Trees in winter

A couple of days ago, Steve blogged about winter nights. So, I thought I would share about our trees in winter.

Even though we live in Downey (in beautiful southern California), our trees still experience the effects of the colder weather. I like the look of the trees when they have shed their leaves.

Winter nights

One of the great things about Downey is the temperate climate. It seldom gets too hot in the summers, one or two days above 100, and not too cold in the winters, the coldest for the days around the 50s and then 30s for the night. Going into this evening, though, I felt a definite chill in the air. The trees have given up all their leaves and the wind cuts right through my sweatshirt.

The moon is a waxing crescent right now and seems to be covering up to try to keep warm.

California dreamin'

It was so beautiful a couple of days ago, with blue skies and puffy white clouds. However, I didn't make it out to take pictures that day. I realized this afternoon that I needed to go out. But of course, today looks and feels like winter again. As fate would have it, it started to rain as I walked out the door. I headed to the Rio San Gabriel riverbed. Braving increasing drops of rain, I walked out and realized it was a pretty dismal picture. The sky was ugly and gray....kinda made me think of the Mamas & the Papas song.

So, I'm California dreamin' in California. Go figure. 

Winter landscape

Indiana looks like winter. We have shared many pictures recently of our late fall in Downey. We still have fall colors and leaf-filled lawns.

In Indiana, where we are visiting friends, it looks and feels like winter. As we walked through the park down the street, it was quiet. The grass is mostly dead and yellowed, the trees are naked of leaves and the air holds a serious chill. (Tomorrow's weather forecast promises 1-2 inches of snow.)

"There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself."
~ Ruth Stout

Falling leaves

The rest of the country only gets to see falling leaves in the fall but we get to see them in both the fall and winter. This tree is losing its leafy coat and covering the ground with a yellow blanket.





I caught this leaf before it hit the ground.

Bare naked trees

As I've mentioned before (see Medusa trees), winter lets you see the "bones" of a tree. I'm finding more and more often that this view of the tree is more interesting to me than the fully clothed tree of spring and summer. I'm not alone in this—there's an entire board on Pinterest of Bare naked trees.

Last days of fall

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, which means it's almost winter. The winter solstice is this Saturday at 9:11 p.m. our time.

The trees are a sure sign of the end of fall, for which I personally am grateful. Every fall the tree next door to me drops its leaves, which then, because of the natural funnel effect of my property, get blown into my backyard. For a couple of months each year, I'm sweeping up leaves that don't even belong to me. I look forward to December 21st each year.

“I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood.”
Calvin (Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes)

Ah, winter...

January and February really are our winter months in Downey. It starts to really cool down to a chilling 47-55 degrees (Fahrenheit) and you can see the mountains from the streets on a clear day. Even the leaves on the trees decide to dress their part for this season. Some even fall off completely!

Merry Christmas!

Today it finally felt like winter. It was cold outside and oddly quiet. You could just see the snow on the tops on the mountains in the distance, but even though today is Christmas and December is almost over, the trees that line Furman Park are still fall-colored.

The sun was hidden behind clouds, so the day had an overcast feel to it. It made for a peaceful walk this afternoon.


"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."
~ Calvin Coolidge

Rainfall

I was just wishing for summer to come and then we had a rainy Saturday. It was kind of nice to have a reason to stay inside and just hang out. I spent some time watching the drops fall on the ground just outside my window. It didn't take long for bigger puddles to form. And the shapes the falling rain made in the puddle were almost hypnotic to watch. 

Nature's ornaments

I found it very satisfying yesterday, after seeing bare Christmas trees ready for trash pickup, to see that nature provides us with her own version of beautiful ornamented trees.