With Halloween over, and the holidays just around the corner, I want to take a moment and just appreciate some of the beauty this time of year brings to us here in Southern California.  Granted our climate is mild compared to the rest of the country, but there is beauty everywhere that is exclusive to each particular region, and that is true here also! Just about now the weather is starting to change, one day it’s hot, next day it’s chilly.  Oh it’s coming, we’ll get our cold, damp weather!   We are seeing some of that right now with the storms across the country, and heavy fogs, and dampness here!  I’m not complaining, especially after seeing what the east coast is going through at this moment.  Our weather pattern is changing, and we need to adapt!  It’s time to drag out the warmer clothing, maybe even the Ugg boots!

As we drive around this area, both my husband, Les and I notice the changing of leaves on many of the trees.  It is a most beautiful sight, and one we aren’t able to take full advantage of here on the west coast!  Our changes in weather aren’t  like they are in colder country, and when the leaves change on some of our trees, we glory in the color, and knowledge that fall is here, and the holidays are just around the corner.  Many of us celebrate the holidays at different times, and in different ways.  I love the diversity of all the different people, their customs, and special ways they celebrate.  Different cultures have always been fascinating to me, the sounds of languages, the clothing, and fabrics worn in  unfamiliar places, all have a fascination I have always loved!

Planted along some of our main streets, are deciduous trees with glorious color in the fall!  I’m not really sure what kind they are, since being raised here in California, I don’t even remember seeing them when I was a child.  But, they take my breath away, and as an artist the colors captivate me!

Since we never have Trick or Treaters in our neighborhood, it gave me an opportunity to paint some leaves last night!  My parents and grandmother lived in our homes since 1978, and never did they ever have even one little person come to the door for candy!  That didn’t stop mother from buying bags of candy, just in case!  I always wondered how she managed to get rid of all that candy, and knew she probably had a stash that lasted for several months.

Here’s to the true beginning of the holidays, one down, and a few more to go, and  I love every minute of it!