2011, Day 317 - Gnome habitat

I wonder if this what the world looks like to a gnome.  We all know gnomes exist and that they live in the woods in homes made of mushrooms kind of like smurfs except not blue or, you know, animated.  I expect that they don't have this kind of field of vision; if you had peripheral vision like this it would be good to avoid predators or assassins but most of us have more of the latter than the former which is why we all employ ninja bodyguards.

Well, that is probably enough of my insane ramblings.  This is another one of the photographer I took while hiking at Mount Talbert.  I enjoy the satisfying crunch of fall leaves underfoot and the mild musty smell they give off.  In the spring they will have decomposed into a rich mulch that will give birth to new ferns, wild orchids, fungi, and especially trillium.  For now we are bless with their rich colors and their gentle descent from the canopy to the forest floor.  Like the bear these maples are shedding their leaves and slowing their metabolism in preparation for the long, damp, dark winter ahead and when the world beings to warm again their buds will mark the approach of spring.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f11, merged layers of 0.6 and 1.3 sec @ 200 ISO