This is the time of year when emptiness can predominate.  All the leaves have fallen off the deciduous trees, leaving their branches empty.  But still beautiful.

In the autumn, most beaches are empty of people, since the vacationers are gone.  We were fortunate to visit Cape May, on the Jersey Shore, in October, when the beach was empty of most people, but teeming with birds.  We were also fortunate in that the weather was absolutely perfect, in the 70s!

Mixed flock of shorebirds, Cape May

Beach, Cape May, NJ

Broad expanses of sand for walking on, and quiet except for the sounds of the birds, and the waves.

Another kind of emptiness, is empty buildings, reminders of human activity that is no more.  This is especially true of the abandoned and crumbling buildings at Minidoka, in Idaho, which was an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II.  A blot on the American psyche.

This abandoned building is in a small town in Eastern Washington.

Rural parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana can look pretty empty.

But you know that if you look closer, they are teeming with wildlife.

Personally, I think the big machines in Eastern Washington mar the beauty of the rolling hills that are my favorite kind of terrain.

I don’t think of these as empty, just waiting for the right sitter to happen along.

Here’s the Link to Patti’s Original Post for this week.  And Tina’s too!