Less than two weeks ago, brilliant fall colors of Japanese maples and more mellow, antique foliage of other trees and shrubs combined for a beautiful farewell to autumn. 
I knew winter was coming as aging leaves showered down and the woods took on shades of gray and brown. Earlier this week, I casually listened to weather reports forecasting possible snow. Snow predictions are often overblown here, but this time there wasn't the hysteria of mass school closings and a rush on grocery stores that such reports usually generate. I expected some snow flurries, maybe. We don't get much snow in central Alabama.
Yesterday I was truly surprised when I woke to this scene in the front garden:
Snow was coming down! Before it stopped 12 hours later, Lou measured 6 inches in the flat parking area behind the house. The weather forecasters had misjudged (slightly!) the amount we would get.
I thought it would be interesting to compare images taken on November 28 to those I took yesterday. What a difference 10 days make! Do you prefer the fall or winter images? Photos in each set were taken in the same general location:
'Feelin' Blue' Deodar Cedar with Japanese maple 'Orido Nishiki' in the background.
The blue bridge in the woodland garden:
Views of the bench in the woodlands:
A side path in the woodland garden:
Woodland rabbit viewing the garden:
Looking toward the edge of the woodland garden:
The "sitting rock" in the woodland garden:
A birdbath in front of the house:
Finally, some images of a couple of birdhouses:
Our snow will be gone by tomorrow afternoon. I don't have to deal with it all winter, so I can enjoy the wonderment of it as a delightful change of scenery. And I have more snow pictures! Coming soon in my next post...