Welcome, Autumn!

Karina Manucharyan

Autumn is such a glorious time of year!

A season when the chilly air calls us

to snuggle into our sweaters while sipping our

favorite warm drinks from mugs.

Enjoy my selection of things that speak of autumn.

Crisp, cozy, autumn.

"And all at once, summer collapsed into fall."

-Oscar Wilde

Alan Shapiro Photography

Curious Print Pattern

"Wild is the music of autumnal winds amongst the faded woods."

-William Wordsworth

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

-Albert Camus

"And the sun took a step back, the leaves lulled themselves to sleep 

and autumn was awakened." -Raquel Franco

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile."

-William Cullen Bryant

"How beautifully leaves grow old! How full of life and color are their last days!"

-John Burroughs

Want more?

October Gallery

Autumn Starts to Chill the Air...

An Autumn Afternoon at Longwood Gardens

My friend Colleen and I set aside a day for an adventure.
We took a road trip to Kennett Square, PA 
to tour the fabulous Longwood Gardens!

There was beauty to be seen both inside and outside
with the autumn foliage just about at peak and
the Chrysanthemum Festival in progress.

One of the fun water features at the Indoor Children's Garden.

The Silver Garden is filled with plants that thrive in arid climates,

including cacti and succulents -all in shades of gray, silver, and pale greens & blues.

Irregular Incurve Mums

The Orchid House

The Waterlily Display

The Rose Garden - What gorgeous color!

The Topiary Garden

We loved walking along the pathways,

exploring every garden along the way and

continually marveling at God's artistic creativity!

The Canopy Cathedral

Nathaniel Hawthorne said,

"I can not endure to waste anything so precious

as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house,

so I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air."

This was my exact feeling; a day as glorious as this one 
deserved to be enjoyed to its fullest!

How wonderful to be outside in the crisp air 
with the bright sun to spotlight the colorful foliage!

One of my favorite sights this time of year is a tree erupting with

yellows and oranges against the backdrop of a perfect blue sky.

Does it get much better than this?

Longwood Gardens is at

1001 Longwood Rd. Kennett Square, PA.

Here's their website.

You'll love to see this post!
A Stunning Christmas at Longwood Gardens

Pumpkins, Gourds & Kale at Ashcombe Farm

It was a sunny, 70 degree October day, 
perfect for our visit Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouse.
How wonderful to take in their autumn displays 
and appreciate yet again the changing of the seasons!
I always enjoy seeing all the colors of chrysanthemums 
- never quite deciding which is my favorite -
 and the varieties of gourds, cabbages, kale, Indian corn and pumpkins.

Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouse

is located at

906 W. Grantham Rd. Mechanicsburg, PA.

Along with a greenhouse and garden center filled with lovely plants, 
Ashcombe has a gift shop, bakery and Country Cafe.

Here's their website

and Facebook page.

 

Treasures of the Pumpkin Patch

On a visit to Styer Orchard to pick apples, (see that post here),

we strolled around and found great bins of pumpkins and gourds for sale. 

I was amazed to see so many different types! 

Later, with the help of their cute Halloween tags, I had fun reading up on each variety. 

These photos represent only some of what was available.



This variety is called "Cinderella" because it looks like the very same pumpkin
that Cinderella's Fairy Godmother magically turned into a carriage!

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!

See for yourself:

DisneySingItVideos

Here's the "Long Island Cheese" variety. 

Its pale colored skin and flattened out shape resemble a wheel of cheese.

fitsa-group

Move over orange. There are pink pumpkins...

...and blue pumpkins.

Speaking of blue, how about the "Blue Hubbard"?

Not a pumpkin, but actually a squash, it is the most popular for pie-baking.

Named for (Old?) Mrs. Hubbard, who developed this variety
in Massachusetts in 1840.

Jack-o-lanterns ready and waiting to be carved!

Ornamental Indian corn, also called "flint corn"
due to the hard shells of the kernels.

Ornamental gourds are perfect for fall decorating.

See the ones with the flared-out ribs?

They're called "angel wings".

And of course, there are mums!
No other flower comes to mind as quickly
when autumn comes around as does the chrysanthemum!

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

-L. M. Montgomery,

Anne of Green Gables