True value

There is one place in the Township where fall color is utterly reliable. Maples grow at the edge of the woods in just the right conditions. A mowed meadow gives light a place to play. In the late afternoon the sun’s rays slant low enough to shoot beneath the dark clouds, setting the trees on fire.

If you live around here, you probably pass this spot a couple times a day. It isn’t tucked off on a scenic byway–it’s right on US 31. It isn’t picturesque farmland–it’s Owen and Gail’s woodlot. And it’s positively littered with telephone wires and power lines and light poles, those enemies of the landscape photographer.

 
But every year it puts on a show, and if you’re paying attention, you can look your fill at profligate beauty, for free. Go ahead. Park over at the Eastport Market across the road. There’s room down by the hardware section this time of year. Russ and Donna won’t mind.

Even in a dark time there are moments of grace. Turn around and look.