Standing under a large tree waiting for the rain to stop. I’m determined to get a picture today. As the minutes turn nearly into an hour a cold wind that feels more like winter blows. What’s left of fall is mostly laying around me on the forest floor.

Trees stripped clean except for a random leaf or two. The bare branches silhouetting against the darkened sky. The cold wind pulling at the remaining foliage.

What brings me out today besides the dog needing a walk? Well, the dog needing a walk sometimes drives the entire day, but bringing a camera along gives me a reason to wait as the storm rolls across the Sound and up the Olympic Peninsula. Seasonal transition from fall to winter everywhere I look.

As the rain finally lets up I have a changed point of view. I’m looking for something different now after standing in silence with only the forest and a wet dog to keep me company. The hopes of a sun break are nil and my attention turns towards the remnants of fall layered on the ground like carpet. The decline of colors from vibrant yellow and red to dusky brown. A palette of fall chronicled in steps one leaf below another stacked up like pages in a book.

The puddles are full from the last cloudburst and reflections above and below the surface create a new dimension. Bottom layers dark and heavy. The surface reflecting a lighter change in weather. Was it worth the wait? The dog has no opinion. I’m happy to move on. I got what I came for. A snapshot of seasonal transition on Puget Sound.