Romance of Fall in the PNW

“Beautiful Autumn”

Fall is deeply romantic in the pacific northwest. Even in the absence of a calendar there would be no doubt as to when it has arrived. There is something uniquely specific and different that occurs when the shift is made. As if on cue it arrives unannounced, always taking me pleasantly by surprise. Fall arrives in striking contrast to its predecessor each year. At first the changes are subtle and slow, the differences too insignificant to think on for more than just a moment. Before we are prepared, the morning begins to linger just a little longer as damp clouds hug the low lying hills and waft between houses. Dew kisses the grass each morning wetting our toes as we tromp through the thick fields laid over by the burden of morning moisture and not yet upright from the steady rising pull towards our warming sun. The heavy sweet smell of over ripened blackberries lazily lingers about in no particular rush to move along. Washington’s brine of salt water and pine settles softly over everything tucking it all soundly in like a familiar heavy blanket. A quick glance upward reveals that our beloved mountain is full again after a particularly famishing summer. Fall brings roses to thrive and blossom into full second bloom. THE LIGHT. The light is always the most noticeable transition to catch my eye. It glistens off the trees and through the leaves in a slightly different tone. We are illuminated in a softer way making all we see more gentle and complex. It's a relaxing reprieve from the quick tempo of summer and a restful pause in preparation for the harshness of winter ahead. The new light calms the soul as if giving you a mental vacation as a reward for your successful efforts in the harvest. We are blessed to live in a cycle of seasons. To be cleansed and renewed each year is a beautiful treasure. We are afforded the ability to be  perpetually reborn into new opportunities. Fall is when I fell In love with my beautiful wife. It is when I realized that with the right person beside me I can do anything in this life no matter how difficult so long as we are doing it together. When the earth's angle is slightly off canter and the light changes each year, it always signals to my spirit that big growth is on the horizon.