I decided to take a turn from my friend John's playbook and post a photoblog today so I would have a great excuse to take Chewey out for a mid-day walk. I knew from my morning ride to the gym that the colors are still brilliant!

I found this red maple on Harrison Street, right near where I parked on my way to yoga.

Yes, it's November 14, and the colors are as wonderful as I have ever seen them anywhere. That's not easy for me to say because I grew up going to the Ozarks for fall foliage and then lived in New England for nine years. Now I live not far from the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

One rivals the other for autumn beauty. But never do I remember a D.C. fall as wonderful as this, and particularly not this late in the year. Just look at this red oak, up the block on Morrison St. I've never seen this color on an oak anywhere besides the Ozarks. 

At Mark and Jane's house is this red maple - rivaling the one on Harrison.

I don't claim to be an extraordinary photographer - and in this case my lack of skill worked in my favor. What I was after was the colors, not sharp focus. Got what I was looking for!

Not all the reds were so flashy. This crimson cherry shows the variety we have.

And speaking of cherries - these beauts, along the field behind Lafayette Elementary School, give us spectacular springs every year. This year they have given us these gorgeous yellows.

Study in red and blue, provided by this sugar maple - as wonderful as any New England has to offer:

Study in orange and green:

Yellow for variety - perhaps this is a horsechestnut?

A melange of colors on Broad Branch Road:

What a nice walk!