The fall season has always been my favorite time of the year. Whether you call it autumn or fall, it is a great time. I know I said that about summer but fall really is my favorite season. Ok, I might be a bit fickle about seasons. I really just like whatever season it is. I have been told that autumn is more British English and Fall is more American English. Whatever. I like it no matter what you call it. Although the calendar says that fall doesn’t officially start until Tuesday, September 23rd in 2020, fall traditionally starts on Labor Day.
There are a lot of reasons to love fall: Fall weather, fall foliage, fall sports, and even fall films. Let’s take a look at the reasons in order. This is my short list but I am sure there are many more:
- Fall season weather
- Fall foliage
- Fall sports
- Fall films
Fall season weather
The weather during the fall season is the best. It’s about time, especially if you’re tired of 100-degree days. It seems to me that 45 degrees in fall are warmer in the fall than in the spring. I don’t know why. It’s probably just me. Fall weather brings great variety with it. Where I live, we have both 100-degree temperatures and mountain snows in the same 7-day forecast.
Fall Foliage
Leaf peeping, as some call it, is a great fall activity. Fall colors are extraordinary in many parts of our great country. No matter where you live, fall foliage is usually no more than a day’s drive away from you. What follows is a dozen leaf-peeping places in alphabetical order (so we don’t make any enemies by ranking them.) It was too hard to cut it down to a top 10. Click on the location closest to you to see what’s going on close to you.
- Arkansas.
- Aspen, Colorado.
- Columbia River Gorge, Oregon.
- Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, New Mexico.
- Georgia.
- Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee.
- Green Mountain Byway, Vermont.
- Maine.
- New York.
- The Berkshires, Massachusetts.
- The Wasatch Mountains of Northern and Central Utah.
- Upper Peninsula, Michigan.
Time is of the essence success when it comes to fall foliage though. You need to be in the right place at the right time to fully enjoy the fall foliage. The time window is quite short at each location. Here’s a link to an interactive map to plan your trip.
Fall sports
Although Covid-19 has warped the sports landscape, fall is still a great time for sports. Football is great in the fall whether you are a fan of high school, college, or pro versions of the sport. Even Covid-19 can not totally erase fall sports. High schools are playing football in many states. Baseball might have the World Series. Who ever thought we would see the NBA finals in the fall instead of training camp and the start of the season?
Golf is better, too, when you play in the fall. The ball rolls further on dried out fairways although you do occasionally lose a ball in a wind-gathered pile of leaves. Crowds are less and tee times are easier as well.
Fall films
Fall is the time of year when new movies start to be released. However, watching fall films like Hoosier, Rudy and Dead Poets Society is always a great fall activity. Even watching a fall classic like “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” for the umpteenth time can bring a smile to your face. We all need a smile now and then.
Ode to fall
It’s not Pulitzer Prize material but the following sums up my feelings about fall. It’s probably not even refrigerator material.
ODE TO FALL Hot Chocolate. Pumpkins. Turkeys. I love fall. New crop apples. Bobbing for apples. Apple cider. I love fall. Friday night lights. Saturday afternoon football. NFL on Sunday. I love fall. Changing colors. Falling leaves. Leaf houses. I love fall. Cooler days. White puffy clouds. Bluebird skies I love fall. Critter ties. Sweaters. Hoodies. I love fall.
Fall season quotes
Speaking of Charlie Brown as we were a moment ago, Charles Shultz provided some great fall season quotes from the mouths of his characters.
“There are three things I’ve learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.” – Linus
“Have you come to sing pumpkin carols?” – Linus
“He’ll come here because I have the most sincere pumpkin patch and he respects sincerity.” – Linus
Here are a few others in a more serious vein.
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” – Stanley Horowitz
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus
“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.” – Samuel Butler
I guess I’m not the only one who loves fall.
As seniors, we are in the fall of our lives. Isn’t fall a metaphor of life? Spring is our youth of learning and growth. Summer is our busy middle years when we build careers and families. Fall is a cozy time of bright orange and red colors and relaxed evenings at home. Winter is the time of winding down, a time of reflection. Let’s just hope we don’t move on to winter too soon.
At least that’s the way I see it! Until next time...
Richard Elliott
The Senior Observer
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