All the Delights of the Season

HURRAY!!!

We have officially entered into my favorite time of the year: October 1st through December 31st.  I just love the arrival of fall.  The brilliant colors, the cool temperatures, cozy sweaters, apple cider, hot chocolate, crackling fires, fat pumpkins, crock pots, harvest festivals,  and all the homey-happy things that make autumn so wonderful.  It’s the beginning of shorter, colder days that are just perfect for snuggling in with a favorite book (Little Women) or movie (Anne of Green Gables–though actually both of these are great books AND movies–how awesome is that?!) and lazing the day away.

This year is particularly exciting because I get to celebrate a wedding of two dear friends in a couple weeks, take my first trip to Paris next month, and celebrate my niece’s wedding in December.  Plus we have Christmas and Thanksgiving in there too.  So, with all these happy memories about to be made, I took a trip down memory lane and dug up so some favorite fall photos from days gone by.  So raise your mug of spiced cider and toast The Season with me!

 

 

Beacon Hill, Boston 2007

One of my favorite places in the world is Beacon Hill in Boston, MA.  I love strolling along the cobblestone streets of this quiet neighborhood, the frenzy of the city just a few blocks away.  In the fall orange, gold, and red mums fill the planters, leaves scatter the streets and walkways, and stoops are decorated with pumpkins and colorful gourds.

 

 

Central Park, Late Fall 2007

New York’s Central Park in late November is magical.  The fall colors are striking against the light dusting of snow.  This was my first (and only, to date) trip to New York.  A friend and I took a Friday off from school and took a bus from Boston to NYC for a long weekend.  We had an absolute blast taking in all the sights around Manhattan, buying souvenirs in Chinatown, and window shopping along 5th Avenue.  Added bonus: we got stopped on the sidewalk outside a hotel and mistaken for paparazzi just as Josh Groban emerged.  Both of us photographers, neither of us got the shot.  He was in his car before we realized who he was.

 

Cider Squeeze, Puyallup, WA 2009

My second year in Washington, some friends and I went to an old-fashioned cider squeeze at the Meeker Mansion in Puyallup. And if you haven’t been to an old-fashioned cider squeeze, your life is not yet complete.  We each pressed our own gallon of cider, ate donuts, and had a great time!  And doesn’t this look like a fall catalog shot?  And we didn’t even plan it!  We’re just naturally amazing.

Nathaniel Hawthorne Statue, Salem, MA

On a brilliantly gorgeous Saturday, just a week before Halloween, I took a day trip to Salem, MA.  In addition to the famous witch trials, this town was also home to the author Nathaniel Hawthorne.  The bookworm in me just couldn’t let this photo-op go by!  Oh, and a tip for fellow travelers: if you want to experience a quiet, peaceful New England hamlet…DO NOT go to Salem in October.  On the other hand, if you want to experience the madness of Halloween at it’s puritanical finest, this is the place for you.