With my new zoom lens, I can capture some very close images up on the mountains from my backyard. The fall colors are really peaking right now. I’m actually surprised how close I can get with this lens, because those mountain tops are pretty far up there!

Sometimes, I’ve been sad as fall arrives, because summer is gone, and I’m really a summer person. Give me a day in the garden, with another day of boating, fishing, and water skiing, and I’ve had a perfect week! But this year, I don’t feel so down about fall. Maybe it’s even a little relief, because I’ve been working so hard in the basement this year that I haven’t had time to keep the flowerbeds and yard all weeded and up to my usual standards. We did have an OK year, with some nice flowers and some good veggies. But I’m a little glad it’s all coming to a close, so I can focus on the one hobby that’s really consuming all of my attention — finishing the basement!

OK, well, going to the master gardener class this fall is going to get in the way of some of that basement work, too, so I guess I won’t be *totally* focused.