Vivid fall colors. (photo: lokidude99)

There is a special feeling about Fall, for me.   If you grew up in the southwest, you know it doesn’t happen all that often.   Too much dry weather means the leaves fall early, turning all brown and withered during the heat of summer.   That  happened this year.

Some few years, we have wet enough summers that in the fall the leaves have a chance to turn bright colors, and then fall, usually after a frost.  We had that happen two years ago, and that was really nice.

When I was in the east, we had regular colorful falls, and I even had the chance to visit Skyline Drive at the height of fall color a few times.   There’s nothing like the high elevations in the Blue Ridge with bright cool sunshine glinting off the bright colors – and off the bumper of the car in front of you winding through the Drive.   A few times, we camped out along the Blue Ridge, and that is the way to see those fall colors.  Hiking along by streams, over the rocks, makes a complete fall for me.

For awhile, in Massachusetts, I really indulged in fall colors, and will never forget the great cool days with leaves red-gold all around, there.   It’s a treasure that the fall sets in just when school starts up, and turning on the heat coincides with studying hard.

What are your favorite fall memories? Have you been hiking among the mountains when the tree leaves were all brightly colored?

Hawksbill Crag, AR, fully arrayed in fall. (photo: dbarronoss)

Of course, Hallowe’en, then Thanksgiving, call up memories that go along with bright colored leaves.   New England cuisine is another close association.  I’m putting together pumpkin pie makings to take with me, to visit Avedon Carol in London later this month.  She can’t get it there much at all, and really loves it.

What food do you associate with the fall?   I think about the turkey and dressing, with cranberry sauce, we all have sometimes, and think the Pilgrims would have been totally gleeful if they could have managed all that at once.    But I suspect it wasn’t nearly that fancy, and there was probably venison and fish as well.   Do you think of things the original settlers would have had at the first Thanksgiving, that might not have been what we put on the table now?

We’re finally having decent temperatures now, after a merciless summer that broke all records for heat.   I cannot remember ever being so glad for the fall.