By the middle of October, the foliage was beautiful. It seemed that the colors had arrived somewhat late, and because there had been so little rain for so long people thought maybe this was why the trees were shy and would not change their color so vibrantly. But then they did! Then they did.
Here is a secret about the beauty of the physical world. My mother told me this when I was very small — my real mother, not the nice mother I made up later to be with me — my real mother told me one day that the great landscape painters understood one thing: that everything in nature started from the same color. And I thought of this as I watched the leaves changing. You may think: Don’t be ridiculous! There are vibrant reds and yellows and greens! And there are. Yet, walking along the river, as I did more frequently now, but also walking down our narrow road, I saw this. That in the yellows and the reds and the greens, they were somehow springing from the same color. And it is hard to describe this, but as more leaves fell I saw this more clearly. Everything seems to start with a kind of brown and it grows from there: The huge slabs of rocks that were on the side of the road were gray and brown, and the oak trees that turned russet were similar in color to the seaweed that I have described as being a coppery color, and the water, whether it is dark green or gray or brown, was of a similar hue.
I also noticed how, in the afternoons, clouds might start to come in and they were gently autumnal; they made the world look quietly soft as though it was already getting ready to tuck itself in for the night. I am only saying what a thing the physical world is!
— Elizabeth Strout, Lucy by the Sea: A Novel (Random House, September 20, 2022)
Photo: DK @ Brant Point, Nantucket. October 2, 2022 @ 7:21 am. See more pictures from Brant point here.
Live & Learn 
Dammit, David.
Perfect pairing of your outstanding photo and that beautiful prose…
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Thank you Dale.
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🙂
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My immediate, unconscious reaction to seeing that photo: a huge widening of my eyes. Absolutely beautiful.
Immediate reaction to reading that quote: I need to read the whole book!
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Smiling. Mission accomplished. Thank you Laila.
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Beautiful…
so, how much for the rest of Nantucket’s nature photos?
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Thanks Sawsan. I find Nantucket to be mesmerizing in any type of weather conditions.
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Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
Fall — nature’s way of really shinning!! — Elizabeth Strout, Lucy by the Sea: A Novel (Random House, September 20, 2022).
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This Strout book is going on my Christmas list — and Nantucket is likely as close as one can get to being a fish. Lovely photos (and words), calling me out of a massive Meh. I owe ya!
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Smiling. Thank you! So glad.
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Simply beautiful! The photo mesmerizes, and Strout’s words do the same in another direction. Thank you!
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Thank you!
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I love this soft colour of the sky. It seems like the grasses have caught some of that rosy colour too. Very nice photo, DK.
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Thank you Anneli!
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And I gave you an answer!
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I just saw this book and I love her writing. Wonderful passage
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What a storyteller she is!
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What a think the physical world is, indeed…perfect combination of word and picture..
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Agree Mimi! Thank you!
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Another stellar pairing of word and image and a lovely paean to my favorite time of year.❤️
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Thank you Lori. Mine too!
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You always find such wonderful passages to share. I’m glad I found you…am glad we are friends.
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Awwww. Thank you. Me too!
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