It feels as if the days get drearier as winter approaches. The bright oranges and reds that once cast the entire north country landscape in a warm glow are now replaced by bare spindly branches. This in between season after the leaves fall and before the snow arrives often seems especially gray. However, out on a run I came across a maple that was still holding on to its leaves later than the others around it; a bright yellow pop in a forest of dull gray and brown. The beech and oak trees will continue to keep their leaves into the beginning of winter, but these maple leaves will be gone soon. Until then, I appreciate the burst of color they bring to the late fall days.