We may suffer harsh winters, but at least we have this

It's autumn in New England. No surprise there. And calendar-worthy fall scenes are a dime a dozen here--have camera, point, and shoot.

But not always. All too often, my own photos turn out to be pedestrian shots of brightly-colored leaves, pretty but nondescript. The colors are never quite as intense as reality, the three-dimensional effect and the light filtering through the foliage not enough like the real thing.

Which is as it should be, I suppose. The real thing is what gets us outside, into that fresh and crisp autumn air--minus the smell of burning leaves, madeleine-like memory of my youth.

Ah, but fortunately, I have friends who are much better photographers than I. Plus they have better cameras, but that's not really their secret. A photographer has to have a certain "eye," and patience, and the ability to "see" what will be in the frame.

So here, without further ado, I present some of my favorites from this year's fall photos taken by a friend:







And then this one, taken at a party at the house of another friend who's fortunate to live on a bay and have this view of sunset:



Which segues to this, as the sun sinks even lower and disappears for another day:



Not a bad place to be on a beautiful autumn eve.