End of Autumn

Was out this afternoon tramping around the countryside out in the back of beyond way north of Paris, catching a few final glimpses of the end of Autumn. Almost all the leaves are down now, save for a few die-hard hangers on like this orange colored tree in the background, and there was a surprising last gasp of color in the hortensia here, well along the way to hibernation phase.
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The hortensia was growing on a raised bed of ground at the far end of a military cemetery from the 1914-1918 conflict which was an ossuary containing the remains of some 1200 French soldiers. Adjacent to it in marked graves were another 5000 or so. This area north of Compiegne was the scene of terrible battles in 1918 near the end of the war. On the other side of the cemetery were buried close to 7000 Germans. The things we do to each other... it has only been 90 years since the end of that bloody business, but sadly the human race does not seem to have learned much from this madness or any of the other regular bouts of insanity that we apparently are helplessly addicted to as a race. Is that pessimistic? Not my intention... but you know, like this great song said :
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Where have all the young men gone
Long time passing
Where have all the young men gone
Long time ago
Where have all the young men gone
Gone to soldiers every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
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Where have all the soldiers gone
Long time passing
Where have all the soldiers gone
Long time ago
Where have all the soldiers gone
Gone to graveyards every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
.
Where have all the graveyards gone
Long time passing
Where have all the graveyards gone
Long time ago
Where have all the graveyards gone
Gone to flowers every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
.
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If I'm not mistaken Pete Seeger wrote this one, what a timeless song... perfect for this photo...