the stuff that really colorful autumns are made of

Wet. Yesterday was a series of emergency flash flood alerts coming over the phone, my umbrella giving out, the Weather Channel contacting me for permission to use photos, my dry cleaning getting damp even inside the bag, a card I mailed getting smudged up even though I protected it... I've been through some pretty good rains but yesterday was an hours long neverending fight for dominance. Even with an umbrella, an entry carpet, and being careful where I set the sacks down, my kitchen and I were both so wet after I got the groceries in that I had to change every stitch on me and then clean up the floors. WET. But I was glad to see it. August going into September had gotten so dry that I was afraid we'd wind up with a quickie autumn and the leaves would suddenly turn brown and shrivel off overnight. I've seen that happen in years past, it's depressing. Our longest lasting most colorful autumns seem to happen after torrential rains soak into the trees just before the leaves start turning colors.

Quick disclaimer- please don't take pictures while you are driving, especially in bad weather. It's very dangerous and not worth your life and limb or a smashed up car. I have been photographing weather and scenery in the Ozarks for years, and I'm usually stopped or going very slowly for some reason. Please don't 'copy' me and zoom around taking pictures while you drive.

This is one of the southernmost lights in Nixa, the only one still working in the entire town by the time I arrived. 

And just as I got there, the lights stopped working and the rain got so heavy we had to pull over and sit there. My camera could see better than I could.

I wound up routing through flooded parking lots through part of town, this is the northernmost end before the official crossover into Springfield on the other side of the James River. This pic clicks to a cute convo on twitter.

This one from National just north of Battlefield in Springfield by the park clicks to the tweet that prompted Weather Channel to contact me. No idea what became of that, I'm sure it got 'drowned out' in all the Hurricane Odile coverage.

This next one clicks to a tweet that might have started rumors... O_o haha. My daughter called up during her lunch break and told me the local weather was saying flooding around Campbell and was worried about driving, well, I had tweeted this a little earlier with specific coordinates.

Nice little break from the rain in Mama Jean's, my fave organic shopping in Springfield. Click this pic to go to my facebook checkin if you'd like to see more. This is gratuitous, not paid to link.

Finally headed home.

Autumn in the Ozarks is a real treat. I've done other posts in the past. These are from a blog that no longer has mobile viewing after a rough migration to new servers, so I'm moving them to my chicken blog. They come up on mobile and devices now.

Glade Top Trail 9-24-12

Links to Mark Twain National Forest, Rome Bridge, Foxtrotters, Flaming Fall Review

mmm. rocks 9-29-12

killing time in between thunderstorms 10-13-12

autumn peak in the Ozarks 10-29-12

Daycation 11-9-12

Bennett Spring, Route 66, Amish country

this year has been intoxicating 11-13-12