous, very nervous. But my tree is strong and was steadfast in the wake of those winds. This tree probably has another 4-6 feet of canopy that I couldn't fit in the frame of this shot. But you get the idea of just how massive this tree is. I love this tree. I hope to share this tree with my grandchildren............someday.