It's Autumn Time

This week fall came.  Thunder woke me up around two AM Monday morning and we had rain for the next two days.  When our preventative maintenance men came on Friday I had them switch off the air conditioning and turn on the heat.  Of course the weather says we're supposed to have eighty-five degree heat on Thursday, but everyone knows that it's just a bluff, a brief flirtation with a summer that is done.

I've grown to like fall more and more.  I used to hate it because it meant that winter was coming and I wouldn't be warm again until spring.  This is still true, and winter is even worse when you have to corral wiggling bodies into socks and shoes and coats before going outside.  But the children have worn me down or I'm getting older and more tired or maybe more zen about life, but I like the change that fall brings.  Summer has grown stale anyway and it's time for crisp air and cloudy days and tasty fall things, like pumpkin bread.

This Saturday we decided it was time to resume our Azerbaijan promotional posts and so we went up to find some real trees to walk around in and crunch leaves and feel appropriately fall-y.  Because to me, it doesn't feel nearly enough like fall when you're surrounded by concrete.

After breakfast we announced to the children our plans "we're going to go into the mountains and go hiking!"  Nobody said a word, so I continued, "and have a picnic!"  Cheers followed.

So we packed up the car, took off north, drove around in the mountains until we found tall trees to wander around in, which happened to be the Atiagach National Forest.

Joseph was very pleased.

"Look mom!  A triplet tree!"

Before we showed up, the entire forest was dead silent.  No horns honking.  No music.  No perpetual city-sounds.  The silence was deep it was its own sound.  I wonder if I could build a hideaway here?

What you don't see in this shot is Brandon hovering two feet away telling everyone they'd better not fall off the tree because he wasn't going to haul them back down the trail before driving ninety minutes into town to get any broken bones fixed.  We're very safety conscious in our family.

In the end everyone was happy with our hike.  I got out of the city into a green place, Joseph got snacks, all three of the children brought home sticks, and Brandon... got a happy family.  Hooray for fall!