As faculty and students start their Fall Break, a four-day breather before diving into the second half of the semester, nature is providing a seasonally appropriate accompaniment to their exit. Joel D. Steppe, a General Services horticulturist at the Schneebeli Earth Science Center (and a 2011 forest technology alumnus), shared these photos taken Wednesday afternoon while he was walking the grounds. "It’s always so delightful to view the fall foliage this time of year," Steppe said. "They say autumn is a second spring, with every leaf like a flower. Even though life can be busy and stressful at times, it’s always nice to stop for a moment and observe Mother Nature in its finest." A haven for beauty 12 miles from Penn College's main campus, the ESC has – for more than 50 years – offered a living laboratory for students in such programs as diesel truck, forestry, heavy equipment and landscape/plant production.