thankful for fall

i know we're all already amping up for christmas and channukah (which comes scandalously early this year), but since it is thanksgiving week, let's take a moment to be thankful for fall and for the bounty of beauty that it brings.

i've been admiring the fiery orange mums and pumpkins that are gracing the front steps at my parents' house and i'm pleasantly surprised to find that some things are constant - i admired a very similar spread right here (and pictured below) more than a year ago. i don't know who's more consistent - my parents for gravitating towards the same combination or me for being smitten with it.

on my walks around our neighborhood, i've enjoyed the beautiful vibrance of the trees and they way they seem to glow against the periwinkle sky.

and i've been struck by how i've seen more than a few signs of supersized autumn. take for example the ginormo leaf below, pictured next to a normal sized leaf.

and a normal sized apple, left, cowering in the shadow of the godzilla apple to its right. guess nature didn't get the memo about it being a lean year.

i'm also loving how fall inspires people to be creative with color combinations...

i see it in the selection of mums and cabbages on peoples' lawns, warm earthtone wardrobes mixed with punches of rich jeweltones...even the bakers at whole foods created an inspiring palette - magenta, yellow, cream and brown. i'd love a party in those colors, or a piece of jewelry, or a room...
funny, the frosting has always been my favorite part, so this year i can just admire their color scheme. works for me.

what's inspiring you this fall?

top image from HBU, 7th image from flickr