Leaves Everywhere

As the human activity in the Patch slows, nature moves toward winter sleep.  The oaks are becoming more bare, but the leaf color provides a glow in the forest canopy.

Mushrooms continue to sprout, from the tiny and delicate:

to the massive:

foot for scale

The particular tree that I have been watching is now completely bare of leaves, but the oak next to it is holding on:

picture from a different angle so the evergreen is not directly behind my tree

The creek at the western edge of the Patch shows actual current flow (as opposed to looking like a pond like before) and, at the northwest edge, the path leading to the Tigard library is completely under water.

Our garbage haul for the day filled less than a plastic grocery store bag except for the family-picnic-sized foam cooler, complete with lid, that we picked up at the north end of the property.  We don't always walk to the north end, but I swear, the last time we did, this cooler was about 20 yards farther north onto another piece of property that is semi-fenced from the Patch.  If the lid was not with the cooler, I might have thought about wind or an animal moving them, but maybe the other property owner just decided to toss them over the fence.  I mean, who's gonna know or care, right?