I recently walked from my Uptown neighborhood in beautiful Seattle, Washington, to nearby Queen Anne Hill, to capture the beauty of autumn in the Pacific Northwest. From about 400 photos, taken during my five-mile stroll, I’ve selected my favorite twenty or so, and have written a little about each. I hope you enjoy the results!
A rustic fence frames a fall garden. The owners of this property use virtually every inch of their yard to grow food and flowers.
Seattle is known as the Emerald City. The green moss grows everywhere during the wet months. This rather art deco wall was built circa 1930.
The hillside is alive with the colors of fall. What we lose in warmth we gain in beauty.
Look closely: a Kenmore Air seaplane cuts through the grey and charcoal Puget Sound skies.
In the fall, dahlias seem to take on a phosphorescent glow! This rock garden teems with dahlias and “mums”.
I have to admit, for a piece about autumn, this one is fairly short on photos of leaves and trees. So here’s one. This tree is related to the vine maple. Someone should write a song about it. Oh, wait! They have. See below; I’ve posted a link.
This is a beautiful Japanese flame maple, living up to its name. Such a popular planting in our region.
Autumn leaves are free! Each one is a little work of art, waiting for someone to enjoy.
A lack of leaves reveals a crow’s nest in the old tree. When the new leaves sprout in spring, the crows will return, to start another family.
I admit it. I’m stumped. I don’t know what this is. Besides wonderful to look at.
Not having a house of my own (I live in a small senior citizen’s apartment), it makes me feel good to see my neighbor observe the season in such an appropriate, natural way.
When the famous Seattle rain began falling, I sheltered for a few minutes in this huge old public works project.
The old wall may outlast us all.
The vines enveloping this brick wall were just starting to don their fall colors. I’ve made a mental note to return in a couple of weeks, to see how they are coming along. There will be a lot of red!
Another beautiful dahlia. My Mama’s favorite flower. She taught me how to cultivate them; but I now have no land of my own. I appreciate my neighbors’ sharing!
I visited the Queen Anne Farmer’s Market, which was closing for the season, to find this medley of just-picked pumpkins and acorn squash.
Our very own, renowned, fragrant Washington state apples. I’ve enjoyed the scent of fresh-picked fruit for 66 years. Heaven knows how many bins I picked in my younger days in Yakima.
Farmer’s market-fresh gold and new potatoes ready for the stew pot/roasting. Or, use them in a savory German potato salad.
More vine-grown produce. Is this a farmer”s market, or an art gallery? Perhaps both. Today, the mood was melancholy, as we were bidding our farmer friends goodbye until May 2016.
Purple and orange beets, ready for borscht-making! Warm up on a cold night. I have an excellent vegetarian recipe which calls for a little honey, for sweetening the dish.
The Skagit Valley’s finest organic peppers, recipe-ready! I’m so thankful to get out and about, to see what good people can do with equally good Pacific Northwest water and soil.
One more gorgeous dahlia in honor of Mama. Nature’s fractal.
Puget Sound alder, split, stacked and ready to warm the hearth. May your home always be warm and cozy!
Let the Seattle Rain Festival begin!
Randy Bowles Stories 
Beautiful photo essay, Randy. The Autumn harvest is a work of art.
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🙂 Thanks so much, Lo! I had a great time putting together the piece. Yesterday I just happened to post the crow’s nest photo on my FB page, and I received a really positive response; so I decided to do a whole thing on autumn. I had all these photos lyin’ around on my computer…. I’m glad you liked it.
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It’s my favorite time of the year. Love all the colors of Fall. Just noticed 2 nests in my neighbor’s tree now that most of the leaves have fallen off.
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Do you think they are crow’s nests, or some other bird? Crows use big twigs!
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One was very large probably a squirrel’s nest and the other much smaller like a robin’s or mourning dove’s nest. We do have crows around here but I haven’t seen one of their nests yet. I’ll have to look more closely when all the leaves are down from the trees later this month.
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Wow, I’ve never seen a squirrel’s nest! My squirrels have hidden their nests quite well. Perhaps in bushes which don’t lose their leaves in the fall.
The crows are noisy! In Seattle, we have more than our share. But they are of course, very smart creatures.
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Squirrels’ nests are quite large and very leafy. Usually they are in large/tall trees, not in bushes.
Crows are one of my favorite birds. They chase after hawks alerting all the smaller birds that danger is near. They do this altruistically as they could be killed by the hawks they are chasing. Yes, they are very smart birds.
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Some famous studies have been done on Seattle crows, and/or members of the crow family. My Katgrrrl and I almost never get one in our back yard. When we do, she’s thrilled to watch them. Thanks for all that info!
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