Golden

Above is a new favorite photo of mine.  It's of a leaf collected during a stop on the way home from our road trip to Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park nearly a month ago, which I've documented here.  The leaf is huge: bigger than my hand, as wide as a face--in these parts, we rarely get leaves this big.  And the color is so deliciously golden, with a dappled hint of warm honey amber bordering on burnt cinnamon.

When we arrived home that night, I pressed the giant leaf flat under a heavy textbook in the hopes of preserving its delightful, intoxicating fall scent.  When this picture was taken a week ago, the arboreal scent still remained, lightly preserved, reminding me of walking at dusk in the thrilling chill of a November evening--along the empty cobblestone streets of an old, old town.