Fall.
As I mosey around the neighborhood, I noticed a few leaves starting to fall from the trees, and a bit of yellow and red, here and there, scattered around the neighborhood, so it's starting to look like that time of year again- my favorite time of year.
I think it's my favorite time of year not only because of the perfect temperatures but also because of the memories I have from past Fall seasons.
I can still remember being in elementary school in Malden, South Carolina, and since it was Fall, our homework was to go out into the woods, find as many different-colored leaves as we could, and bring them to school the next day. I loved anything that would get me out in the woods, so this was the best homework I ever had. Of course, the colorblind kids all failed and were held back for a year, but that was the only downside.
Living in Miami, Florida, we never had that kind of homework when I was in high school, partially because we were all so busy listening to the Beatles that no one knew it was Fall, but mostly because the leaves never change in Miami; the palm trees stay the same color all the time, so by then, I didn't care what time of year it was because it was always the same; I was more in love with riding my Cushman Eagle scooter to the nearest body of water, which in my case was Biscayne Bay, and fishing for Tarpon and Bonefish.
When I moved to Colorado, hunting for Mule deer and Elk became my favorite thing to do in the Fall. Living in the foothills, everyone I knew was an Elk hunter, so it just seemed natural for me to join in.
But now I'm too old to climb the hills and cross the wide valleys in search of the mighty Elk, but I still remember the Fall, the smell of the pine trees, the sound the aspens make when the wind blows through the forest, and, of course, the perfect temperatures. Just being out in the woods brings back great memories, and I still scan the forest floor, looking for leaves of different colors.... My third-grade teacher would be proud of me.
Theboondork
Old truck at the gift shop outside of Petrified Forest National Park.
Gift shop near Petrified Forest National Park
Arizona sunset.