Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Autumn Has Finally Arrived!

Bear Mountain NY / Photo by Mike Sacca
I grew up in the beautiful Hudson River Valley in New York... the southern end... Ossining, to be exact, in Westchester County.  My dad was a turkey farmer and our home was on about 7 acres on the outskirts of town.  It was an idyllic place to grow up and I loved the beauty of the area.  My fondest memories of the farm are tied to the seasons... each one with its own special memories.  Autumn was my favorite season then and remains so today.

Some of my farm memories are of a very young tree-climbing, exploring me... some are of the older me, taking on the responsibilities of a maturing adolescent.  

Winter was always cold and white.  Radiator heat.  Frost on the windows.  Lots of snow and shoveling.  Snow forts.  Ice skating on nearby lakes.

The emergence of pale green leaves and early buds and flowers announced the arrival of spring and the promise of warmer days.  Crocuses... forsythia... daffodils... lilacs.

Summer was long, lazy and relaxed.  Fishing, nightcrawling (catching those big worms for fishing), fireflies, swimming, riding my old bike with the big tires, wildflowers, homegrown corn and tomatoes, an occasional trip to Jones Beach, and my beloved New York Yankees (the REAL Yankees of the 1960s).  

But, without doubt, the most special time for me was autumn.  Oh, those magnificent maples!  The colors and smells of fall are forever with me.  Raking, burning (no longer politically correct, but necessary on a farm), picking apples from the tree I loved to climb, long walks, and collecting beautiful treasures that were gifts of the season.

Following those special years on the farm and some additional years living in the area as a college student, wife, elementary school educator, and mother, my husband and I moved to Arizona.  We left the magnificent Hudson River Valley for the beautiful (though very different) Sonoran Desert in Arizona.  I'm one of those people who adjusts easily to a new environment and quickly learns to appreciate the beauty of new surroundings, but, I have to admit, for 38 years my internal clock always knew when it was fall and craved the crisp autumn air and the changing leaves of my youth.  The magical changes of the seasons always called to me.  So, when we decided to move back to the East Coast, one of the biggest draws for me (aside from being closer to family) was getting to experience the changing of seasons again.  Especially, fall.

So, pardon my long introduction, as I walked myself down Memory Lane, but I wanted to share my passion for the beauty of autumn, as I share some information about where to go to enjoy the season in this area.  Here are some links to help you see what's going on in the Carolinas...
 
My boy, Rudy.
Take the time to enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes of autumn!  
  • Find a cider mill and enjoy some real homemade cider!  
  • Eat some freshly made apple cider or pumpkin donuts! 
  • Visit a pumpkin patch! 
  • Carve a pumpkin! 
  • Walk through a corn maze!
  • Live the experiences that makes the season so special!

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