Fall-ing in Love

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~ Albert Camus

As a child I grew up in one of the prettiest mountain towns in the country. Of course it usually occurred in the fall. With leaves changing exquisite colors, and the air crisp but not yet chilly. You couldn’t help but fall in love with fall. I did. Over and over again.

It was the proverbial sun before the storm. When mother nature celebrated her fashion sense and style before going all emo in the incredibly long and dreary months of winter. It was the Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday before Lent. And it was the one time that I actually appreciate growing up in a some what rural town.

It was the one thing, that when I moved to New York, I missed terribly. While New York might be the fashion capital of the world, Central Park did not hold a single leaf to the White Mountain’s vibrant colors. It was pitiful. Truly.

I wanted to sneak into the park and paint the leaves Titan red and Rumpelstiltskin gold. Or rake the fallen leaves that scattered the ground in crinkly brown colors and jump in them like I did when I was a child. My second favorite time of the year was fast lagging behind in my new home.

That was until I traveled outside Manhattan (yes a world does exist beyond the bridges) to Long Island and Upstate New York. Where the farms are a plenty and you can go apple and pumpkin picking in abundance. The foliage may not be as vibrant, nor the mountains as tall, but the crispness, the fall festiveness is still the same.

The rolling farm land, in the midst of their harvest. So much like a Monet painting. Yes, fall has its uniqueness depending on where you go. But no matter what, it is still a truly special time of year.