Amateur Photographer at Work!
It's somewhat difficult to find autumn leaves in the Desert Southwest. We do have some leaves that turn yellow but few that turn red. These are mulberry leaves. Here in Phoenix leaves sometimes fall off the trees as the new leaves are forming! Most of our leaves fall in January.
Emerson was practicing his latest breakdancing moves!
Elmo gets in on the trick or treat routine.
The big blue frog dominates a table of ceramic creatures at Whitfill's Nursery. It makes me wish I had a pond that I could place him next to! Everything for the garden seems to be in blazing color this fall.
I spotted a pomegranate tree with lots of fruit on it during a walk through the neighborhood. I had never noticed it before and I don't believe I've ever seen a pomegranate tree before. This photo project definitely opens your eyes to the world. 
Planting pots go colorful! Seen at Home Depot.
Like so many plants (including weeds) the new leaves of the eucalyptus are a red color at birth. Eucalyptus were brought to Arizona in the mid-1800s from Australia since it is a fast-growing tree and Arizona had no indigenous trees capable of producing large amounts of firewood needed for heating and cooking. The eucalyptus grows from two to four feet per year and can reach heights of 120 feet. I used to have one in my back yard that was about that tall. Unfortunately, the menthol it drips kills everything in sight. As it grows taller and taller it becomes very brittle, and in our summer monsoons large branches can break off and cause much destruction.
Those of us who were kids back in the 1950s will surely remember Dixie Cups, those little cardboard containers of just enough ice cream to make a summer day perfect. Remember those little pull tabs on the lids that you then licked the underside of the creamy vanilla ice cream to reveal a picture, usually of a popular movie star? It's certainly a great thing to discover Blue Bell "Dixies" at Target (I'm beginning to like that place more and more!) and what's even better, they also have chocolate! And what a statement for portion control -- each little cup holds just three ounces of that wonderful best homemade taste of ice cream ever produced -- where else? -- in my native homeland of Texas! Just make sure you get real Blue Bell, not some knockoff with a similar name!
Jasmine is a 13-year-old cockapoo who was rescued by her human four years ago. She is a vocal girl who brings snacks, water, and a soft pallet for resting to the Roadrunner Park farmers' market. 
A neighbor's Jag
These little munchkins were hanging out in the garden department of Wal-Mart
