why the trees

OK, ENOUGH ALREADY with all the leaves. I must explain myself. I am utterly ravished by autumn colors. The tarnished tones of red, gold, and myriad greens make my heart ache. And usually, against the foil of blackened vegetation, give the impression of a Czar's robes. I wonder if I fell in love with trees as a child...I have memories of huge trees with wonderful billows of falling leaves to play with. In Huntington Beach, Terrie and I had the pleasure of attending a grade school where old trees littered the ground with their leaves in September. I remember, even as a kid, on my last day of school there, I walked the grounds, taking in the sights and smells of my old tree friends, and feeling a pang of sadness that I would rarely if ever see them again.