Some days end with us being weary. Our bodies ache, our minds are exhausted, our spirits are depleted. How much we need glorious refreshment, being renewed by visual celebration, hearing a song that lifts us. Every day needs a glorious ending.

Late today it's official. Autumn falls.

I enjoy it visually. The trees show their true color as the chlorophyll exits the leaves. The pigment gives the leaves the green color and helps trap light needed for photosynthesis. But the pigment is no longer needed as the hours of daily light decreases and the temperatures drop. I ought to be exhilarated by the brisk air and all of the activities. There is some of that excitement, especially on the bright, sunny days. The dark days are less fun, which is why it is important for me to seek light. And take my camera to capture what I see. There is always something to celebrate in a photograph.

The Gospel lesson for today is Matthew 20:1-16, a parable that appears only here. Jesus described the kingdom of heaven by telling of a landowner who hires laborers in the morning for the usual daily wage. He returns to the marketplace at 9, noon, 3 and 5, hiring more workers each time. At the end of the day he begins to pay them ,even those who worked only one hour, a full day's wage. Those who had worked all day, and were the first to be hired, complained that it was unfair, as they noticed what was happening and began to expect to be paid more. And the landowner, responds by saying, "Are you envious because I am generous?"

Generous with whom, one might ask; surely not those who had worked all day. All the workers had the same need: enough money to care for themselves and whatever family they might have had. Those who were still waiting to be hired at 5 p.m. had the same need as those who were hired first. Who would have been left at the last hour, but the elderly and the weak, the scoundrels and the criminals? And they were at the edge of having nothing for the day. The parable's outcome is not fair but describes a generosity that is unexpected, and beyond what was deserved. How can this be right? How generous will God be? What about what we expect? Something to ponder this day. We expect God to be fair, rewarding the good and punishing the evil. But we are uncertain about a God who is generous, caring for all, even those we think we might be better than. God isn't fair; God is more.

This tendril stretched for something, anything, to grasp. These modified leaves will wrap quickly around another stem to support the plant. Passion flower, clematis, and morning glory use tendrils to climb and seek additional support.

These flowers are quick to seek support. There are times that we humans need to be quick to seek support as well. The whole system is stronger when connected together, and it is difficult to determine which one sought the other.

You may have to be a railroad buff to appreciate seeing Bailey Yard in North Platte, Nebraska.

The world's largest classification yard is 8 miles long and 2 miles wide. It has over 200 tracks with nearly 140 trains with 14,000 railroad cars passing through the Bailey Yard EVERY DAY.

This photo from the 8 story tall observation tower shows the locomotive fueling and service center; 8,500 locomotives pass through this facility every month.

You might have thought North Platte was only famous as the home of Buffalo Bill Cody, and missed this. And maybe not.

All in one day:

We stopped at a Goodwill store to check out their hardback books, only to discover they had more than I had ever seen at Goodwill. Soon a clerk was rolling another cart down the aisle overflowing with books. "Wow, even more!" I said. They are only romance was the reply. "And I don't look like the romantic type? If you only knew, ..." And she laughed.

While we were eating lunch, a cell phone rang and the man across the way pulled out his flip phone and dropped it on the floor. I retrieved because he couldn't reach it, and then he told his caller that a nice young man had gotten his phone for him.

Later, in the same day, we met travelers from California and we took turns photographing the other couple near the town's fountain. And he said, as he admired the photos, "Not bad, for two old guys!"

Hmmm... It's all about perceptions, and what one sees, and what is true.

The weather has taken a decidedly cool turn. It is the night temperatures that affect the warmth of the pool. Swimming season is over. Time to put away some of the toys, like these "Noodles". I liked the rainbow effect.

During the second half of a long train ride, I began to look around at what I could photograph. The first portion was filled with new sights. But on the return trip, we changed sides (required) but all we could see now was vegetation covered hillsides. And soon, I began to wonder. What if? What if I slowed my shutter speed and the ISO way down. The railroad car swayed and rocked and I made little attempt to hold my camera still. I would check the image on the back of the camera after each exposure and make further adjustments that could create a different effect. Those who sat near us asked what I was finding to photograph and that so clearly had interested me with dozens of exposures. I would show them, and they would just shake their heads. What do you see, they would question further. Light! And motion! And a train trip.