Last weekend: tossed myself into the car and followed the road south, driving through southern Quebec farmland -- fields once green now slowly turning yellow -- crossing the border after a nicely cursory questioning by a customs agent (a few questions, then almost literally shrugging his shoulders before handing back my passport and waving me on). Green mountains, increasing traffic along the interstate as Burling came and went. Arrived back in Montpelier, got out of car. And found myself suddenly immersed in autumn -- trees doing the foliage thing, orange and yellow leaves strewn across lawns and road, air pungent with the smell of all that, insects in tall grass making quiet music. Hillsides displaying big color, shadows of sunlight/clouds moving slowly over them.
The first leaves began showing bits of color in mid-August, the normal start of all that in this corner of the world. And never really advanced from there, the weather mostly dry, temperatures mostly mild, even summery, despite decreasing daylight hours, sun lower in the sky, sliding slowly north as the days slipped by. When I left Vermont for Montreal, autumn seemed to step back even further, September putting on a show of lovely late summer conditions, everyone out in summer clothes. And that's how it remained until this return to Montpelier. During the days away, rain arrived, apparently jump-starting the transition.
Last week in Vermont: days with a cool edge, nights of falling temperatures, the season's first frost warnings.
A friend -- S. -- was supposed to drive up on Monday, I would then drag her up to Montreal for 2-3 days of fun. Late Sunday night, the phone rang: S. calling to say she'd just discovered that her passport had lapsed last year. I encouraged her to call the appropriate people the next morning, see if there was any chance of securing a new one on short notice. She did, there wasn't, she surrendered. Yesterday I drove back to Montreal to use the teeny studio flat I'd rented for two months for the very last time. And found out that during my days away, autumn had begun taking hold here -- air still mild but trees showing lots of yellow, yellow leaves sweeping through streets, driven by a restless breeze. Overnight, the temperature fell, wind rattled the windows all night long. This morning: autumn. Cold air, chilly breeze, lots of clouds scudding across the sky, sunlight peeking through.
Amazing. (Well, maybe not to you. But to easily amazed me.)
[this entry in progress]
España, te echo de menos
rws 2:03 PM [+]
Comments:
The leaves started turning brown on the trees in front of my office building, then dropping elegantly to the ground. But I think it was from the air pollution and not the turn in seasons.
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