A rainbow appears after a sunshower near Mt. Chase in Maine on a brilliant Autumn day ... Please visit http://www.mainefoliage.com/ for more beautiful Fall foliage photos ...
When I was a child, my favorite time of year was always Autumn, for so many different reasons. Autumn meant that school was beginning again, and that I would be reconnected with my school chums. It also meant that at some point, we'd go apple picking ~ and there is NOTHING like a crisp, juicy McIntosh apple right off the tree! ~ and it meant that the leaves on the trees would all be brilliantly painted vibrant hues of red, orange, and gold by the second week in October, even in the midst of an "Indian Summer." The air would have that special and unique "crisp" Autumn scent, the milkweed would burst open and begin scattering its downy, feathery-like seeds to the wind, and the many vast fields would slowly change from pale yellow to a deep burnt golden color, before fading away to brown. Sometimes the oak trees little "helicopters" as we called its seeds, would fall slowly to earth as my siblings and I tried to catch as many as we could. Oh yes, I loved Autumn!
I still love and look forward to Autumn as an adult, although currently I reside in a state there are only two seasons: Hot & Hotter. I welcome Autumn via a website each year, where I can leisurely watch the foliage change from green, to vibrant, beautifully hued colors without having to leave the safety and security of my home. Granted, it isn't the same as taking a long, leisurely drive around the Central & Northern areas of Maine, my home state, but it's the next best thing to being there! Autumn in Maine always brings with it the last of the tourism before the vast, forest laden state hunkers down for its long winter's snooze. Winters in Maine bring its own excitement, what with miles and miles of snowmobile trails, various ski resorts, and ice hockey arenas. But this post I am exclusively dedicating to Autumn in the New England area.There really is nothing like feeling the crisp, fresh air in your face and the warm sunshine on your back on a true Autumn day, or sipping cold, fresh apple cider, or taking in the scent of the Atlantic ocean as you walk along the shores of the rugged Maine coast on a vibrant Autumn day. There is nothing like the Autumn craft fairs in the various areas of New England, where you can find hand-woven scarves to keep your head and neck warm in the coming winter months, hand-spun pottery that you will treasure forever, hand-knitted hats and mittens, and various other items that have been crafted with loving care by artisans from all walks of Life. Nothing like hand-tapped maple syrup to smother your pancakes or French toast in on a brisk Autumn morning, or freshly laid eggs from the chicken that resides in your back yard, or awakening to an eerie, yet ever so beautiful view of a low mist hovering over the back fields, and slowly diminishing as the sun rises higher in the azure morning sky. There really is nothing like Autumn in New England!The warmth of the late Autumn sunshine beaming onto your mohair sweater-clad back, as you hike various mountain trails is exhilerating. Picture yourself swiftly paddling your sea kayak toward the shore in the bay, as the sunshine pours its light onto the deep, rough depths of sea, and reflects like Mother Earth's huge hand mirror. Imagine entering a wonderland grove of various trees ~ ash, birch, sugar maple, oak ~ and walking slowly and peacefully below a canopy of bright golds, yellows, and reds that have been painted exclusively by Mother Nature's hand. No words ~ nor even photographs ~ can describe the brilliance and peacefulness of nature during Autumn in New England. There is nothing like experiencing it for yourself. Make your destination count in the coming years. Take a trip to New England in the Autumn season ... it's something everyone needs to experience for themselves, if only once in their Lifetime.
