OCTOBER 25 - Fall Foliage and Forbidden Fruit

There was such a beautiful morning sky outside my bedroom window this morning - pale blue, orange, then a  brighter blue. I didn't need the Weather Network for my forecast - it would be sunny with a touch of biking.

While I was finishing my coffee, Howard (who was home for a couple of days after slip slidin' away down the outdoor steps at Steve's place) wanted to know when we were going to Walmart. Walmart. Nice. So nice.

However, we weren't gone long - seems he just wanted some patterns for cutting designs in his pumpkins. So when we got back, I got Breehy outdoors, and we took off.

Not on a long ride. I thought I'd go check out Autumn at Bear Creek Park. I haven't been doing much bike riding lately, and I feel like I'm coming down with the mother of a head cold, and my ears feels like they're stuffed with silly putty. So of we went gliding down King George Boulevard, turning up 88 Avenue just before KG starts its long uphill grade.

And then I decided to

I actually took more than a moment, as there was so much beauty around me. 

The park will still and silent on this fall school-day. 

 I decided to check out trails I hadn't previously travelled. According to the sign below, it will soon be time to go salmon watching. I didn't see any flop up Bear Creek today though.

 Now it's late October, there's more water in the 'crick.' If there were salmon heading upstream to spawn, it would be no trouble seeing them here.

 And I even entered a dangerous zone just to see if I could bring a big of excitement into your lives.

 However, I didn't see any beavers, or any fallen trees with pencil sharpened points, and the only wildlife I saw were some ducks.

I did, however, come across what I think is a composting pit. You can see the steam rising from the soil. Must be hot down there,
and in the composting world, that's a good thing. Let's see ...

When I got to the end of this particular path, I noticed this tree in the parking lot. There were red thingies in it, and a lot of red thingies underneath.

I thought at first it was a red potato tree, but of course, red potatoes don't grow on trees. Then I thought, maybe some kind of nuts - the nutmeat would be hidden inside the protective red shell. I'm a bit dumb, really.

 However, by this time, a East or a South Asian young fellow had walked over from the temple, and stood about two feet away, just staring at me. I felt very uncomfortable, so I asked, 'Am I in a private parking lot?'

And he said 'Yes.' Oh.

'Well,' I answered, 'I didn't mean to trespass - I thought this was Bear Creek's parking lot.' He answered, 'No.' So I left. But as I was riding out, I saw the sign for the park, and realized it was the Park parking lot, so I called back - 'There is no reason why I couldn't be there - Park on the left, Temple on the right. WELCOME TO CANADA.' And I could actually hear Breehy's tires whisper, 'Jackass.' It was the first time I felt intimidated on any of my rides.

However, as we all know, my rides tend to overlap, and I ended up at this parking lot again - this time by way of 140th Street. So, bold as brass, I rode in and picked some fruit off the ground and tossed them in my basket. When I got home I cut one in half - it looked like a plum. I tasted a bit, and Howard informed me he wouldn't eat any. I wouldn't eat any more, either - it was very woody, pulpy, and not very tasty. I'm still alive 7 hours later, so I wouldn't think they were (very) poisonous.

However, after picking up the forbidden fruit, I headed back down the trail, and decided to walk through the gardens. If you've read my posts during the summer, you may remember the day I discovered them - and today, I wanted to see how Autumn was decking them out.

Just what I expected. Beauty.

 Serenity.

Brilliance. 

 Picture perfect.

 

 The perfect example of the gorgeous day that always follows the few rainy ones, in Autumn and Winter. Well, of course, in Winter, this particular tree wouldn't be orange.

 After leaving the park, I headed out, and though I shouldn't tell you I thought I'd take a short-cut home, I'll tell you anyway. I actually ended up in the same place I got lost ages ago when I was a walker and not a biker, and didn't know how to navigate very well (even when the streets and avenues are all numbered - some of them just come to a dead end stop.) Then, I almost panicked, and probably walked five miles before I found my way home. Today, I just rode around and ended up back at Quibble Creek, another small brook surrounded by trees. I walked Breehy along a leaf covered path, and came across this tall dead tree stump.

 However, the tree may have been dead, but it was offering life. And no, this is not a climbing wall. At least I don't think so.

 Yes, there's fungus amungus.

 Quibble Creek. It seems like such a baby creek.

 After a relatively short ride, I got home, had a bowl of nice hot pea soup, and checked out the Stellar Jay in the tree in front of the kitchen window, waiting for his peanuts. Poor things, they have to fight off the crows and squirrels to get their treats.