Is it just me or do this year's autumn leaves look more vibrant than usual?  I've thought about that question the last couple of days.  We must be right in or very near the peak of the 2008 colors (I'm writing this blog on October 12) but I don't remember the leaves being so bright and colorful.

One of the things that think is really helpful is that we haven't had one of those extremely windy days that comes along once in a while and strips about 50% of the remaining leaves off of the trees.

I really love this time of the year with the crisp, chilly mornings and mainly sunny and warm afternoons.  But the one thing I really don't like is how early the sun is going down now.  However, the fact that the days are getting shorter is one of the main reasons that we get the awesome color show this time of the year. 

Click HERE to read about why the leaves change color every autumn.  It's a great explanation from The Weather Channel's web site.