Morning Mist, Colonial Williamsburg

Susan/Isabella reporting:

Yes, I made it safely home to Pennsylvania ahead of Hurricane Sandy, and I'm now battening down the hatches and loading up on batteries and candles. In the mean time, I'll continue with more from my Colonial Williamsburg visit, and I'll try to post several in advance just...in...case...I lose power.

Most of the photos I've shared have featured bright blue skies and brilliant fall foliage. But Thursday morning showed the more mysterious side of autumn, with a thick misty-fog that softened all those brilliant colors. Consider it nature's own Instagram.

These were all taken in the Governor's Palace gardens on Thursday. The Palace, above left, was so shrouded in mist that the golden weather vane was hardly visible, and the formal geometry of the hedges was softened by dew-laden spider webs scattered over the boxwood.

The Canal lies along one end of the Palace gardens, right. Here the mist gentled the fall colors of the leaves, reflected in the water's surface.

The terraced garden, below left, is also part of the Palace gardens, but it's doubtful that any of governor's guests ever strolled among these beds. It's the kitchen garden, situated between the free-standing kitchen buildings and the canal. The full bounty of the summer-garden has passed, of course, leaving mostly leafy autumn vegetables. Those yellow and orange marigolds near the top earn their place in the kitchen garden, too: they're there to garnish the serving plates for the governor's dinner.