The rather ferocious (if needed) rain combined with high winds yesterday stripped the ashes of their leaves entirely.  It also caused the white pines to drop their old needles, which had been hanging up in the branches making all the pines look quite ragged and ill.  The end result is that the lawns, and the tennis court in particular, are completely covered in golden needles.*  The roads are similarly covered, there was an actual drift several inches high along the centerline through the S-curves this morning.  The needles will quickly sink into the grass, but for the moment it is really quite impressive.  I am not sure how the pines decide to shed; since it occurs every few years it ought to be spaced out, with some trees shedding heavily each year.  But for some reason, they all follow the same schedule.

*The tennis court is not a tennis court anymore, it is a pine grove and (since I mowed it recently) there is little vegetation to break up the needles.  A few volunteer dogwoods and such here and there, the rest is a golden carpet.