Sculpture Park, Franklin, MA
When the woods begin filling with color, it’s as though I’ve forgotten this ever happened before. Some view fall as the harbinger of winter, but for me, it is the long-promised relief from the heat of summer. In visiting local libraries and other organizations the past few weeks, I’ve promised to help people find fantastic foliage around the corner from where they live. But it sure helps if you already live in New England, or at least in the eastern US, to start with.
Upper Charles River, Millis, MA
As I prepared for yet another library presentation, I came across photos I took last fall, and two of the most stunning pictures I found were taken, not on a trail, but from a bridge crossing the Upper Charles River, on a road in Millis, MA.
Upper Charles River, Millis, MA
I encourage folks to familiarize themselves with their local trails, but in fact, we often overlook places of beauty that are even closer to home.
On this rainy, overcast day here in Massachusetts, I looked out my window into the woods behind our house. Soon, camera in hand, I hung out the upper story window, capturing this lovely young maple growing on the edge of the woods. 
There is no “perfect’ picture,” no perfect spot for foliage viewing. What I keep learning is that looking, really seeing what is around you, is just the right place to find beauty. And if it isn’t beautiful yet, just wait. As my friend Sue, a “recovering gardener” says, “Nature always wins.”
Marjorie Turner Hollman
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
Marjorie Turner Hollman 