Three Days of Autumn

One of my favorite things about living in New England is experiencing the four seasons in full. I know, some people in Maine will say there are five, adding in Mud Season, but I just include that in spring. As much as I love summer and the days on the beach by the ocean, my favorite season has to be fall. Or, autumn, as some of us prefer to call it.

I love the smell of autumn. There’s something earthy and pungent that smells like home to me…especially when I’m walking in the woods. I love the crispness in the air. The heaviness of summer and trying to breathe with those hot, humid days is totally gone. I love the sound. Nothing compares to the swishing and crackling of the dry leaves with each step as I go for a hike in the woods. Or, even the sound of my rake in the leaves and pine needles as I drudgingly clean up my yard. Not drudgingly because of the work involved but because I actually love the way the yard looks with a blanket of fallen leaves and needles.

What I love the most about autumn, though, are the colors. I feel like my eyes can’t take in enough of the different colors that surround me. I find it almost overwhelmingly beautiful. My heart just swells with the joy of having the ability to see such beauty of colors.

On Columbus Day, I noticed that autumn was finally upon us. It wasn’t really here on the day before, but, Bam! that Monday brought forth a fire burst of colors. As I drove my girls south on 95 to meet their dad, I was blown away by what I saw. My oldest daughter and I were pointing out sections to each other that we were just finding so full of colors. My youngest daughter was entranced with her movie in the backseat, but every now and then, we’d coax an ‘ooh’ or and ‘aah’ out of her when we’d yell for her to look out the window.

Driving back the next day from my Sweet-Smelling Girlfriend’s house, I had the most incredible commute I can ever remember. Between the colors on the trees and the skyscape, I wanted to just take the day off and stop all along the way and take pictures. I know it is so hard to capture on film what we see with our eyes; but what a wonderful sense to possess!

Wednesday, the following day, was another incredible day. My walk/run/suck wind before work was filled with the fall colors too. Every tree was at its peak. If I didn’t have appointments after work, I would have made the best of the evening…outdoors.

Then Thursday came. Along with heavy rains. Same with Friday. And there went the leaves. It’s amazing how barren the trees seem after two days of practically torrential rain. Yes, some leaves managed to hang on, and they are still beautiful to look at (even two weeks later), but that postcard image of New England in fall is gone. I’m glad that I was able to enjoy the season when it came. All three days of it.


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