All the Same

As I approached the Speedway Public Library 

on Saturday, I noticed that the Japanese maple 

at the curb was nearly the same shade of red 

as the car parked alongside. I really liked the way

the sunlight filters through the red leaves

and tried to get a picture of that effect against

the red car, with limited success.

For whatever reason, the way my eye 

registers the bright red created by the sun

is not duplicated by my camera.

However, I was surprised by what caught my eye next:

all five cars (four shown here; the one at the front of the line 

was a small Nissan) parked outside the library, 

each a different make and model, were all 

virtually the same shade of red. Huh. 

A Bit of Sun

Thunderstorms raked across the Midwest yesterday morning, 

causing devastating tornado damage in Oklahoma.

Overnight, storms had swept through Indy, leaving tree branches

strewn across lawns all over town.

However, while I was walking to the bus stop, the morning sun

had managed to break through the cloud cover, shining through the

Japanese maple leaves and seeds on a neighbor's tree.

Tiffany in Speedway

Sometimes, when I want to see jewels designed by Charles Lewis Tiffany 

or stained glass by his son, Louis Comfort Tiffany,

all I have to do is stand beneath a Japanese Maple in the spring.

There are several of these trees dotting the yards of Speedway and,

whenever I find one, I can't help but take several minutes

to look at the marvelous colors produced by the tree

as the sun shines through its beautiful leaves.

Spring Jewels

Yesterday afternoon, I caught a glimpse of ruby red jewels 

dotted among the new leaves of a neighborhood

Japanese Maple tree. Those trees produce beautiful colors

year-round, but in spring they can look like 

 sunlight through stained glass.

The little seeds have red wings and,

when caught by the sun they produce

a bright, shimmering red, a bit like ruby earrings

worn with an emerald gown.

Eye Level

These leaves caught my eye yesterday. 

I was attracted by the way the sun shown through their red and green coloring, the delicacy of the leaves against the rough bark. 

Even the patterns of the leaves and the bark seemed to echo each other.

My Eyes Dance

During my walks, as I try to watch where I'm putting my feet so I won't trip over a pebble, I also try to remember to look at what's over my head. Sometimes I see something like this, a tree so beautiful, so colorful, the shape of its leaves so exquisite ... it makes my eyes dance with pleasure.

It's a Japanese maple tree. There are several varieties of them around my neighborhood, all of them colorful at all times of the year. Some start off as bright green with little red seeds, others start as a brilliant red, while still others seem to be varigated. One homeowner has planted several red ones. In spring they are scarlet, but none of the pictures I've taken over the years has ever shown that wonderful color; my camera does not see what my eyes enjoy.

So I just let my eyes dance.