Remember what I wrote two entries back about this dry spell and the local weather folks predicting bunches of showers from Isabel's spin-off? Remember that? No dice. No soap. (No rain.) Lots of wild weather, though, beginning with the big sunrise [see yesterday's entry]. Clouds moved in soon after, along with big wind. Trees began whipping about in dramatic fashion, leaves coming down. Dark clouds raced across the sky, ghostly light shining through big ragged holes in the grays and gun-metal blues.
No trees came down, at least around here. No power outages. Just visual drama and the sound of unruly, hard-blowing wind.
And today? Warm. Sunny. Almost summer-like. I drove into Montpelier along back roads, everything sedate. Tourists had the town nicely busy, getting a load of what autumn color there is to this point. Young folks strolled around in t-shirts, baggy shorts, sandals. Two twenty-somethings sat on a curb, engaged in slouching conversation, one wearing a huge hat made of shaggy, dark blue fake fur, the headgear pulled way down, leaving only the mouth uncovered. Where the North Branch River runs under State Street, a father and son sat together (40-something and 20-something) on one of the tired wooden benches, soaking up slanting late-afternoon sunlight, talking, people-watching. The Ben and Jerry's on Main Street did good business, folks drifting in and out of the shop, standing outside talking, ice cream cups in hand, raising their faces into the sunlight, eyes half-closed. A gentle breeze made its way through the scene now and then, faded yellow leaves drifting by.
September, tilting toward October. Pumpkins are well-represented at all farm stands, in the town's supermarket. On my ride home along Route 14, they stood out among rows of green as bright spots of orange. Future jack-o-lanterns, still fattening up.
Yesterday's intense weather's moved on, leaving behind a warm Vermont Saturday. Bucolic as all get-out, just a day or two shy of autumn's official start.
And the year rolls on.
rws 6:46 PM [+]