Fall to (almost) winter

Coming up the Blue Ridge Escarpment, the glorious oranges and reds in the foothills dimmed to patchy spots of yellow and red (Southern sugar maple) and a few final scarlet oak leaves.  It definitely felt like the transition from fall to winter, especially since a cold front was pushing through.  Stopping to take a picture of Table Rock (still surrounded by brilliant fall color), there was a beginning of a chill in the air.

Behind our house in the mountains, the ravine forest is brightened by two large yellow sugar maples, and the final color from the young ones in the understory.  The Japanese maple across the street is totally scarlet.

And it was below freezing overnight.  The sugar snap peas that I harvested were delicious (but an errant woodchuck has eaten all of the cole transplants in our absence - broccoli, kale, and collards, along with most of the parsley, and some of the pea shoots).  Hhrmph.   At least s/he left us some mustards and mesclun mix, and, of course, didn't bother the leeks!