There's No Place Like Home

Japanese maple in my rear garden

It took a five-hour drive to Vermont to discover that my best leaf-peeping this year was to be had in the Hamptons and in my own backyard.  The trip was planned during the summer.  The mid-October timing was suggested by historical schedules of past peak days.  Official Vermont web sites indicated that there was still plenty of colorful foliage to view just days before our departure.  It is true that we drove through some countryside in New York and Connecticut that could be considered at its peak.  However, by the time we got to our destination in Stowe Vermont, the trees were pretty bare with most of the remaining color coming from understory shrubs.  

The trip became more about eating than about peeping.  Maple syrup tasting, crisp apples from orchards, sampling of well-aged cheddar cheeses, luscious chocolate-coated caramels and plenty of warm cider donuts. My camera may have come back empty, but my stomach was quite full.

Luckily, two weeks after returning home the leaves in the Hamptons peaked and still continue to look great.  Brilliant yellow, red, and orange foliage provides gorgeous vignettes outside my windows.  And my drive to work is very enjoyable as I pass through the colorful canopies overhanging the country roads.  

I may have missed Vermont's signature splendor this year, but at least I'm getting an eyeful at home.  

Vermont vignette; beautiful but past its peak.

For those who have inquired about my lack of posting these past months, let's just say I stopped to smell the roses this past summer.  Thanks for asking.  I'll try to post more often.