B1 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020 CONTACT US FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorian Alyssa Evans aevans@dailyastorian.com THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, NOV. 21, 2020 • B1 Red leaves By NOEL THOMAS For The Astorian In a year full of uncertainties, it can be diffi cult to fi nd the bright spots. The other day while walking the dog, my wife, Pat, noticed a red leaf among the brown ones fi lling the gutter. When she bent to pick it up, she saw another, and another. Pretty soon, she had a whole handful of bright red leaves. She brought them home and laid them out on the counter. “Here, I meant to bring you a leaf to cheer you up, and now you have a whole bunch of them,” she said. She wanted to press them and I wanted to paint them. We did both. The fall’s beautiful leaves have renewed our hope that next year’s leaves will bring even more hope and beauty. Noel Thomas is an Astoria-based watercolor painter. His work can be seen at the RiverSea Gallery and online at bit.ly/riverseanoelthomas