Early on a mid-October Saturday, 21 cloaks our suburban neighborhood in gray. But even this misty haze cannot 22 the blazing glory of the maple trees lining the street. Who needs Old Sol on a day like this? Canopies of radiant red and gold leaves glow from within, as if 23 by their own private sun. This autumnal glow comes as an especially welcome gift these days. Has the October landscape ever seemed more 24 beautiful than it does after a month of national mourning? The soft light and brilliant colors serve as 25 antidotes to the somber news coming out of Washington and Kabul.