The final class assignment was to “photograph autumn”.  Since autumn to me is best represented by the reds, golds and oranges as the leaves change, that seemed the obvious subject for me to photograph.  The assignment was given a few weeks before the autumn color even arrived in our area.  Add to that a full week of gray, rainy weather and I was getting rather desperate.   I studied the weather forecast for the higher elevations to the west and it appeared that the weekend might be a bit drier in that direction.   I was wrong.  This image was taken from an overlook along the ridge where the weather included a persistent drizzle and fog.  There were gaps and holes in the clouds allowing sunlight to spill on the valleys.