How ‘Bout Them Apples!

That's right, this has nothing to do with "Good Will Hunting"!

In addition to making significant progress on our baby registry this past weekend we also did a little exploring. With a beautiful fall day taking hold of our sense and the crisp air relaxing our lungs and our minds, we heading on the road with few plans as to where we would end up. Once the traffic cleared and we broke the bounds of the urban sprawl, we made our way down the highway watching the burning colors of the trees float past our windows.

It was about an hour before we broke the spell of the mesmerizing autumn landscape and took the next exit off the highway. Weaving back and forth across the scenery and over the ebb and flow of the country roads, it didn’t take long before we found ourselves a little lost and turning to our phone for advice. With the windows down the scents of the season eased what could have been a frustrating detour and before we knew it we were back on a road that we recognized (albeit still unfamiliar).

A few quick turns later and we found ourselves slowing to a gentle coast as we watched families cross the road and into an orchard. We figured it was as good a time as any to stop for a while, stretch our legs, and see if there were any fresh delectable items that we wouldn’t mind taking home with us. After finding one of the few parking spaces still available, it didn’t take long before we were surrounded by apples, pumpkins, and other produce sourced from just a few yards from where we were standing.

The autumn harvest surrounded us offering solace as the people flowed across the aisles of fruits and vegetables like a raging tide which would sweep you away if you didn’t keep your feet firmly planted. Seeing all the bright colors and their trees of origin in the distance, we couldn’t help but pick up a pint of apples for the road. It had been too long for both of us since we had been to an orchard and it didn’t take more than one bite to ensure that this would be a frequent occurrence especially once the baby is able to enjoy the sights, smells, and tastes of the season.

The stop is just what we needed… a time to take a break not just from the road but from the realities that were waiting for us upon our return. And we found out that many of these trips are no longer just for us but a means of finding places and experiences that we want to share with our son in the future. I guess you can add one more stop to that growing list.

Sensing the Season

It has felt like fall for a couple of weeks now. There were also a couple of crisp days before then but the consistency only just started to take hold. This may be my favorite time of year but the temperature is only half of the equation.

Today was the first day that I was really able to enjoy the season. Not because of the official announcement yesterday that the season had changed but because of the fact that today was the first time that it started to envelope all of my senses not just one. The sights, sounds, and smells are beginning to fill the air.

I enjoy the crunch under my feet of the freshly fallen leaves; the first line to fold in the seasonal change. While some may view the suicidal foliage in a way that foretells of the bitter cold just a few short months away I prefer to enjoy the moment that we are living in now. The year is too short to always be looking toward the darkness of winter; seasons are meant to be enjoyed.

Those same leaves give off the aroma unique to this time of year and one that is really hard to explain. Soon it will be joined by the comforting scents of the fall harvest and freshly carved pumpkins before the cold takes hold and mutes the olfactory experience. There is a lightness to the air that with a cool dry breeze the season wraps around you the smells of the season.

Looking up, just outside our apartment door, the edges of the leaves are beginning to burn with the autumn palate. Each leaf is unique in their chameleon change but all adding the overall collage of colors while retaining the memory of the summer arbor just beneath the branches. Soon the horizon will be filled with the fire of fall for all but a fleeting moment that will, undoubtedly, leave us wanting more.

This is a season of beauty and of change. While the departed summer is a time to relax for many this is the time of year that lets be slow down a bit from time to time just to enjoy the world around me. It is the time when we can’t help but be amazed by the world around us and we pursue new adventures and endeavors simply to partake in as much of the season as we can before the slumbering season takes hold of us and the calendar flips over to a new year.

This is the time of year to start something new and to emblazon our memories with new experiences like the flamboyant foliage around us etches their transition in our minds. This is the time that the slowly descending temperature brings us together and holds us to the warmth of family and friends. This is the season to share with the ones you love and to embody the passion that is portrayed in the trees around us. This is, by far, my favorite season.