It
has been a long time since my last post. Not that there was nothing to tell or
show, but the overload of new impressions during my travels through Canada and the USA has confused me. I have seen so many
amazing things, been reunited with so many friends, travelled through so many
different landscapes, that apart from a day to day travelogue I can find no
pattern. I may write more about my trip later, but for now I like to share an
impression of autumn - or fall if you like - in my own country. Yes, I have been greatly impressed by the
fall colours in Canada and the USA, because of the variety and the many reds.
But autumn here in the Netherlands can be quite beautiful too. Last week the
colours were just unbelievably bright, it may be a cliché, but the leaves seemed
to be made of liquid gold when - to our delight and surprise - we had two days
of sunshine and bright blue skies.
Hoog Soeren
Today I wasn't so lucky. There was an
interesting veil of mist in the morning. Hoping the sun would come out by the
time I needed it, I decided to go on a photo "safari" in the east
part of the country. We have had hardly any wind for the past few days, and as
soon as that changes the trees will be robbed of their leaves in just a few
days. I used to take my father on a tour each year to see the autumn colours, so
I missed his company and his joy. He had the eye of an artist and would take
lots of pictures. We shared our love of nature. I took a similar route I would
have taken with him, going on minor roads through an area with mainly beech
trees which are always majestic, but best in spring when they seem to swim in a
sea of strikingly pale green leaves, and in autumn. The oak trees have already
lost their leaves, their gnarled bare branches providing an interesting pattern
against the sky and against the yellow leaves on other trees. Beech trees are
the last to shed their leaves, which have an amazing copper colour, or
sometimes even a bright orange. There were many yellows and rusty colours,
looking even brighter against the very dark and smooth trunks of the beech
trees.
Moorland
A typical Dutch smallholding, tucked away in the woods
I took a dirt road across the moors, the heather still showing a faint
mauve colour, the tall grasses a pale yellow sea in the slight breeze, changing
colour with each movement.
And not
only did I see many interesting sheds and outbuildings on my recent trip through
Canada and the USA, but in our miniature landscape I also noticed unusual barns
and outbuildings.
What the English call Dutch barns - and they are!
A gate leading to a track through the woodland
I arrived rather late in the day at Staverden, a castle which has been
restored to its former glory during the past ten years or so. According to
their website the restoration was completed in 2007. Unfortunately dusk sets in
early at this time of year, especially since the sky was overcast, so the
pictures I took tend to have a bluish hue, due to the fading light and the
slight mist. The parking lot closes at sunset, so I have to go back one day to explore
the promising park and gardens.
Staverden estate
The castle, or half of it.
The watermill
