It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Well, it is official. Fall is here. Of course, I don't judge fall's arrival by calendar dates. According to my personal deductions, fall has begun when the Christmas decorations go up in Giant. The tinsel and garlands are going up even as we speak and so with that, fall has, in my mind, officially arrived. With this knowledge, I had no choice but to go exploring today. I am fairly urban-inclined, but every now and then I get the nature urge and it refuses to be abandoned. So I wandered into River Bend Regional Park in Great Falls, VA:

Without any shadow of a doubt, fall is by far the best time of year. The aesthetics rendered by the season are so captivating to me. So captivating, that I find myself having to look only straight ahead while driving through the woods so as to avoid any neck craning or ogling and the results they have on one's driving record. The serenity that encompasses a man when walking along a path in the woods (any woods, just pick a woods to be encompassed in) is like hot apple cider for the soul. For the artist/photographer/writer, those orange and golden leaves are the stuff of dreams.

Everything comes together in the fall. The soccer season "ends" this weekend. I guess I should mention we are one win away from clinching the U19 title. We're pretty great. The league season will end, but do not be distraught; the tournament season kicks off the next weekend in Williamsburg. The World Series should have ended this week; you can thank the sure hands of the Tigers' relief pitching for cutting the series short. Aside from sports, apples are coming into season, along with pumpkins (which always make me think Chris Farley). If you get the opportunity to go to a pumpking patch let me be the first to envy. A hay ride through a pumpkin patch is up there with Tower Records, Starbucks, Christmas morning, and Natalie Portman in my book. . .not necessarily in that order.

It isn't all about the foliage, sports, and Chris Farley mind you. There are the Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks and the old sweatshirt that is always a sure thing when deciding what to wear when facing the cold, early morning. There's football, too. Lots of football. Soon there will be football on four of the seven days in the week. If you listen closely you can hear Dan Fouts' heart nearing explosion. We mustn't forget that those of us who wear SPF 80 during the summer don't burn in the fall. Yes, old sweatshirt, John Madden, Pumpkin Spice Latte, orange trees, lack of sunburn, and Chris Farley. These are a few of my favorite things.

Comments

[Marybeth]

WOW! GREAT PICTURES!!!

[Dawn]

Wow, this post is terrific, Michael! Wonderful photos and I love how you've captured the excitement of fall's arrival. :)

[Krisann]

A man after my own heart, lol; football, sweats, and pumpkin lattes! Though I am not a huge Chris Farly fan. ;)

Great post! I LOVE football season! :) What team(s) do you like? I have a few - Dallas, San Diego, and Seattle.

Enjoy the rest of the season!