Fall

The Vineyard in our backyard.
Fall is my favorite season, my favorite time of the year. That being said, it’s also the time of year that I feel the most homesick for Logan and its extreme seasons. The leaves in the canyons are breathtaking…the crispness of the days and the outside smells (I guess of decaying leaves: which doesn’t sound very poetic) are fresh and woodsy. Since living here, I’ve have come to accept the gloriousness of less extreme seasonal changes and have embraced it happily because for six months of the year it feel like a spring in Logan…which is also wonderful, but oh so short. So, here are some of the beauties of fall here:
--The smell of grapes being harvested and the beginnings of wine making—took a little getting used to, but also a very organic woodsy smell.
--The sparkling of the hills: as the grapes get bigger near harvest, they are infested with birds and so the wineries do anything and everything they can to keep them away. The most aesthetic way is they tie glittery ribbons every few feet on the grapes, apparently the sparkle scares the birds.
--The changing light: I love the way the sunshine in the windows changes as the southern exposure develops and lengthens.
--I love when the pumpkin patch down the road (literally, down the road) opens and we can spend afternoons playing in the mazes and eating snow cones.
--The last few Thursdays at the farmer’s market are exceptionally attended, poignant, and a little reminiscent and nostalgic for the end of the summer season (plus—not as hot).
-- Playing really, really hard outside after school to try to get it all in before hot baths, books, and bed (the three b’s).
--The sunsets are somehow, more beautiful: something to do with the changing light I guess.
--It starts to get dark earlier, which I sort of hate, except that we can study the stars before bedtime.
--It’s still warm enough to really enjoy the outdoors and we usually have enough warm days to even go swimming a few more times.
--Finally, when the grapes are harvested and the days start getting colder, the leaves on the vines become like rows of fire on the hills and the grass turns green and oh...the contrast is breathtaking.

So, take a drive down Logan Canyon for me and soak up the changing colors…and I’ll eat some nectarines at the farmer’s market for you.