Moreau Lake, Mid-Afternoon, Late Autumn

I was surprised to find Moreau Lake so quiet this afternoon. Such a beautiful day it was, almost summer warm, and the lake lay nearly mirror-still under a mostly blue sky. One older couple with their pair of very fluffy Keeshonds were basking in the sun near the swimming beach, but the crowds of summer swimmers and picnickers were replaced today with this crowded collection of picnic tables, gathered together (I supposed) to be placed in winter storage.

The sun appeared low in the sky for only 2:30 in the afternoon, already casting a golden light that warmed the landscape's colors at the same time it lengthened the shadows.  And we still have a few days left of daylight savings time! Next week those shadows will be even longer at only 2:30 in the afternoon.

Aware that the gate that gave my auto access to this part of the park would be locked in only one hour,  I hurried across the bridge to enjoy a brief walk along the north shore of the lake.   I did pause on the bridge, though, to admire these beautiful reflections on the water of the back bay.

From the pine-lined trail that divides the main lake from the back bay, I could enjoy glimpses of sky-blue water on both sides.

Although the trees' brilliant autumn foliage had mostly faded, there was still much beautiful color to be found on the forest floor. The vibrant red of these blueberry leaves were shown off to great advantage by the silvery gray bark of the Cottonwood that rose behind them.

The leaves of this small oak sapling had achieved their maximum intensity of red.

Patches of Partridgeberry showed off their vivid Christmas colors of red and green. Amazingly, they will continue to do so all through the winter and into next spring as well.

Pipsissewa leaves are also evergreen, and they looked as freshly glossy today as they'd been when their flowers bloomed last July.

These small aster flowers had obviously faded, but their fluffy seed heads had a charm of their own.

The most gorgeously colorful display today was a thick hedge of Black Huckleberry shrubs that lined the north shore of the lake.

Here's a closer look at those blazing-red Black Huckleberry leaves.

Time to go! As I hurried back toward where I had parked my car, I lingered a moment to let the serene beauty of this scene fill me with quiet joy.