The scene around this old church a few weeks ago had the autumn colors as a backdrop instead of the white snow that fell again today. Built in 1920, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Herbster, Wisconsin, had its first Mass celebrated in January 1921 by Father Amen, who came with the mail carrier from Park Falls. With a dwindling congregation and a shortage of priests, the church was closed in 1992 and the bell was moved to the cemetery.
Old Church in Herbster
The snow is slowly melting and a few patches of lawn are beginning to peak out but haven’t revealed many fallen pretty autumn leaves yet.
Autumn Maple Leaf
Winter is still trying to push autumn away as more snow feel this morning. And although the wind has taken most of the leaves off the trees, walking a path coated in autumn foliage is preferred than the current white stuff covering the ground.
Walking an Autumn Path
The morning sky looked rather eerie when it was sleeting as it had a weird color to it before the ice switched back over to snow. I don’t like looking at winter when it should be autumn yet and the white I want to see are whitecaps and bleached driftwood on a Lake Superior beach.
Autumn Beach
The morning started with pointy frost clinging to things, including this maple leaf still trying hanging onto autumn even if by afternoon, the leaf was weighted down with snow.
Autumn Frost
With wind chills below freezing today, it was a chilly day to get some fishing in on this autumn Sunday and winter coats might have been needed in addition to waders.
Autumn at the Brule River
The day was gray but at least the temperature reached 50 today. Most of the state is past the autumn color peak, but some might find a nice autumn path to hike before more snowflakes fall.
Autumn Path to Hike
Even though snowflakes fell this morning and started to coat the lawn, I refused to post a picture of early winter. It is better to see autumn leaves flying through the air and water in a lake than falling snowflakes, although I rather not see the end of autumn yet either.
Autumn on Superior’s Shore
The recent string of very windy days have been stripping a lot of leaves off the trees and soon images of fall foliage colors will be just a memory again.
Colorful Autumn Foliage
The rain overnight would have added a little more water to the streams so with the sunshine this afternoon, it was a good day for an autumn hike along a river, especially if near a cascading waterfall.
Siskiwit Slide
