"Now October has come again which in our land is different from October in other lands. . . . The ripe, the golden month has come again . . ." (Thomas Wolfe)
Every Season has its predominant colors. . . the pastels of Springtime's blossoms, Summer's plush verdancy or brown (depending on rainfall) and even Winter's' whiteness and trees' dark bare limbs pointing skyward. Still, Autumn, especially October, tugs at my soul like no other time of the year.
Devotees claim that the beach in the Autumn is akin to paradise. When I feel the pull to restore perspective and tranquility, the mountains beckon. There is a kind of fullness or completion in observing the seasonal cycle's move to maturity. If Winter is a kind of metaphor for death and endings, the transition to Autumn offers a time for reflection. Wolfe: "The ripe, the golden month".
From our balcony a couple of years back
Wolfe: "October is the richest of the seasons: the fields are cut, the granaries are full. ..."
On the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina several Autumns Ago
Last October , we spent a week at a lodging atop Sugar Mountain near Banner Elk, North Carolina. It was chilly but nothing like the scene photographed this morning (October 19, 2022):
And, in nearby Elk Park, this photo captured the transitions of the seasons:
Such scenes cause me to paraphrase a poetry line of the late Shel Silverstein: "Must we always have Winter; Can't [Autumn] just stay ?"
Satchel
Lovely autumn sentiments and beautiful pictures, Satchel. Thank you. Thank you very much!!
ReplyDeleteA splendid October we did have this year in our parts of Carolina...but as Robert Frost once said, "Nothing gold can stay."
ReplyDelete~RS