No.3 Fall

Fall has been my favorite season for as long as i can remember. Growing up in Michigan with close family and living most of my adult years on the East Coast among dear friends and colleagues, I’ve had the great fortune to experience and celebrate the captivating sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the fall season in both spectacular and comforting fashion. From the cool, crisp days of autumn in September and October, outdoors in nature, on through the chilly and cozier days of November, spent inside and ushering in the holiday season with Thanksgiving, fall is a veritable feast for the senses: Basking in the feel of cooler temperatures and crisp air after a long, hot, stifling summer. Partaking in the bounty of the season’s harvests—apples, pears, squash, greens, corn—at local farmers’ markets, U-Pick orchards, and apple cider mills. Reveling in the kaleidoscope of spectacular color as the summer-green foliage bursts into fall’s signature brilliant hues of crimson, gold, orange, and russet. The sound of crunching leaves underfoot when hitting the trail on glorious fall hiking expeditions in the mountains or the forests along a lakeshore or river. The smell of woodsmoke emanating from campfires after a day of hiking and festive bonfires ushering in the harvest season. And then there are the smells and tastes of the abundance of fall harvest foods: warm spices, comforting soups, and celebratory feasts prepared together with family and friends in a warm and bustling home kitchen. I love it all! And the new lease on life and energy I feel, and the heightened desire to connect with nature and with my friends and family, near and far, when fall rolls around, just seems to grow with every passing year.