Our beautiful fall scenery continues, but the colors are beginning to fade. Lots of our leaves are on the ground now, and that creates a wonderful crunchy carpet under foot. Not only that, the smell of decomposing leaves hangs heavily in the cool air, especially in the woods, a sure sign the seasons are changing. Walking along West Shore Road late this afternoon Fred and I recognized more of the sights, sounds and smells of autumn. There were bare trees and bushes where the wind has ripped off the leaves, and dark clouds overhead. There were the usual signs of camps being buttoned up for winter, too. Pat Gardner (above) was planting bulbs for some early color when she and Moe return in the spring; the flower beds at Bill and Diane Rossi's were cut back and mulched; boats and docks were pulled out of the water along the shore, and I spotted geraniums beside the road among the leaves where they'd been discarded, a bright splash of color in the undergrowth.

We took pictures, of course - the colors are still vibrant along West Shore Road and I have the feeling I want to preserve and share what we see as we walk. We stopped to talk with Matt Lewis who was out for a run. He seemed a little dismayed when we mentioned how cold it's supposed to be tonight and that someone had seen snowflakes as they over Cabot Plain this morning. I guess Matt isn't quite ready for summer to end.

We aren't quite ready for it to end, but I think there will still be some nice days scattered among the cold and wet ones. Fred has more wood coming next week and I have to finish up my flower beds and stake some of the shrubs, so we can use a few warmish days without rain or snow. The heavy snow crushed several trees and shrubs last year, so I want to do a better job of protecting them this year if I can.

I may have mentioned we've added some new items on the Local Products page on the web site. We're hoping to have more by the time the holidays roll around. We also put a couple of new links on, one to the Cabot Historical Society site and one to a Cabot genealogical site. You'll find them under Links and "General Interest." If you have favorite sites you think we should link to, please let us know. There is a wealth of interesting information out there on the web - the trick is to sort out the best sites, and present a diverse selection so there's something for just about everyone.

I hope you enjoy the walk on W. Shore Road as much as we did - click on the photos to enlarge them.