Who Could Ask for Anything More?!

We're having a few days of perfect weather.







The temperature has risen steadily, today it's in the upper 60's, and it's been clear and lovely. At night, it's a bit cold without the cloud cover, but the stars are so brilliant it's hard to complain.
It's been cold and blustery. The wind has blown most of the leaves off the trees. The trees that were left still had green leaves on them. Finally we had a frost and now, the remaining leaves are turning color!
It's quite glorious to see. There isn't much orange, but LOTS of bright yellow, and some red. Most of the red color is coming from the bushes.

Turning Bush





on the other side, becomes






Burning Bush



All over town you can see this vivid crimson and brilliant yellow color scheme. It's really Beautiful against the blue sky.
Goodbye October, Hello November.

All Roads lead to the Capitol

What better way to spend a beautiful day than on the Observation Deck at the State Capitol Building taking in the views. The Capitol is located on an isthmus between two lakes. See map here: Madison, WI

Four major roads lead into the block housing the Capitol. I've written about this block in several blog entries (Art Fair, Farmer's Market.) Today I took pictures of these streets because they look so beautiful in their Fall Colors.



This is West Washington













This is Wisconsin Avenue, looking into Lake Mendota.












This is East Washington, the road we drive to get to the Capitol. It's great because we're looking at the Capitol getting bigger the whole trip!









Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard empties onto Monona Terrace which overlooks Lake Monona. It is a marvelous area, and I'll post pictures from there another day.





The four major roads are intersected by a number of other, secondary, roads that form angles to the main arteries. State Street is the most famous of these roads, as it is a Main Artery of the community. It has just undergone a rather impressive face lift and we're all glad the construction is nearly at an end. There is no traffic on State, other than buses and Police and Emergency vehicles. It is the major route between the Capitol and the UW Campus.

It is full of trendy shops and interesting restaurants, which now all have outdoor seating thanks to the makeover of State Street! We spend hours wandering this area and always find something new to look at, eat, or think about.

The most scenic road coming in to the Capitol area is John Nolen Drive, which follows Lake Monona and provides many beautiful views of the area.


The pictures, wonderful as they are, don't do it justice. You really, truly should come see it for yourself. We'll be happy to show you around!

First Frost!

They are expecting frost up North tonight. That means that the fall color will follow. Intense color! Guess we'll be making a trip North this weekend. I love the very first color, when it is a contrast to the remaining green. To drive along and see an especially vivid orange or scarlet or yellow gives me the kind of excitement I crave. I can't wait!