Loving Fall – My Current Favorite

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll remember that I touted showy fall photos, but then got too excited about the aurora from the same night, and so shared that instead. As promised, though, this post is loaded with autumnal glory. Tony has always claimed fall as his favorite season, and I think I’ll claim it as mine, too. Until winter comes along. Then it’ll be my favorite. Followed by spring morels. And then I’ll love the warm rays of summer. I am a fair-weather fan. To appropriate a favorite Strong Bad quote: The seasons are like my childrens. I love them all.

Fall is my current favorite. I’m loving the any-time-of-day-is-a-good-time-for-running weather. Winter works for this, too, but there is just so much less day. When I was but a wee teen in Ohio, I used to enjoy a good 90 degree (30 C) run, but now I plan my summer runs for the morning or evening. I love that it is chilly in our room at night for sleeping. My cats are also loving this, because they curl up and go comatose on the heated blanket, slobbering with delight. But mostly, as I suspect is the case for many folks, I am exuberant about the color. (If you think about it, though, it’s kinda sad. The trees give up producing the less-effective green chlorophyll, and instead produce their red/orange/yellow carotenoids in a last gasp before they give up the ghost entirely and drop their ineffective leaves for harsh winter.)

After lunch at Short’s (very imporant: if you’re ever in the area, you need to stop at Short’s for craft beer and sandwiches. I can only speak first-hand on the sandwiches, and all I really need to say is you need one of these in your belly. I hear similar things about their beer) in Bellaire on Sunday, we drove north on M-88 out of town, and then digressed down multiple side roads with no destination in mind. We’d drive, I’d see something I desperately needed to add to my photo collection, we’d stop, then we’d go on. We found several new places that we explored briefly, and found several more that we’ve added to a list to explore if dressed appropriately.

If I haven’t said it enough, that’s one of the things that drew us here, and keeps us in love with Michigan. Water access points, nature conservancies, state and national parks abound. There are countless ways to enjoy the outdoors here, and you never have to go far to find a place of exquisite natural beauty that welcomes the public. While you’re in the area visiting Short’s, let me know and I’ll suggest some other places just up or down the road for you to investigate 🙂

The grazing deer hiding behind that fence were a high note to end our drive on

Any of the side-by-side pics can be clicked for a larger version

Advertisement