Patpics

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Photography Memories

Growing up, my family travelled by car all over North America. Dad brought his camera.

My father was John Russell Miller.

In Dad's latter years he and I travelled, often to Vermont and I brought my camera.

After Dad died I travelled alone. By the mid-1990s I brought my friend, Yasmin, a Canadian, born in India, who was my best friend. Sometimes we brought her daughters. These experiences were always adventures, be it with my parents, with Dad alone, by myself and with Yasmin and the girls, now grown women, and the eldest daughter with children of her own.

Now I don't travel far. It doesn't matter. The place where I live fascinates me.

I've learned that leaving my home for a few hours with a simple camera can produce images that please me.

WHEN I TRAVELLED FAR

One of my favorite autumn roads is an unmarked country highway between Jay and Westfield in Vermont. I call it Maple Alley because century-old sugar maples line both sides of the road for over a mile. Occasionally branches touch, forming an archway that can be yellow, orange or brilliant red depending on how late the season is. I stumbled on Maple Alley by accident. And that's the wonder of autumn journeys. As the colors change so do the landscapes. You never know what you'll find around the next curve in the road.

Vermont in Fall

Roads that lead uphill are worth the climb, no matter how steep. Not only do they provide birds-eye views of valleys and sweeping vistas of surrounding mountains, at times you'll find superior color because the higher elevation produces cooler nights. It's also a good view in spring and summer. This was an easy road up to look at Fairfax below.

Fairfax, Vermont

WHEN I TRAVEL NEAR

Autumn Tones

Less than a ten-minute walk from where I live is a lake that has so many moods. Sometimes it's a mirror; sometimes it's tormented with crashing waves. I live on Montreal Island and we are surrounded by water. This late autumn view was taken in November 2022.

Ghosts

In October 2021 Yasmin and I were on a morning walk and encountered heavy mist. The boat ramp is still there. It's removed over the winter season. In the summer there are sailboats, kayaks, pedalboats. It's not a resort. It's just people having fun.

Tiny Waves

Being retired helps. I suddenly realized in 2018 I could walk to the end of my street and take a picture of this in early morning. The lake was in one of its so-so moods, tiny waves.

Floral Fish

There are flower beds near the lake and in this case it's a frame of a fish with plants growing on it and flowers and driftwood in the bed. In August the flowers were in heavy bloom.

Milkweed Madness

In some areas along the lake wildflowers grow on the bank and one of them is milkweed, the important plant for Monarch Butterflies. When the flowers bloom their scent is like lilac, and when the pods burst open in fall, there are chocolate disks with silk parachutes in a jumbled cluster.