Mid-August. Time for the beginning of change of seasons. I'm ready for Memorial Day.

Summer isn't over - temperatures in high 90s this week - and temperatures into 100s possible into September, but the beginning of the end-of-summer thunderstorms - sometimes without water reaching the ground ("virga") - is a sign that autumn is beginning to force its way into planning.

During my recent journey, I noticed the trees beginning to change color. Early August seemed a bit soon; perhaps a hard winter is coming. Haven't had one of those in a while.

I don't go into the high country after mid-August without being prepared for freezing rain and snow. Not likely but not unheard of either. I was in Denver one year when the snowfall before Labor Day was heavy enough to cause significant tree damage - the leaves were still green - and that was only at 6000 ft.

My honey locust is beginning to show signs of yellowing ....

Though I ended up stopping at Loves more often than Pilot/Flying J

I found the food at these major truck stops cheaper and better* than what's found at McDonald's et al ... though Runza's through Nebraska are worth a stop.

*though there's still plenty of junk food available as well

I was back near the land of my birth one time, visiting places I had once played in. This land had been the grounds of a hunting lodge when there were far fewer people and far more open country than now. The hunting lodge faded away sometime when I wasn't paying attention and was taken over as a metropolitan park. Hiking/biking trails now wind through the woods and along the lake where I had once enjoyed skinny-dipping with certain friends.

Can't do that now ...

And I must have been immune to the mosquitos back then ... or they're newcomers.

So I was wandering around the paths - observing remnants of fences that I had once crossed over (the lodge grounds were private), mostly cut-off pieces now grown into what were once saplings, now mature oaks and maples..

These girls came up over the hill and stopped when they saw me coming the other way. We talked a bit, I took this photo, and we went on our ways ... I'm sure I was gone from their minds by the time they got to the bottom of the hill; myself at least thinking of the time when I'd have been of an age to want to get to know them in a completely different manner than I feel now.

Sometimes. When I feel like it. When I'm not doing something else.

I've had a few of you contact me by email requesting more info about myself. I don't really want my background to influence what you all think or comment about these posts but I did recently find these images which aren't too far off.

Make of them what you will - I wish my work environment was closer to this.