I can't tell you how happy I am that I started this photography project. I feel like I've woken up from a very long hibernation and now my virtual tail's wagging nonstop and I'm seeing pictures everywhere I look. I no longer spend all of my time playing computer games and instead I'm reacquainting myself with my friends at ipernity, I'm meeting awesome new people, I'm checking out all of your inspiring photography and I'm having a great time letting each of you know how super your pictures are! The wonderful comments and letters I've been getting have made a huge difference to me and I'm feeling so much better about everything these days! I think it would be nice to give everyone a big hug, but since I can't actually do that, I'm doing my best to repay your kindness by letting you know that I appreciate the time you took to post pictures for me to enjoy!

Today was the first really rainy day of the season and it was GLORIOUS!! I opened the front door this morning and was hit by the most wonderful autumn perfume!* When rain falls on parched grass, leaves and dirt after months of sizzling heat and drought, the fragrance in the air is intoxicating! I thought to myself, this air is a kind of nature's wine…sweet, rich and subtly complex with a myriad of individual scents that you can easily identify. Mmmmmmm…I stepped out, stretched, and couldn't stop pulling in enormous nose-fulls of air, enjoying every lovely whiff to the utmost. I set off on my walk, nearly dizzy from the deliciousness of the air swirling about me.

I thought it would be a great idea to celebrate this day with a picture of something pretty for Pam. I spotted my little friend—a tiny, glistening, ancient mushroom, withered and exhausted after a long life of two weeks. I strained up on my tiptoes to stare at the droplet-laden sporophytes which made their home on top of the brick posts of our gate. It looked like a party up there and I thought it would be lovely to share an image of this. Was I going to be able to get a decent picture? Plenty of other ideas came to mind by the time I finished my walk and grabbed my camera.

As it turned out, and even though I had my flash set up, I wasn't happy with my sporophyte or mushroom pictures. They weren't special enough or had focus issues, or they'd take too much work to turn into something I'd be happy with. But on the way down to the gate, something grabbed my attention and I turned to look. OH!! Would you just LOOK at that leaf!! It was caught on the way down to the ground, a sight that I never tire of. Dripping with rain, the oak leaf was painted with a rich and juicy mélange of autumn shades and I knew I'd found something special. At the time, I figured this picture would wait for another day. But as it turns out, this pretty leaf is my star to share.

Pam, I was thinking about you as I looked at my subjects today, imagining what you would say, and I wondered how you would photograph them. What fun it would be to take pictures together. I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving my dear!

*A HUGE THANK YOU to George (tiabunna) for letting me know that there is an official term for this: Petrichor!

Explored on 11/23/18, highest position, #11.