Maple Leaf Parade 2012

Fall is probably my favorite season. I love how the sunlight falls differently than any other time of year. I love all the brilliant colors of the changing leaves and the crisp breeze! I have a good friend who hosts a get together at her house each year for the local Maple Leaf Parade and I have been fortunate enough to be able  to attend the last couple of years. What a beautiful day for the parade! Here are some of my favorite shots of the day. Enjoy!

Fall Colors

Fall colors weren't too bad this year considering the drought we experienced here in the midwest. I was thankful to have the opportunity to capture some really amazing colors recently before the leaves started falling off. These were taken in nearby Carthage, MO.

I also got to take a hike on the Wildcat Glades trail in Joplin, MO where the trees were gorgeous!

 

The Grand Falls in Fall, part 1

Finally got an opportunity to check out the leaves and capture some new waterfall pictures recently. It was a beautiful day!

Fun at the Fountain

I love water! Photographing it is a real challenge and I love experimenting with the different techniques of capturing it. Found this pretty fountain recently and took advantage of the opportunity to practice!

Turkey Mountain Hike

I knew July would be a hot month to hike in and boy was it ever! But hike we did...about 7 miles in 3 hours! We went to Turkey Mountain in Tulsa and hiked the pink trail which should have been about 6 miles. We got lost a few times (note to self: bring the map next time!) so it ended up about 7 miles total. Temp was about 102 so it felt like about 20 miles with the heat index. Got some tips from an experienced hiker (at least more experienced than us) as she guided us toward the trail head at a rapid pace...did I mention it was about 102 degrees? Gotta go back in the fall and I bet the trees will be really spectacular!

Loved the perspective of this shot... 

 There were a lot of rocks on the trail but overall it was an excellent path!

 There were lots of trees to provide shade and the sunlight provided some great shadows also!

Really cool wooden bridge...water would have been a nice addition! 

 The trees were a welcome creator of shade!

 And some even provided an interesting view.

 ...yes, interesting!

This one was quite unique!

 You never know what you will find along the trail...guessing this person ran right out of their shoes...

 ...and then apparently ran right out of their shorts too! 

This looked like old service trucks. Our impromptu trail guide told us it was an old train. Either way, it was an interesting discovery along the trail. 

 Looking forward to getting that macro lens and experimenting more with extreme closeups! 

Can't have a blog post without the requisite tree branch close up and blurred background! 

Tulsa's skyline in the distance. All in all...great hike and looking forward to the next one!