Random shots from Schuyler & Tompkins counties, in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Autumn, Finger Lakes, FLX, hiking, Nature, NY, Upstate New York

Walks Around the Finger Lakes. September & October, Schuyler & Tompkins Counties

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46 thoughts on “Walks Around the Finger Lakes. September & October, Schuyler & Tompkins Counties

    • Yeah, a real 180 turn to taciturn. These are random shots from past falls, still plugging away in Milwaukee, working fulltime/taking classes, so not much time for recreational writing until the semester is over.

      • Had you waited a day, you could’ve had Tacit(urn) Tuesday; two days, and Wordless Wednesday; three, and Thunderstruck Thursday. But it seems you were eager to get this colorful fall foliage out into the wider world.

        What classes are you taking?

        • Research Methods, and Philosophy of Education.
          I like “Thunderstruck Thursday,” and it reminded me of a book by Erik Larson, “Thunderstruck,” that weaves together the story of Crippen, an English murderer, and Marconi. I haven’t read his newest one, about Churchill, or the one about the Lusitania, but all his others have been really excellent. Residents of Texas might like “Isaac’s Storm” (Galveston and the hurricane in 1900), it was pretty gripping.

            • Hi Steve, I am not looking to get into a traditional teaching track. I have taught briefly and while I found it rewarding I feel my place is better served running an alternative education program. I hope to manage one someday and also work as a behavior coach or mentor to students to help them with the life skills and academics too outside of the confines of the normal classroom. I also just don’t like how much control the districts have over teachers, everything is test based and I want to help the “at risk” students. So this program allows me to have those skills cultivated and opens some doors in that world.

              I think you’ll enjoy Thunderstruck a lot!

    • I’ve seen it a few times, but I don’t know why that happens. Some of the ferns were still green, and some had turned snow white, instead of orange or brown, I think it’s odd, but very pretty.

  1. pinklightsabre says:

    Hey! Great to see and hear from you again. It’s been mid-July now since the last one. Crazy, right? This must be the best time of year for a photographer, but I guess anytime of year is the best time, eh? I envy you those finger lakes, man. Love the colors and textures in these shots. Puts me there, for a time.

    • Thanks, Bill, always glad to hear from you, these are random shots from 2-3 years past, I’m still working/studying in Milwaukee. These probably look pretty similar to scenes you remember from your time in Penna (?)

      • pinklightsabre says:

        They do look similar! It was a long time ago but I have the fondest memories of leaves changing when I was studying at Behrend in Erie. Not far from NY.

  2. Nice colors. Our best colors are only now beginning to show up, along with their evil non-sightseeing cousins wind and rain. Hopefully we can pry them apart long enough for an excursion.

  3. Darts and Letters says:

    These are really pretty. How do colors in Milwaukee compare right now? Mostly just streaky color in the city, here, right now

    Did a double take when I saw the name Schuyler. I’m reading the popular series of childrens’ books The Mysterious Benedict Society right now for Oliver’s sake, we’re on the second book (he’s two chapters ahead of me). The chapter I just finished there’s a Dutch museum security guard who figures prominently in the arc of the chapter and his last name is….. Schuyler 🙂 I’m guessing it must be a really common dutch surname so not that big of a coincidence. the story is set in Holland for the moment. I just enjoy coincidences, I guess. Have a good Wednesday, Robert.

    • I love a good coincidence! The Schuylers were land barons in New Netherlands, who managed to hang onto their estate after the British takeover, so it’s one of those names that crops up all over the place. I’m assuming the county was named for the general in the Revolution but not sure. There’s lots of people in NY with Dutch names, some from colonial times, others from a little wave of immigrants in the 19th c. (Roosevelt, Van der Bogart, Broncks, Van Buskirk, etc.) I stopped at Martin Van Buren’s house and learned a good trivia question: Who was the only President who spoke English as his 2nd language.
      I haven’t read that book series, sounds like it’s good though?
      I think a lot of the trees planted by the city of Milwaukee are Norway Maples, not sugar maples, and so they don’t get the great colors, but there’s still some pretty good colors around here, sumacs, etc.

  4. George says:

    Disregard my comment on your last post. Now I see the fern is still white even when in colour (if that makes sense). More really striking images. Brilliant stuff.

  5. It’s a lovely day for an upstate walk…it’s raining and cold here and we have almost no fall color. So this is good!! I remember scenes like the last one, driving around upstate (downstate to you!) or in CT or NJ at this time of year. The ferns are gorgeous – again. The pair of red leaves brings a sigh along with the informal leaf pile in #4. I think that’s something called Groundcedar with it – I remember that plant, very pleasing. My other favorite here is the old stone wall with all the leaves – I can almost smell that scent now, warm and clear and kinda cozy. 🙂

    • I love the smell of autumn leaves, too. I was just talking to someone about our terrible lack of adjectives and descriptions for smells — you did very well with the leaf description. I was actually thinking about writing a post on this topic. after exploring all the alternatives, I’ve come to believe that the best way, is to do it like the deli’s, where you name the sandwiches after people. I think we need to do that for smells, too.

      • No, you’re right, it’s hard to find good words for smells, and they’re so evocative and powerful, we really should have more words for them. Come on, do the post! I really want to see where this is heading….
        🙂 And have a good week!

  6. I thought you’d been messing about with photo processing when I saw those white ferns. It’s so interesting that they’ve turned that color (or lost their color) naturally. In combination with the other ferns and leaves, they’re eye-catching: I really like them. I like the stone walls, too. There’s something about a stone wall that catches my heart. Maybe it’s the sense of the labor that went into the old ones, and the presence of ‘imperfections’ that you never see in new ones. Robert Frost may have written, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall…” but I do love them — especially if they’re stone or wood.

    As pretty as all those colored trees are, I’m rather fond of the photos showing

    • Ha! I got caught in the leaves and didn’t finish my thought — which just was that I love the leaves on the ground. The fragrance of wet leaves may be my favorite fall scent, followed closely by woodsmoke.

      • Me too! Among the most evocative smells, I think. I think about those oldtime farmers, and all that back-breaking labor to clear fields, rock by rock. Not to mention tree stumps, always a super tough job. And now the fields are back to forest.
        The last person in my family to farm, was a long time ago, but in a time when du Pont was selling blasting powder and dynamite to farmers. I remember driving by that land, and hearing my great-uncle talk about clearing fields that way, and thinking what fun!

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