Fall on the east coast is something I deeply miss living out west. There is a sense of seasons, of change coming and that is reflected in nature during this time. The amount of cold vs cool nights affect the intensity of the colors year by year. This year did not offer the crisp cold nights that help set those deep red colors in the foliage. In addition, there was a considerable number of rain days during this time that caused a large percentage of the leaves to fall prematurely.
So, when the weather cleared enough to go looking for the intensity of the fall colors, there was just not the intensity of images that has happened other years. Given that this was my one lengthy stay back east for the foreseeable future, I was disappointed in the lack of color. I had visions of capturing many compelling scenes of color harkening back to previous visits when I did not seek to capture them.
While visiting one lovely small town in a rural area, I found this spectacular splash of red with a family picnicking and playing under it.