Ballplay, Alabama

I was asked by a friend if I ever took black and white photos. These were taken of an old, abandoned house in Ballplay, Alabama

Firethorn

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."

- Clyde Watson

The plant in the picture is Firethorn - Pyracantha coccinea - the berries are a wonderful food for birds and small mammels through the winter. The thorns provide great protected habitates.

Autumn Leaves

"How silently they tumble down

And come to rest upon the ground

To lay a carpet, rich and rare,

Beneath the trees without a care,

Content to sleep, their work well done,

Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly

Until they nearly reach the sky.

Twisting, turning through the air

Till all the trees stand stark and bare.

Exhausted, drop to earth below

To wait, like children, for the snow."

- Elsie N. Brady, Leaves

"Dull November brings the blast,

Then the leaves are whirling fast."

- Sara Coleridge

Autumn

"When the trees their summer splendor

Change to raiment red and gold,

When the summer moon turns mellow,

And the nights are getting cold;

When the squirrels hide their acorns,

And the woodchucks disappear;

Then we know that it is autumn,

Loveliest season of the year."

- Carol L. Riser, Autumn

The Change Begins

And fall slowly sneaks up on us....sending the beginnings of the cold tendrils of winter down our collars and whistling around the corners.

A Bird in The Bush

This little guy couldn't resist posing

Wild Turkeys

Look who I found strolling around recently. A whole flock of young wild turkeys!