Stevens Family Calendar: October

This is part of a series about the Stevens Family Calendar (if you know, you know).

Color!

I try to match my calendar designs to the season. Depending on where we have traveled in the past year, this can be very easy or very difficult.

For example, I struggled a bit with winter this year, but the next calendar will have lots of snowy, icy scenes because of our trip to Antarctica. Some years we struggle with autumn shots, but the this year we did well. 

That's because for two falls in a row, we've traveled east (see here and here) looking for good fall photo opportunities, picking up great photos in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. 

Both those trips appear in this calendar because our travel schedule didn't give me enough time to include the first trip in the 2023 calendar. 

I love fall and I think that fall colors make some of the most beautiful photos you can imagine.

I mean just look at this tree in Illinois that we used on the main page; Photo: Scott Stevens

We had a lot of magnificent orange, yellow, red and gold trees to choose from. The most brilliant colors were in Illinois and Indiana ...

Amazing! And, we didn't have room for any of them!

Among my favorites are these shots of a Paper wasp nest in Indiana; we opted to use the more zoomed-in shot of the main page

... and the most variety was in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee/North Carolina).

A shot from Cades Cove in the Smokies we didn't use; Photo: Scott Stevens

In the Smokies, we saw a few Black Bears (yeah, I know, after last month's post, you were probably hoping not to have to look at any more Bears!).

How often do you see THREE cubs? This one is on the calendar page; Photo: Scott Stevens

We had more, but enough is enough! Photos: Scott Stevens

The Smokies are a great place to see historical structures. 

I like the moodiness of these blacksmith shop photos, but they are very dark; the left is on the calendar page (but, the darkness made it almost disappear)

The National Park has an abundance of picturesque cabins and barns;
the upper right photo by Scott is on the calendar page ...

... mills (not on the calendar) ...

... and farmsteads (also not)

We also had some historic shots from Pennsylvania ...

We didn't use the historic pumphouse, covered bridge or cabin; Photos: Scott Stevens

... and a great farm from South Bend, Indiana, where Scott was born (he was born in South Bend, not on the farm!)..

So pretty, we used in on the main page; Photo: Scott Stevens

I picked up some nice photos of a lighthouse on Lake Erie in northern Ohio.

Although not a screamingly autumn as the others, these were taken in the fall (but they just didn't fit)

We even had some nice fall shots were the trees still retained some green. 

Turning trees in Indiana; the right is on the main page as a foil for all the orange and red;
Photos: Scott Stevens

But, let's get back to all the brilliant fall landscapes we captured.

A favorite, obviously, is this main page shot of a road in Cades Cove that Scott got

This viewpoint always reminds me of my favorite photo of Scott's dad, taken in 1973;
Photos: Scott Stevens

This tree on the way to fall is on the calendar page

Cades Cove, has probably the most gentle beauty of anywhere on Earth. 

I don't know if it is because this was a place I went as both a young child and a newly engaged and then young married adult or if this place is the place of my direct ancestors or if it is just gorgeous. But, it is a favorite place. 

Fall is where Cades Cove it really shines; Photo: Scott Stevens

We saw so many beautiful vistas in the Smokies (not used unless noted) ... 

The left one of these two taken from an overlook on
the Park's Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is on the calendar page

Mountainsides in the Park and on the Blue Ridge Parkway;
Upper left, upper right and bottom photos: Scott Stevens

Wow! Photos: Scott Stevens

And, quiet walks in the forest paid off...

I had a hard time eliminating these; All photos except middle bottom: Scott Stevens

Some of the most beautiful fall photos we ever got, we found by just wandering and taking unexpected turns.

Who even ever heard of Potato Creek State Park in Indiana?
And, now a photo of it (the left) is on our calendar's October main page

And, of course, some destinations were intentional ...

From our first visit back to New River Gorge in West Virginia since it became a National Park;
the right photo is on the calendar cover

During our travels, we visited some other beautiful parks ...

Red River Gorge in Kentucky; Photos: Scott Stevens ...

Singing Woods Prairie in Illinois

Starved Rock State Park in Illinois; this one is in the opening section

Magee Marsh in Ohio; the right is on the calendar page

All was in search of leaves ...

More from Potato Creek; Photos: Scott Stevens

A fall cascade at Red River Gorge

But, we had a good time with fall berries, too ...

The left and bottom middle were along the Blue Ridge Parkway;
the top middle and right are more from Potato Creek; Bottom middle photo: Scott Stevens

This shot Scott took in Illinois is in the opening section

As you can see, fall foliage photos are amazing, providing an incredible pop of color to any layout. 

I didn't mention above why we have to travel to get good autumn shots. It's because fall in Colorado tends to be very yellow, with just a few trees that turn orange and less that are red. 

The Midwest, Appalachian Mountains and East Coast are where autumn really blazes.

So, every couple of years, we pack it up and drive east. 

Leaves on the ground may mean you're late;
Calendar page photo: Scott Stevens

The tricky part, of course, is gauging when to travel. 

We have to make sure we aren't too early (we have been) or too late (we have been) and to avoid getting caught in early fall snow storms (we have had to rearrange plans and rush home early to do that). 

It's a gamble, but sometimes it pays off.

The Sinks in the Smokies is on the main page

Similar leaves in Pennsylvania and Indiana; the left photo is on the cover and
the right is on the calendar page; Left photo: Scott Stevens

Scenes along creeks; All photos but far right: Scott Stevens

More creeks; Right photo: Scott Stevens

It seems odd to be talking about the 2024 calendar while I am am beginning work on 2025. These photos seem so long ago and I have taken so, so many since then. But, I do like to share what we had to work with and how we put the calendars together.

Some things are timeless

As I said, fall is sometimes a challenge because we have nothing and sometimes a challenge because we have too much. It is a beautiful time of year and we are happy to share our favorite shots with you.

That's especially true when we have so many we can't fit in; Photos: Scott Stevens

I am quite fond of photos of roads and paths because they tell a story that has molded much of our adult lives: the possibilities of seeing new places, revisiting favorite spots and taking even more wonderful photographs. 

We used the left in the opener and the middle on the back cover;
Middle and right photos: Scott Stevens

But, fall isn't over yet. Next month, we'll explore autumn in the west.

A Moose cow in Ouray, Colorado