Vogelmoos Nature Reserve

Fall and spring are my favorite seasons. Fall concurs with my age and stage of life. It reminds me of what has been and lends hope to what to expect. In bright sunshine fall shows with strong colors, but pastel colors prevail when the sky is dimmed by fog. This show happens where I live every year in October and early November: Luzern lies in a lake basin and is surrounded by mountains that stow clouds and fog. The contrast, saturation and vibrancy of nature’s colors can be subdued for weeks. 

Yesterday I drove to the Nature Reserve, hoping that the sun will shine through the fog in late afternoon. I aimed for photos that would show strong yellows and reds, the typical fall colors of leaves on trees and bushes before they fall to the ground to decay. 

The sun did not pierce through the fog at the altitude of the Nature Reserve. Yet, the photos show the tender transition of life’s fullness into the bareness of winter to come. The circle of life  is obvious. 

Yet, let’s not forget that though fall lead some to contemplate on life, for others it is a period of hard work in the forest.

The pastel colors shining against the sky energize me for what the remaining years may hold including the certainty of life’s end. The misty blur in the forest adds to the mystery of nature’s renewal.