a.k.a. V.J.

Last week, I posted about our unseasonably warm and green October. Right on cue, shortly after I published that post, we experienced a stretch of rainy and cold weather. Pretty much overnight, the leaves began changing color.

This weekend, the weather got nice again and we decided this afternoon would be a good time to drive around and soak in the foliage. We started out just driving around on the rustic byways outside of town and shooting pictures from the car. After a little bit of that, we thought about going someplace where we could get out and walk around.

I suggested that we visit the cemetery in nearby Hannibal Center. That cemetery is tucked away on a dead-end road in the middle of farm country. I know the place well, as it has been the cemetery for much of my mother’s side of the family for over a century. My father is out there too. (It also contains a plot, bought and paid for decades ago, that’s waiting for me.) Based on my many visits to the cemetery over the years, I know that the adjacent woodland is always scenic in the fall. Besides, what better way to spend the run-up to Halloween than traipsing around a graveyard?

Jen took all but one of the photos in this post which is why they turned out so nice. While she was capturing the beauty of the season, I wandered around, said hello to several generations of my ancestors, and pondered my future resting place.