DO YOU LOVE AUTUMN?

Autumn or Fall, whatever you want to call it, is my favorite time of the year. Although Fall signifies the end of summer, it's a beautiful time of the year. When the leaves turn colors like red, yellow, and finally brown, it's a visual feast for the eyes. Every fall, I take a couple of drives out in the country just to look at leaves. It reminds me of where I grew up, in upstate N.Y. But I have to tell you, the fall colors are more brilliant if you go back East. Here, we have evergreen trees and not as many Deciduous trees. Back East, there aren't nearly as many evergreens, so you see more color.

I have many wonderful memories of my Gramma taking me to New England, Vermont mostly, to visit friends and see the fall colors. We would stop along the way and buy some apples and also apple cider, fresh from the apple orchard. Then, we'd stop at a country store and buy some Vermont extra sharp cheese and maybe some maple sugar candy. There are tons of stores like that in Vermont, along the state's beautiful country roads. Then, we'd find a nice spot and have a picnic. I really miss those times with my Gramma. She took me on so many trips with her when I was a kid.

Other things I like about the season include the crisp fall weather, sunny days (at least in the early fall), and the start of football season! The one thing I DON'T like about Fall, is getting my son Chris to rake up the leaves in our yard!

So Happy Autumn/Fall to you. Even though summer is ending, good things are coming, including the holidays!

Will Johnson

[photo from Muffit/flickr.com]